The Eternal Ark
by FierceOni
Summary: Written by The Fierce Deity Posted by Me Sequel to 'The Five' - Link and company must find the 6 locks of the Eternal Ark and seal it once and for all
1. Prologue

**The Legend of Zelda - The Eternal Ark**

**Prologue**

Hyrule was in the grip of winter. A thick blanket of snow had descended upon the land, from Death Mountain to Kokiri Forest, transforming everything into a white, powdery wonderland. There was a person, however, who didn't have time to admire the tiny icicles hanging from the trees and grass, or the tiny snowflakes that spiralled endlessly out of the sky. The person was a boy, with a thick cloak drawn tightly about his shoulders and a peculiar staff clutched in one hand. He slogged through the snow under the canopy in a remote part of the woods, his breathing becoming laboured as he cast quick, furtive glances behind him as if he were being pursued by something. He stopped briefly, leaning against a tree to catch his breath as it came out in short, ragged gasps. The snap of a twig brought his head up quickly and he redoubled his efforts and powered through the thick snow, his untamed grey hair lashing at his eyes.  
"I need…to find," he whispered breathlessly to himself. "I have to give…the key." His sodden boots had long since numbed his feet and he could barely feel his fingers as he held onto the staff as if it were his only lifeline. He tripped, falling face-down in the snow. Teeth chattering, he brought his head up and shook it free of snow. He licked his freezing blue lips and struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on his staff.  
"Feeling the chill?" a gravelly voice sounded from over his shoulder. His eyes widened in terror and he began to tremble. "You're too weak to get away in these conditions…too pathetic." He turned suddenly to face his tormentor, the person who had been following him for weeks on end. He had never actually seen them, as they were always very careful to remain hidden and today was no exception. All he knew was that the person was male, he could tell that much by his voice, but he knew nothing else other than the fact that he wanted him dead.  
"What…do you want?" he called into the silent forest. "Leave me alone!" No reply. The boy stood warily, scanning the ghostly woods for a shape, a figure, anything, but there was nothing. He began to back away, holding his staff out in a protective manner.  
"No escape!" the voice spat, more harshly this time. The boy heard a rustling overhead and jerked his head up in time to see a shape descending on him. With no time to think he raised his staff and poured all of his strength into it, closing his eyes as tightly as possible. A moment later there was a flash of lightning followed by a thunderous, domed explosion. Snow, dirt and woodchips were sprayed in all directions along with the boy, who was hurled away from the blast and into the base of an unyielding tree. He slammed into the tree with a grunt, knocking his head solidly and he half-lay there with his staff still clutched in one hand. He heard the faint sound of feet crunching through snow towards him and garbled shouts that he, in his current state, couldn't comprehend. Unconsciousness claimed him as a fuzzy shape appeared in front of him and reached out with a blurry, ghostly hand…


	2. The Key

**Chapter 1 – The Key**

"Remember…" a hollow voice echoed. "Remember…"  
"Remember what!?" A young male voice demanded. "What are you trying to tell me?"  
"It must be opened…to be closed…" the voice echoed again, growing fainter and fainter.  
"You're not making any sense! Open to close? What are you talking about?" The owner of the male voice suddenly saw what looked to be a blindingly white keyhole speeding towards him, getting bigger and bigger as it drew closer.  
"Remember…" the voice said one last time. "You are the one who must open the door…" The keyhole swallowed him up, sending him to the waking world in a brilliant flash of light.  
Link's eyes snapped open as his heart pounded away in his chest like a hammer. He hadn't had a dream like that for a long time and it disturbed him slightly. He'd have to mention it the next time he saw Zelda. Link sighed happily as he snuggled deeper under the covers. It was so cold outside, and yet he was so cosy and warm in his good old bed. Navi dozed fitfully on his pillow, her tiny form twitching in her sleep. It was late morning and Link could hear the other Kokiri playing around in the snow outside. He'd go out soon, of course, but for now he was so warm, so cosy, so comf-  
"How long are you going to blob there?" a voice demanded almost crossly. His covers were suddenly gone and the warmth was replaced by freezing cold air. Link's eyes snapped open and his pupils shrank down to tiny dots.  
"Aaaaugh!" he yelled, groping for his missing blanket as he tied to curl into the tiniest ball he could manage. When his search proved to be futile, he looked up to see Saria grinning at him with bedding in hand.  
"Wake up, sleepyhead. You said you'd take me sledding today and I'm all ready to go!" she told him excitedly, twirling around to show off her thick scarf and winter apparel. Link scowled and ripped his blanket from her small hands, wrapping it around his shoulders and sitting up.  
"And thank you for reminding me so," he groaned. "You'll kill me if you do that too often, Saria. I'm only wearing my underclothes after all."  
"Oh you'll survive," Saria sighed, waving it off with a gloved hand. "You're a healthy young boy, nothing to worry about." Link scowled once again and stood up, his blanket still held tightly around his shoulders.  
"I'm bigger than you are, so it should be me bullying you," he grumbled. True to his word, Link stood more than a head's height over his friend, as he did over the rest of the Kokiri. He was fast approaching his fourteenth birthday and as of late had been growing like a weed, frustrating Saria to no end as it was her who made his clothing. Rather than booting him out of the forest the Kokiri had urged him to stay, citing that they'd miss him too much and it would be good to have someone bigger around to help mend things.  
"It's cold today, so make sure you put on a scarf," she told him. "And wear something under your tunic."  
"Yes ma'am!" he saluted smartly before pulling his tunic and a thick undershirt from a small chest of drawers. He tugged them on quickly as Saria tapped her foot impatiently on the floor of his house.  
"Put your thick socks on too," she said as he reached for his boots. Link rolled his eyes and changed course, pulling open another drawer to grab the aforementioned item. Once his footwear was sorted, he jammed his cap on with Navi huddled underneath and wrapped his scarf around his neck.  
"Is her majesty satisfied?" Link asked, bowing floridly.  
"I will be once I'm sliding down a hill. Now chop chop! Let's get going!" she urged, pushing him out the door.

Link trudged through the forest, dragging Saria along on as she sat on a finely crafted sled. The sled had been a gift, both built and given by their friend Talen two years earlier when he had come to visit them in the forest. Talen was a sensible boy who was an apprentice blacksmith under his father in the subterranean city of Rockvale. Blessed with great strength and the ability to manipulate all things stone, he had played a major role in the defeat of Gedinia nearly three years before. Every winter since he had given them the sled, Link had been cursed to haul Saria up sledding slopes so that she could slide down again. For all his work, Link barely got a ride in at all. He didn't mind all that much, hurling snowballs at his friend to knock her off as she shot past more than made up for it.  
"Hurry up!" Saria pleaded from behind him. "The snow'll melt by the time you get there!"  
"It would be quicker if you walked, you know," he told her. "Without you to weigh down the sled it would be a whole lot easier for me to pull."  
"Are you calling me fat?" she demanded in mock seriousness.  
"Augh!" Link gasped. "Too many…insults…in my…brain at once!"  
"Har-de har har," Saria laughed dryly, lobbing a handful of snow at him. Link moved his head to the side and avoided the throw, chuckling quietly to himself. The pair continued moving through the forest until they arrived at their destination; a small, bare hill that rose from a sparser section of the forest. Saria clapped her gloved hands with glee.  
"Up we go, Link!" she laughed, pointing to the top. Link gave a half-hearted salute and began to haul Saria to the top.  
"Talen sure made this thing to last," Saria said out of the blue. "Not once have we had to have it fixed."  
"Talen's good at doing things with his hands," Link shrugged.  
"I wonder what everyone's doing right now?" Saria mused. "I'm beginning to miss them again." Saria's question brought Link's mind to attention. Talen was most likely working away in his father's smithy, pounding out all manner of objects. Florella, the Great Fairy of Spring was either "planting the seeds of love" (as she put it) in Windhill, or was watching over her love interest. Florella was a strange one; a Great Fairy that inhabited the body of a child, she had fallen in love with the quiet boy Talen and in the blink of an eye had declared that the two of them were going to marry no matter what. Talen had, at first, been utterly horrified with the concept of marriage, but soon developed a soft spot for the overly-affectionate girl and had finally told Link that he was going to spend a few years creating a ring for her made out of one the most valuable and durable precious metals in the world. Zelda, who he and Saria had seen just a few weeks before, was probably being schooled in the ways of being a proper princess; things like manners and how to cope with affairs of state. Ruto was much the same, though she was slightly more rebellious that Zelda and Link often found that she would sneak through the shortcut from Zora's Domain to the forest for surprise visits. Link furrowed his brow when it came to Fura. Nobody had had any contact with the Gerudo Girl for well over a year as she had been selected to partake in some obscure ritual that required her to have no contact with absolutely anyone, save a select few. Link remembered the day she had told him, and the others well. It was the last time that they had all been together; with a thick voice she had informed them that she wouldn't be able to see any of them for quite a while. She broke down soon after that and threw herself at Link, almost choking him with the fierceness of her hug. Soon after that, his face was almost white with lipstick smudges and she was shaking him roughly, telling him that the second she was able to, she'd contact him. After a round of hugs and crying with everyone else, Fura steeled herself and bade them all goodbye, sweeping from the room as dramatically as possible.  
"Hey! Don't stop pulling! Keep moving!" Saria shouted, snapping him out of his reverie with a snowball to the head.  
"Ugh, well you could get out and significantly decrease the time it takes to get to the top!" he shot back, jerking at the rope to make her tumble out of the sled. With its weight significantly reduced, Link had no problems trotting up to the top of the hill as Saria ranted along behind him.  
"Oh stop moaning," he told her, lifting her under her arms and plonking her down in the sled behind him.  
"I hope one of those girls gets you good, trains you to be a proper gentleman!" she huffed. Link grimaced. Ever since their struggle against Gedinia, Zelda and Fura had admitted that they, along with Ruto, were interested in Link as more than a friend. It was tough being stuck in the middle of the three girls, even if they didn't really show much animosity towards each other, well, Fura and Zelda anyway. Link, however, continued on his unbiased way, showing all three of them the same amount of affection that he'd show Saria. He'd argue with them over things, tease them (he got a fair amount back), and generally act like a typical boy who'd rather play than get involved with romance. Link was still as slow as molasses when it came to cottoning onto matters of the heart, driving the three girls absolutely wild with frustration. Questions such as, "How do I look in this?" and "What do you think would look good with this?" were usually answered with a shrug and something like, "Yeah, that's fine." With a yawn, Link kicked Saria and the sled down the hill and listened with amusement as Saria laughed and squealed all the way down. He watched as Saria came to a stop at the bottom and scrambled to her feet.  
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," he sighed, trudging back down the hill in a repeat performance that would, most likely, last a number of hours.  
"Come on!" she said exuberantly. "I wanna go agai-" Saria was cut off by an explosion that rocked the forest, sending small tremors through the ground. In an instant, Link's sword and shield were off his back and in his hands.  
"Stay close," he told Saria, dashing off towards the direction the sound had come from.

A smouldering crater, split trees and a limp body greeted the two friends as they jogged onto the scene.  
"What happened here?" Link asked, looking around.  
"Oh Link, over here!" Saria called. "He's still alive!" The small girl was kneeling in front of a boy, perhaps the same age as Link was. She reached out and felt his face.  
"He's stone cold! Link, we have to get him back to the village!" Saria told him. Link nodded and walked over to the crumpled boy before bundling him up onto his back. Saria picked up the odd looking staff that the boy had dropped and carried it along behind Link as he trudged back to the sled, placing the boy on it so he could be pulled back to the village. Saria walked next to the sled to make sure the boy didn't fall of while still carrying the staff. Link glanced at it as he went. It looked simple enough, a perfectly straight wooden pole about two, maybe three centimetres thick with a small crystal sphere fixed at a point at the top. The crystal seemed to be held in place by two short, curved pieces of wood arranged in an "x" formation, the four ends of which reached about halfway up each quarter way around the sphere. It didn't take too long before they arrived back at the village. Quickly, so as not to draw too much attention from the other Kokiri, they moved the boy into Saria's house and put the boy to rest in her bed after removing the most sodden of his garments. Saria quickly busied herself with making some hot soup while Link rummaged around in a chest for some potion. Soon, Saria was spooning a mixture of soup and red potion into the boy's mouth, being careful not to burn him.  
"Link, have a look in his cloak for anything that may tell us what happened out there," Saria said over her shoulder. Link nodded in silent agreement and emptied the pockets of the cloak, finding only one peculiar item. It was something similar to Fura's thick golden neck band that she wore (after Talen had, true to his word, made her another one). This one, however, had a small hinge and clasp that allowed it to be removed as it wasn't wide enough to be lifter over the head. It was quite thick with odd runes engraved around the side. The really peculiar thing about the object, however, was the fact that it seemed to be tugging towards Link as he held it, quivering slightly in his hand. Link didn't have time to ponder the strange piece of jewelry as Sara called out suddenly, telling him that the boy was waking up.  
"Ooh," he groaned, his eyes opening slightly. "W-what happened? Where…am I?"  
"Are you all right? You're in Kokiri Forest, my friend and I found you after we heard an explosion," Saria told him. The boy blinked a few times before his eyes became fully focused.  
"M-my clothes! Where are they?" he asked desperately. "Oh if I've lost it then it's all over!"  
"Calm down," Link told him. "Your clothes are here, we had to take most of them off because they were wet."  
"Is there a, um, a gold-" Link held up the neck band. "Oh, thank the Gods."  
"What happened to you anyway?" Link asked. "And why is this thing shaking?" The boy blinked as Link dropped the neck band on the bed.  
"But…it should only be doing this if it's near the Bearer…that means…you must be him! I've finally found you!" the boy said excitedly.  
"Pardon?" Saria asked.  
"Oh I'm sorry," the boy said apologetically. "I haven't even thanked you yet. My name is Ark, and I thank you for saving my life."  
"Ark," Link repeated. "That's a funny name. Would you mind telling us what you were doing out in the forest all by yourself?" Ark propped himself up and cleared his throat.  
"I came here…to the forest to find the Bearer of the Key. I was attacked by someone who had been following me for quite some time, but I managed to fend him off," Ark told them.  
"So that's what the explosion was. Friend, you'd better find better ways to protect yourself unless you want to end up with more bumps on your head," Link laughed. Ark smiled and continued.  
"You see, we're all in a lot of trouble! Something happened that shouldn't have, and you must help me to put things right again!" he pleaded.  
"Calm down," Saria said soothingly. "What makes you think we can help?"  
"Because…because I just do! The Key, look, it's reacting to your friend there. That means he's the Bearer!"  
"I'm Link by the way and this is Saria. What the heck is a bearer?"  
"I'm not exactly sure, but I do know that you have to put on the Key. It will tell us what to do when you wear it!" Ark told him, holding the shaking neck band out towards him. Link took it dubiously.  
"Please!" Ark begged. "I mean you no harm! The future of the world is at stake!" Link squared his jaw and brought the "Key" up to his neck. Almost as soon as it got close, the Key zipped out of his hand and clipped around his neck of its own accord. Link gave a startled cry as the clasp and hinge vanished, making it impossible to remove. The surprises didn't end there, however, as two long straps of an unknown leathery material sprouted from two points on the Key at the back of his neck. The straps trailed down to his knees and two thick silver rings about the size of regular bracelets formed at the tips.  
"Oh my!" Saria gasped, stepping back.  
"What the hell happened?" Link gasped, turning his head this way and that, causing the rings to sway.  
"Do not be alarmed," Ark assured him. "The Key is there to help you and will come off once you do what needs to be done."  
"And what is it I need to do?" Link asked, a little panicked. It wasn't Ark who answered his question, though. The straps of the Key swept up and folded in such a way to look like a sheet of parchment. As they watched, words began to form in front of their very eyes. Link read them out slowly.

_"The lock has been broken and split far and wide  
Like pieces of driftwood upon evening tide.  
Now it lies open, with powers clear to all foes  
To prevent great disaster, the Eternal Ark must be closed."_

Once read, the straps unwound and returned to their dangling positions behind Link's back.  
"More riddles," Saria frowned. "I thought we'd seen the last of them years ago."  
"What's this all about?" Link demanded. "Are you telling me Hyrule's in danger again?"  
"Not just Hyrule, the whole world! Please Link; you must do what the Key tells you!" Ark pleaded. Link sighed and rubbed at his temples.  
"Okay, okay," he muttered. "The best course of action would be to go to Hyrule castle. We'll search the library for anything that refers to the "Eternal Ark" and see if Zelda knows anything about it…that dream I had. Maybe it had something to do with the Ark."  
"Then you'll do it?" Ark asked, his face lighting up.  
"It looks like I've got no choice. If I don't do it, this thing'll never come off," he muttered, tapping the Key. "And by the way, what is the Eternal Ark? Is it something to do with you? Your name is Ark, after all."  
"Just a coincidence," Ark shrugged. "I was named Ark by the village elder, so you'll have to ask him when we eventually see him."  
"We're going to see your village elder? What for?" Link asked.  
"He knows more about the Eternal Ark than anybody. He'll be able to tell us what is going on," Ark said confidently.  
"And he didn't see fit to tell you about it before you left?" Link asked, quirking an eyebrow.  
"He said it would be best if he explained it while you were there." Link nodded and absently toyed with one of the silver rings that hung down his back.  
"When do we leave?" Link asked.  
"Tomorrow," Saria said sternly. "Ark is still not fully recovered, so he's going to have to stay in bed until then. Link, I'm going to take your bed for the night."  
"What? Where do I sleep?" Link asked, a hint of outrage evident in his voice.  
"You, Link, get the floor."

For the remainder of the day, Ark taught Link how to use the Key. By mere thought alone Link could manipulate the straps to move in whatever manner he wished. He found that they were virtually indestructible after Ark told him to try and cut them with his sword. The straps could also lengthen and shorten to whatever length Link wanted, plus due to the fact that the Key sat above his skin and didn't actually come into contact with him, Link could hang from things, swing and lift himself.  
"That's what it's made for," Ark explained. "It was created to be of assistance, not a burden, that's why you don't choke when you hold onto things with it."  
"I guess it could come in handy," Link mused, whipping the rings around. "I guess it's kinda like the tail I used to have." Ark blinked.  
"Tail?" he asked in confusion.  
"Oh, never mind," Link laughed, allowing the straps to fall limply. "Long story." Ark nodded and allowed his eyes to fall on the sword and shield on Link's back.  
"Do you fight?" he asked. When Link looked puzzled, Ark pointed at the weaponry.  
"Oh! These. Yeah, I've done a bit in my time; these have been through a lot with me."  
"They look impressive," Ark told him. Link unsheathed his sword and held it in both hands. It was the Gilded Sword no more. When Link had visited Talen the previous year, the smith had pinched the weapon in the night and worked on it through till the morning. When Link had awoken Talen had handed him his new sword, explaining that it had been getting a little too small for him and, as a birthday present, had been reforged into what he called the Ragnarok. Talen explained that Ragnarok was an ancient word meaning, "Doom of the Gods," and was somewhat appropriate since Link had defeated Gedinia, who could be likened to one. The blade was similar to that of the Master Sword, but was a silvery-gold colour instead of the bluish tinge that the sacred blade held. The grip was wound in leather, with two ornate pieces of metal curving down then up from where the blade met the handle, as was common in many Hylian swords. His shield remained much the same, although the design had been changed on the front due to Saria's extreme dislike for the grotesque screaming face. So, with a bit of work on Talen's part, it had been altered so that it bore the image of the Triforce instead.  
"That's enough, both of you," Saria told them, pushing Ark back into a lying position. "Time to get some sleep, Ark."  
"But I'm fine, Miss Saria. Really I…" he trailed off as Saria gave him a look full of steel. "I…I'm actually pretty tired."  
"I thought so. Link, go away," Saria said brusquely. "Ark needs to rest, and he won't get any if you're here nattering on about swords." Link blinked at her and walked towards the door, giving her a sardonic bow when she wasn't looking.

Night descended on the forest and the Kokiri finished playing in the snow and retired to the warmth and shelter of their houses. Link made sure Ark was fine for the night before walking across the village and climbing up the ladder to his treehouse. Saria was already bundled up in his bed by the time Link crawled into the one set up on the floor.  
"I hope you're comfortable up there," he mumbled to his friend.  
"I certainly am, Linkie-do," Saria giggled. "Nice and warm and cozy."  
"Ugh, I've my sheets are solid ice," Link shivered as his body adjusted to the feeling of getting into a chilled bed.  
"Too bad Fura isn't here to warm it up for you," Saria snickered evilly. "She managed to sneak into your bed a couple of times didn't she?" Link's ears went red.  
"Well…yeah. But we only slept," he muttered.  
"Nice and cozy was it, hmm? Did you two cuddle?" she chuckled. "Or was she raining sweet kisses down upon thee?"  
"Saying things like that will land you on the floor," he muttered, face flaming with embarrassment. Saria propped herself up on her pillow.  
"Oh? How so?" she asked with a level gaze.  
"Your dirty mind will scare my bed."  
"Just like I scared that pie that was cooling on my windowsill?" Saria asked archly.  
"Exactly. You treated it badly and it came to me for protection."  
"You really do talk drivel sometimes," Saria chuckled, dropping back down onto her pillow. "But I guess that's one of your endearing qualities. Serious one minute and childish the next." There was silence for a while and only the sound of the wind rustling through the trees outside could be heard. Saria shivered slightly as Chat burrowed under the covers, letting in a small gust of cold air.  
"Link," she said finally.  
"Mmhm?" he mumbled tiredly.  
"What do you think about Ark? Can what he's telling us really be the truth? Is Hyrule in danger again?"  
"From experience I've learned to trust strange legends and stories. If what Ark says is true, we'll know soon enough. For now, get some sleep." Saria closed her eyes again, but opened them shortly.  
"Link?" she asked again. "Are you…going away?" Link said nothing for a few seconds before replying.  
"I think I have to, Saria," he told her. "But I will come back, so don't you worry about a thing."

Link woke early the next day and, looking out his window, was pleasantly surprised to see that the sun was shining. He rudely awakened Saria as revenge for the previous morning and managed to scramble out of his home before she could shout at him. He was asked by a few of his Kokiri friends about the "collar" around his neck and Link merely passed it off as something to protect him from the cold. Chuckling to himself, Link crunched across the snowy ground towards Saria's house to check on Ark and, when he poked his head through the door, found that the boy had just put on his thick cloak.  
"Oh! Good morning Link. Did you sleep well?" he asked politely.  
"Yeah, pretty well considering," he laughed. "You ready for breakfast?"  
"Well," Ark said, scratching the back of his head. "I'm not all that hungry…" Link snorted.  
"Hah! You're going to be having breakfast if you like it or not. Saria isn't going to let you or I go without a good start to the day, especially in winter."  
"Saria…is she your sister?" Ark asked curiously.  
"No," Link chuckled. "Though I suppose she does act like it sometimes. No Saria's my oldest friend, and I guess she's just trying to make sure I take care of myself. She seems to mother most people she comes across."  
"You're lucky," Ark grinned. "I've never had anyone like that."  
"Yeah, you're absolutely right there, friend. It's a blessing and a curse rolled into one neat little package." The two boys talked for a while longer until Saria swept in the door and booted them out of the house while she prepared breakfast. When asked if he ever made his own breakfast, Link merely replied, "Saria has banned me from going near her stove because she thinks I'd just burn the hell out of myself." Finding that simply waiting for breakfast was quite boring, the two boys decided to help build a snowman with a group of Kokiri. They were part way through putting the head on when Saria called them in for breakfast. Link and Ark hurried inside and found two plates of fried eggs waiting for them.  
"Hurry up and eat," she said briskly. "You don't want them to get cold." They thanked her and began to eat, and quickly at that. They soon finished and, after washing their plates up, went back over to Link's house to grab some equipment for their trip across Hyrule Field. Link got down on his knees and began to rummage underneath his bed, pulling out an assortment of familiar items; his hookshot, bow and quiver, bomb bag, transformation masks and wallet. He made sure they were safely secured inside his tunic before climbing back out of the treehouse. Saria and Ark met him at the bottom of the ladder and together the three of them made their way to the small wooden bridge that led to the entrance to the forest.  
"Now you two be careful and hurry along. Don't get stuck out in the middle of the field during the night, but if you do, go to Lon-Lon Ranch and spend the night there. Talon will be more than happy to put you up for the night," Saria informed them, all the while trying to tie a scarf over the top of the Key on Link's neck. She gave up with a huff and thrust it into his hand instead.  
"Now you be careful," she told him, standing up on her tiptoes and kissing him on the cheek. "And hurry back as soon as possible."  
"I'll be back, Saria," he grinned, ruffling her hair. "Coming Navi?" The tiny fairy flitted excitedly around his head and settled into her steady orbit.  
"Goodbye, Miss Saria. Thank you for your hospitality," Ark said with a slight bow. Saria giggled before waving the two of them away and skipping back into the forest.  
"Well Ark, when we get to the castle we can say hello to Zelda and then get cracking in the library. I want to see just what this Eternal Ark is all about."


	3. Shocking

**Chapter 2 – Shocking**

The snow wasn't as thick out on the field due to the fact that the snow hadn't fallen as heavily the previous night. Link idly swished the metal rings of the Key around, flicking up gobs of snow while he walked. Ark trudged along beside him, using his staff as a walking stick.  
"So you know the Princess Zelda?" Ark asked Link as they crested a small rise.  
"Yes. The two of us are very good friends. We went through a lot together a few years ago."  
"There can't be too many people around that can say they're close friends with a number of royal families…but it isn't as fantastic as it may seem," Link chuckled.  
"Tell me of them…your friends I mean," Ark asked.  
"Let's see…well there's Saria and you'll meet Zelda soon enough. She's very sweet natured and proper like a good princess, but don't let it fool you; she can throw temper tantrums like you wouldn't believe. I think you're safe though, it's usually only me that's on the receiving end of her ultimatums. There's Ruto, the Zora princess; she's a bit of a tomboy most of the time but she's really very nice." Link went on through the remainder of the list, talking of Fura, Florella and even some of the people met on his journey three years prior.  
"And finally there's Talen, the semblance of sanity. He's probably the best male friend I've ever had. Darunia's great and all, but he just can't muck around like Talen can. If you ever meet him I'm sure you'll like him, he's sensible, quiet and I'll be damned if he can't turn junk into treasure. You know he dug up this dirty great rock and polished it down into a shiny gem?"  
"He sounds like a very dependable fellow," Ark smiled. Link nodded.  
"You couldn't get a more dependable person. I can barely count all the times he's pulled through for all of us, yet the poor guy's doomed," Link sighed sadly.  
"Doomed?" Ark asked, a little fearfully.  
"Yeah. Florella's got him pegged for marriage; she stuck a ring on him that'll never come off." The two boys burst out laughing as they entered a small grove of trees.  
"I would like to meet all of these people someday," Ark chuckled. "They sound quite colourful."  
"You're right about that. They certainly are a strange group of pe-" Link was interrupted by a shape that launched itself from the undergrowth of the grove.  
"Watch out!" it shouted in a feminine voice. It tackled the two boys to the ground as a bolt of energy sizzled through the empty air.  
"You o-kay?" the voice asked. Link and Ark both looked up to see the strangest sight they'd ever seen. Their tackler was an oddly animalistic looking girl of medium height with short tawny fur covering her entire body, leaving her to look oddly cat-like in appearance. She was more human than animal, her face devoid of any fur except for an extraordinarily thin layer that looked more like skin. Her ears were slightly and shorter wider than a normal Hylian's and they covered with fuzz. Her hair was more like longer fur; sort of rough and brown in colour, curling down behind her ears and up to frame her face. Her wrists, ankles and the tip of her striped tail had slightly bushier fur growing on them, making her to look like she was wearing white pom-poms. As far as clothing went she wore nothing and her rather generous assets were there for the world to see, almost reminding Link of a furry Ruto.  
"Y-yes, we are fine," Ark stuttered, looking at the ground. "But who are you? And what purpose d-"  
"Woop! No time now, baddie fight more!" she yowled. Link looked up and saw a man dressed in loose-fitting robes standing next to a tree. He seemed to be holding his hand out to them. It suddenly dawned on Link that he was attacking, as he began to draw in a bluish energy before firing it at the small group. Link dove out of the way while the animal girl bit into the back of Ark's robe and jumped up a tree, carrying him in her mouth as he gave a startled yelp. The spell from the robed man impacted on the snowy ground, sending snow flying in all directions. Link swore and rolled to his feet with sword and shield at the ready. Another attack hurtled towards him, but Link was ready. He braced himself behind the shield and took the full force of the spell as it impacted against the mirror shield's highly reflective surface. The energy was absorbed into the shield where it pulsated angrily, ready to be sent back to the figure. Link did just that, thrusting his shield out and releasing the pent-up energy in a powerful burst. It hissed through the air towards its target, slamming into and blasting the tree next to the man into tiny splinters. The man suddenly came at Link, a rapier appearing from under his robes. Link parried his initial thrust and swiped his sword twice, tearing into the man's clothes. As Link ducked under a horizontal swipe he was thrown backwards by an invisible force, most likely a spell cast by the attacker. He thumped down on his back and looked up to see the man bringing his weapon down on him. Link gritted his teeth and sent the rings of the Key streaming through the air. They hit the man solidly in the chest and lifted him high into the air, arcing through the grove and crunching him into the ground. Link sprung to his feet and reeled in the rings before using them to shoot himself into the air. He sailed along with his sword at the ready, and as the man staggered to his feet, he brought the flat of the blade down on his head and knocked him unconscious.  
"It's okay!" Link called. "He's down!" There was a rustling sound above him as the animal girl climbed down from a tree with Ark still hanging from her mouth. She dropped him upon reaching the ground and began to groom herself, licking her hands and wrists.  
"Um, hey, um…excuse me miss?" Ark asked. "But who exactly are you?" The animal girl's ears tweaked up and she smiled brightly.  
"Oh, sorry! I Nyara! Me sent here to find you," she informed them in her strangely catty voice.  
"Well, Miss Nyara, I must thank you for saving me earlier," Ark said, bowing slightly. "You have my deepest thanks." Nyara beamed, baring her pointy incisors in a broad grin.  
"You nice!" she laughed. "Light too, easy for Nyara to carry. What is your name?"  
"I am Ark, pleased to make your acquaintance." Nyara laughed again.  
"And I'm Link. Who sent you to find us?" Link asked curiously. Nyara shook her head and grinned.  
"I not allowed to tell. Can do later. I follow for now and wait for right time," she said simply, swishing her tail around. Link and Ark exchanged odd looks.  
"Well do you know who this fellow is?" Link asked, pointing to the comatose attacker. Nyara cast a disdainful look at the man.  
"He bad, but does not matter now. He dead."  
"No, see, I only knocked him out," Link explained, tapping the flat of his blade. Nyara shook her head.  
"He die when fail. You look see?" she said, pointing. True to her word, the man was dead. Ark confirmed it by checking his pulse.  
"Must be a safeguard spell or something," Link muttered. "I don't like the smell of this." Nyara pointed towards the edge of the grove.  
"We go now. No want more coming," she said, beginning to walk away. The two boys quickly followed, Ark being very careful not to look in the general vicinity of Nyara's chest.

Nyara seemed to be extraordinarily cheery as the three strong group plodded across the field. She skipped along happily, humming and trilling little tunes as she went. Her furry body protected her from the cold, but she occasionally had to shake herself to dislodge any snow.  
"So where we go?" she asked eventually, slowing her pace to walk beside the boys.  
"Hyrule Castle," Link told her, pointing to where the tip of the topmost spire of the castle could be seen.  
"Mmm, big," Nyara frowned. "Me never been in big town before. You stay close and watch out for Nyara, yes?"  
"It's the least we can do, Miss Nyara," Ark told her with a nod. Nyara's ears twitched and she slammed her hand into Ark's back, knocking the wind out of the boy.  
"You such a nice boy. You be polite to Nyara, so I look after you," Nyara grinned before skipping along and humming happily to herself.  
"She seems to be trustworthy," Link whispered to Ark. "What do you think?"  
"Well she did save us from that nasty character back there. She could be very helpful," Ark agreed. The trio stopped for a rest at about midday on the crumbling wall that stood a little way off from Lon Lon ranch. The two boys shared their provisions with the peppy animal girl and she ravaged the food down quickly, licking her hands and then wiping her face clean.  
"You boys move slow," Nyara told them when they began moving again. "Need to speed up."  
"Easy for you to say, Nyara. You're not weighed down by weapons and provisions and, well, clothes," Link snorted.  
"Don't need clothes," Nyara laughed, cart wheeling in the snow. "Fur plenty warm. Now hurry, I want to get to castle before dark!"  
"We'll get there," Link sighed. "You'll just have to put up with inferior slowpokes." Nyara's tail thrashed irritably and she eyed Ark strangely. Without any warning, she jumped at the boy and threw him onto her back.  
"H-hey! What are you doing?" he demanded.  
"You light so I can run. Try to keep up slow boy," she yowled at Link before taking off across the snowy field. Link watched them go, Ark holding on for dear life as Nyara stretched her legs out in great strides.  
"Well? Aren't you going after them?" Navi asked, popping her head out from under his cap.  
"What? And sacrifice some good old peace and quiet? Nyara's nice enough, but she's bouncing all over the place. I'll just lag behind a little bit."

The town was quietening down as the three travellers arrived late in the afternoon. Nyara still held Ark piggyback style and showed no signs of weariness. They crossed the drawbridge and headed through the middle of town, Nyara and Ark gazing at all the houses and shops on the way through. Nyara seemed a little unnerved by everything being so close together and she huddled close to the two boys, her large brown eyes darting this way and that. They passed the market square and exited the town, travelling up the road behind it towards the castle gates.  
"Ho there!" the gate guard called when he saw them. "Well if it isn't the princess' little friend…well I can hardly call you little anymore. You're getting tall, lad." Link grinned.  
"Is it all right if you let my friends and I through?" he asked.  
"But of course, you're just the person to cheer the princess up," he leaned closer to Link. "She's been a little blue lately, lots of tutors and such." Link smiled and nodded. The gate guard opened the steel gate and allowed the children through before closing it behind them. They hurried through the castle grounds and were greeted by another set of guards who allowed them across the inner drawbridge.  
"Well, here it is," Link told Ark and Nyara. "Hyrule castle." Nyara looked around.  
"So big and echoey," she breathed.  
"It's marvellous," Ark agreed. The sound of feet upon stone got their attention and they turned to see Impa emerge from a side corridor. She smiled when she saw Link and quickly changed course and bore down on him.  
"Link, it's good to see you again," the tall woman greeted him. "My, you're getting taller every time I see you. Saria must be feeding you properly." Link gave her a lopsided grin.  
"It's nice to see you too, Impa. Oh, this is Ark and Nyara," Link said, gesturing to his companions. "Is Zelda around?" Impa's eyes brightened.  
"Now you're just the person I'm looking for! Zelda's been rather moody these past few days and I'm sure you could cheer her up. She should be finishing her last lesson for today so why don't you wait for her in her room?"  
"Well…it'd be rude of me to go in there without her permission, so we'll just wait for her in one of the sitting rooms…if that's fine with you that is," Link told her. Impa chuckled quietly and began to herd them away from the main entrance. They wound their way through the halls of the castle until they came to a rather homey looking room with a number of comfortable chairs and a large sofa. A roaring fire crackled merrily away against the far wall, casting flickering shadows about the room as night set in outside.  
"It must have been cold coming all the way from Kokiri Forest. Why don't you sit yourselves down in front of the fire and I'll send for some hot food and drink," Impa told them. "Ark, Nyara, it was very nice meeting you."  
"Thank you for your hospitality, Miss Impa," Ark thanked the Sheikah woman.  
"My, my! Link, perhaps you should take a few lessons from Ark here. They'd go a long way with the girls," Impa smiled.  
"What do you mean?" Link asked, puzzled. Impa sighed and shook her head.  
"Never mind, dear boy, never mind."

Once Impa had gone, Link, Ark and Nyara sat themselves down. Link allowed himself to sink into one of the overstuffed armchairs while Ark folded his cloak up and sat down on the sofa. Nyara immediately bounded over to the fire and stretched out on the floor, lying at an angle that seemed utterly impossible and then, strangest of all, she began to emit a noise that sounded almost like purring. A maid carrying a tray of roasted meat and potatoes entered the room and placed the food on a small table. Ark thanked her in his typically polite fashion before calling Nyara to attention. The animal girl's ears twitched forward and she jumped up and raced over to the food, watching in fascination as Ark made sure she and Link had their share before he got his.  
"Why you do that?" she asked intently around a mouthful of meat. Ark blinked.  
"Do what, Miss Nyara?" he asked, puzzled.  
"Not eat first. Maybe that why you so light; wait for other people to eat your food," she frowned.  
"N-no! It's not that! I was just taught to allow others to take what they needed before taking for mysel-" Nyara cut him off.  
"You waste away on journey if always eat last. Nyara make sure you eat lots," she grinned, stalking towards him. Ark did his best to back away, but the arm of the sofa stopped him. Nyara bounded onto the cushion next to him and relieved Ark of his plate, setting it down near her own. Nyara then got hold of Ark by his wrist, dragging the meekly protesting boy into her lap where she held him in her vice-like grip. Freeing one had, she picked up Ark's plate and began to force-feed the hapless boy. Always keeping him pinned to her chest with an arm held firmly across his front, she would heap as much as she could into his mouth with her free bare hand before moving his jaw for him to make him chew.  
"P-please, Miss Nyara! I'm fine, really I – mmff!" Ark was silenced by more food being forced into his mouth. Nyara emptied Ark's plate and frowned.  
"That not enough. Hmm…I know! You have some of mine!" she crowed. Ark's eyes widened.  
"I couldn't! What would you eat? Besides, I'm full!" Ark pleaded. But Nyara was already reaching for her plate, her mind already made up.  
"N-no! Miss Nyara, please! No m-" more food was forced into his mouth. Link couldn't help but laugh at the scene in front of him. Nyara was going to give Ark a very rough time for as long as she stayed with them. The animal girl ploughed about half of her meal into Ark's face before putting her plate down and loosening her grip. Ark wiped his face clean, but as he tried to scramble away she snatched the back of his top and dragged him back across the sofa. She licked her free hand clean before clasping both on either side of his neck and bringing her face right up to his. Ark closed his eyes in mortification as Nyara began to lick his face with her rough tongue, rasping it over his cheeks in particular. She finally finished the strange procedure and let him go, smiling with satisfaction before devouring the remainder of her meal.  
"Eat like that and you get meat on your bones. I do that every night until you get beefier." Ark hastily wiped at his face with the corner of his cloak.  
"Hah! You should have seen the look on you face!" Link laughed, pointing at Ark. "Especially when she licked you!"  
"S-she only had my best interests in mind…I think," Ark stammered, going red.  
"Hah! You've got no idea how many times I've heard that, and every time it was just a poor excuse to get me to do unpleasant things," Link laughed.  
"You no make fun of Ark, he Nyara's now. If you mean to Ark, I eat you," Nyara grinned, showing her pointed incisors. Link stopped laughing and looked at her strangely; he was fairly sure she was joking.

Link was half asleep when the door to the room burst open. Nyara's ears twitched and she opened one eye before closing it again.  
"Hello?" a familiar voice asked. "Impa said there was a surprise in h – Link!" The boy in question opened his eyes and peered at the door to see Zelda rushing across the room with her arms outstretched. He let out a whoosh of air as Zelda slammed into his chest just as he got to his feet, practically knocking him down. She hugged him fiercely and stretched up on her toes to kiss him on the cheek.  
"It's nice to see you too," he winced, holding her at arm's length by her shoulders. The princess of Hyrule had grown significantly in the three years since the battle with Gedinia. Her features had grown more pronounced and she walked with a grace that most girls her age could only dream of having. She still wore her hair in an elaborate curl underneath her headdress, but allowed two long strands to dangle from her temples at about shoulder length. Her arms were perfectly rounded, her hands small and delicate and she was just beginning to fill out in all the right places.  
"When did you get here? It's been ages since you last visited!" Zelda squealed in delight.  
"I was here two weeks ago."  
"Ages!" she insisted. Zelda finally stopped babbling with excitement and looked him up and down. "You're taller than I am now."  
"You say that as if I'd done something wrong," Link said, quirking an eyebrow. But Zelda was already looking at Ark and Nyara.  
"Oh how cute! An animal girl! Those little pom-poms are so adorable!" Zelda squealed. Nyara blinked and held up her wrists.  
"These?"  
"Pleased to meet you," Zelda said sweetly. "I am Zelda, who are you two?" Ark scrambled to his feet and bowed hastily.  
"I'm Ark, your majesty. It's an honour to meet you!" he said quickly.  
"I Nyara. I look after Ark 'cause he lets other people eat his food. He my new pet," Nyara stated proudly. Ark looked slightly startled at the last statement.  
"Nyara. That's a nice name. And Ark…you're her pet?" Zelda asked.  
"N-no!" Ark protested, face aflame.  
"Uh, yeah," Link grimaced. "Zelda, they're here because-"  
"You had a dream, didn't you? Last night…I had one too, about something called the Eternal Ark," Zelda sighed gravely. "I fear that we may be heading into more trou – what are you wearing?" Link sighed as Zelda yanked on one of the metal rings of the Key.  
"Well it's…sit down and I'll tell you everything that's happened so far."  
Link told Zelda about the dream, the meeting with Ark, the Key, the ambush in the grove and Nyara's appearance. The princess listened intently, nodding every so often and asking a few questions about Ark's village and why Nyara had appeared when she had. Nyara, of course, refused to say anything other than that she was there to look after Ark and to make sure he ate properly.  
"My, you're well mannered," Zelda smiled at Ark. She turned to Link and opened her mouth to say something.  
"I've already heard it," he grunted, interrupting her.  
"Well you could…"  
"Hush. We've got more important matters at hand. Zelda, could we have a look through your library to see if we can find anything about the Ark?" Link asked her.  
"I've had six people looking through it today and they didn't find anything. Our best course of action would be to get to Ark's village as soon as possible," Zelda replied with a shake of her head.  
"What do you mean by "our"?" Link asked. "You don't think that…"  
"Yes I do. I had that dream for a reason, Link, and I'm coming along weather you like it or not."  
"I'll tell your father; he'll stop you from going. You'll be locked up here without any way of leaving," Link threatened her. Zelda merely smiled and narrowed her eyes.  
"Oh, you wouldn't do that dear boy," she chuckled.  
"Really? Why not?" Link scoffed.  
"Because the first thing I'd do is get word to Fura that you've run off with some floozy. She'll come out of whatever she's doing and hunt you down so fast it would make your head spin. Now it's either that or you let me come along." Link glared at her and chewed his lip.  
"I hate you sometimes," he groaned. "Fine! But if you go, Impa has to go with you!" Zelda smiled sweetly and patted his cheek.  
"I'm so glad we see eye to eye."  
"Not exactly," Link grinned, switching into a more humorous mood. "I'm taller than you are, little Zelda." Zelda inhaled sharply and stamped her foot.  
"I'm not little, you're just tall!" Zelda huffed. "And not surprising either with all the food you filch from the kitchens whenever you come visit."  
"I can't help it. Talen understands me…maybe Ark does too, but probably not."  
"Oh please don't talk about food," Ark pleaded, sitting down heavily. "I'm so full I could burst."  
"That good," Nyara grinned, rolling over on the floor. "More food means more Ark." The poor boy could do nothing but hope Nyara would tire of "looking after" him before too long; being force-fed and then licked wasn't a particularly pleasing experience. Link dropped back into his chair and let out a loud yawn.  
"Anyway, it's good to see you again, Zelda. I was getting kinda tired of dragging Saria around on that sled day in, day out," he told her. "By the way, Impa said you've been a bit unreasonable for a little while. What's the problem?"  
"Ugh," she groaned, sitting opposite him. "I've had tutors blabbing to me solidly for the past few weeks. It's so boring and time consuming. It's a good thing all of you are here; it gives me an excuse not to go to my lessons."  
"Well we're flattered that we can be of so much use to you," Link chuckled, stretching in his chair. Nyara sat up on the floor and yawned.  
"Where do I sleep? I very tired after walking lots," she said.  
"Oh yes!" Zelda exclaimed, clapping her hands together. "I'll take you to one of the guest rooms. Boys, do you want to go to your rooms now?"  
"Yes please, your majesty," Ark said. "I'm quite tired."  
"Oh Ark, please don't call me that. First there was Link, then Talen…just call me Zelda, okay?" Zelda pleaded. Ark looked dubious.  
"I…can't," he said lamely. "Will Miss Zelda do?"  
"Are you sure you can't drop it off?" she asked hopefully.  
"To leave you without a title of some sort would mean disrespect. You're much higher up in the social scale than I am, so I'd be more comfortable with Miss…if that's fine with you." Zelda gave him a pained expression and then sighed.  
"That's perfectly fine, Ark. You'll go far with such good manners so long as Link doesn't influence you too much," Zelda said, casting a sidelong glance at Link.  
"My manners are all right," Link said, a trifle hurt.  
"Link, you're an absolute angel when around people you've just met, but you're a right boy when around your friends," Zelda said with an exasperated sigh. Her expression, however, suddenly changed to a bright smile. "But I guess it just adds to your charm!"  
"Great," Link groaned as Zelda giggled and hugged him again.  
"Come on, I'll show you to your rooms," Zelda told them, leading Link out of the room by his hand.

The sounds of cuckoos crowing to welcome the sun forced Link's tired eyes open. He yawned loudly and rolled off his bed and onto the floor where he pulled on his socks and boots.  
"Ugh," he groaned, getting to his feet. "They should ban mornings."  
"Don't complain," Navi chided him. "You're usually up pretty early anyways."  
"I can't help it. It's all those years of having Saria busting into my house and ripping the covers off me; it's mentally conditioned me into getting up early."  
"The earlier you get up, the earlier you get breakfast. Stop complaining and get moving," Navi said tartly. Link made a face and left the room, closing the door behind him.

Ark's legs were completely numb as he woke and tried to move. He thought it was rather strange as when body parts went numb it was usually due to cold or something cutting off the circulation. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before looking down at his bed.  
"W-what! M-miss Nyara!" he squeaked. The animal girl was curled up on his blanket, making that odd purring noise. She opened her eyes and yawned loudly.  
"Good morning pet," she greeted him cheerily, sitting up.  
"W-what are you doing here!?" he gasped. She patted his head and grinned.  
"Lookin' after you, of course. I no can do that if you all the way in here, so I came in last night," she told him in a very matter of fact way.  
"But…but…this isn't right! The two of us…in the same…you without clothes…can you please get off my legs?" he asked. Nyara bounded off the bed and stood next to him.  
"Up! Up!" she said excitedly. "You need big breakfast today! We walk far!"  
"Miss Nyara…could you please, um, wait outside while I get dressed?" he asked, flushing a deep shade of red. Nyara looked at him strangely.  
"Why? Is something not right with you? Let me see, maybe I fix, yes?" Nyara asked as she began to tear away at the covers.  
"No! Stop!" Ark cried. The air suddenly came alive with electricity and Nyara's fur stood on end.

Link was walking along the corridor when he heard a strange buzzing sound coming from Ark's room. There was an explosion and Link was thrown to the floor with a startled yelp. The door to Ark's room flew off its hinges and slammed into the opposite wall and Nyara tumbled out after it, her fur slightly singed and frazzled.  
"What the hell happened?" Link coughed, heaving himself to his feet. Nyara made a small mewing sound and checked herself over for any wounds.  
"Ergh, Ark! You in there?" Link grunted, trying to wave some of the smoke away as he headed through the ruined door. The fringe area of the room seemed undamaged, but the area around the bed was a complete shambles. The windows were shattered, some walls cracked and a great deal of debris covered the floor.  
"Yes," came the quiet reply. "Just a little shocked is all." Link found the boy rubbing his head on what appeared to be a splintered bed.  
"What happened in here?" Link asked. "This is like when Saria and I first found you."  
"Can I explain everything after I've changed out of my sleeping clothes?" the boy asked. Link looked around at the wreckage.  
"Huh? Oh, yeah sure. We'll be in the hall."  
A number of guards had rushed to the scene, but Link had managed to curtail any questions of the incident by insisting that a freak lightning bolt had done the damage. Ark stumbled out of the room dressed in his usual attire and quickly followed Link and Nyara to the room they had first sat down in the previous night. Zelda bustled into the room shortly after wards upon hearing of the incident. Ark sat rather uncomfortably in a chair, twiddling his fingers.  
"I'm so sorry about the damage! And hurting you, Miss Nyara!" he blurted. "I just can't help it sometimes…when I get panicked…it just happens!"  
"What happens?" Link asked. "Stuff blows up?"  
"No…back in my village I was trained…as a Thunder Mage. I usually have control over the power, but it gets away from me on rare occasions…like in the forest and just before," he told them hanging his head. "Miss Nyara, can you ever forgive me?"  
"Nyara not hurt, and Ark show he can defend good. Nyara proud of Ark, not upset," she grinned, winking at him.  
"A Thunder Mage! Of course!" Link exclaimed. "I wondered why you carried that staff around with you." Ark held the said item out.  
"It's used to focus the electricity, well, large amounts anyway…but it's dangerous to use too much power. That's what happened in the forest; a bolt hit the ground destroying my attacker and throwing me clear."  
"Well don't worry about the damage, Ark. Just try to control yourself in future, okay?" Zelda chuckled. Ark nodded sheepishly. Impa entered the room at that moment with a pair of small rucksacks.  
"What are these for?" Zelda asked her guardian.  
"These," Impa said, setting them down. "Are what the boys are going to carry. Ours are waiting for us by the front gate."  
"Are we going so soon?" Zelda asked.  
"I've managed to convince your father that we're going to meet with Nabooru as part of a special tutorial. He believes it to be a way for you to learn more about the surrounding areas of the kingdom so you can perform your abilities as queen with a better understanding of the ways in which different races interact with each other."  
"You lied to the king?" Link laughed. Impa folded her arms.  
"I may have embellished the truth a little," she frowned. "But it was necessary. The king isn't one to believe things so easily."  
"That's all well and good, but why are we going to the Gerudo?" Zelda asked.  
"My village lies across the desert. I had to cross it to get here, though I did not pass through Gerudo Valley," Ark informed her.  
"That's not the only reason," Impa smiled, handing out a piece of parchment. Zelda took it curiously and began to read it.  
"Oh my!" she gasped.  
"What is it?" Link asked. Zelda handed him the parchment with a broad grin on her face. Link began to read it as his eyes slowly widened.  
"It's from Fura! She's completed her appointed tasks and has once again rejoined with the rest of the Gerudo. She wants us there as soon as possible!"


	4. Coming Together

**Chapter 3 – Coming Together**

As was per usual at breakfast time in Hyrule Castle, Link made an absolute pig of himself. He emptied several plates of bacon and eggs before glugging down a pitcher of milk.  
"Mind your manners, you pig!" Navi scolded him, kicking his ear. Link gave an annoyed grunt and batted her away.  
"As he grows, so does his appetite," Zelda sighed. "Link, you progressively pound more food away every time you come here."  
"Is it a problem?" he asked. "I'll stop if you want."  
"Oh no!" she said quickly. "Eat as much as you want! Anything to keep you coming back."  
"Huh?" Link asked, cracking his knuckles loudly.  
"Nothing Link, just finish your breakfast, then we can go," Zelda giggled. She watched him doefully throughout the rest of breakfast, occasionally glancing over at Nyara who had occupied herself with feeding a visibly distressed Ark.  
"Careful, Nyara," Impa chuckled. "You don't want him to blow up the breakfast table, do you?" Nyara grinned and patted Ark on the head.  
"Ark no do that, he nice and calm. Right pet?" she asked. Ark looked at Link pleadingly.  
"I'm fine, but really Miss Nyara, I can feed myself…please?" he asked. Nyara considered it for a moment.  
"Okay! But make sure you eat lots! You need to get big and strong! Eat like pig there," she exclaimed, pointing at Link.  
"Hey!" Link cried indignantly. "Just because you can't pick on poor Ark doesn't mean you can turn to me." Nyara's eyes narrowed.  
"You stay quiet unless want to become Nyara's breakfast," she grinned.  
"Stop that," Link said warily.  
"Oh don't be scared Link, she's not going to eat you," Zelda laughed, patting his back. "Right Nyara?"  
"Of course! It be bad to eat Link," she smiled. Her pupils, however, suddenly became very large. "Sweet…succulent…juicy…Link…"  
"Yee!" Link yelped, grabbing a fork and holding it like a weapon.  
"You're terrible," Impa laughed. "She's only teasing you, Link." Link didn't look to sure.  
"Well I'll be blaming all of you if she gobbles me up in the middle of the night!" he declared hotly.

Once breakfast was out of the way the group was ready to leave for Gerudo valley. Link and Ark picked up with their packs while Zelda dashed off to change her clothes. Impa informed Link, Ark and Nyara that they would be riding to Gerudo Valley on horseback, as it would take significantly less time to get there.  
"Then why do we need these packs?" Link asked, fumbling with one of the straps.  
"Because we aren't going to be able to ride the horses everywhere. At some point we're going to have to walk, so we need something to carry our provisions in," Impa told him. "So don't bother putting that in yet, you can just hook it onto the side of your saddle." Link dropped his pack with an audible sigh of relief just as Zelda returned wearing clothes more suited to traveling. Her long dress was replaced by a simple brown skirt that went down to just below her knees with a similarly coloured brown top and thick legging to protect her from the cold. Zelda had decided to forego her headdress and simply had her hair curled so that it didn't hang down too low. She and Impa led the way to the stables where five horses awaited them.  
"Ark, Nyara, do the two of you know how to ride horses?" Impa asked. Ark looked at the animals dubiously.  
"I have to admit I've never ridden one before," he sighed. "Are they difficult to handle?"  
"They're a breeze if you're not going too fast. Link can ride beside you in case anything happens. How about you, Nyara?" Impa called to the girl as she poked one of the horses.  
"They smell bad," she frowned, wrinkling her nose. "Can I walk instead? Walking look much more comfy than sitting on big smelly horse."  
"Are you sure you can jog all the way to the desert?" Zelda asked.  
"She ran all the way here with Ark on her back," Link shrugged, strapping his pack onto the saddle of his horse. "She'll be fine."

At Impa's request, no soldiers accompanied them as they rode across the great expanse of Hyrule Field. Her reasoning behind her actions was that soldiers could attract unwanted attention. Besides, she and Link could take care of any unpleasantness if it arose and Ark, with his power of electricity, could help out in a pinch. Nyara jogged alongside the horses quite happily, taking special delight in mucking through the snow on the side of the travel-worn path. Ark managed quite well on his horse, though a bit unsteady at first, he quickly got the hang of things. Zelda kept glancing at Link through narrowed eyes as if expecting something from him while, unbeknownst to her, Impa looked on with an amused look on her face.  
"Link?" Zelda asked Link rather sweetly after a short period of silent riding. Link, who had been slouching quite badly in his saddle, suddenly sat bolt upright.  
"Huh? What?" he asked, blinking.  
"Oh Link," Zelda pouted. "Don't go to sleep, you have to keep me company."  
"Company? You've got Impa, Ark, Nyara and even Navi to talk to. Just let me doze for a while, I won't fall off," Link yawned, slouching forwards again. Zelda frowned and looked at Ark, who was trying to politely decline Nyara's offer to piggyback him the rest of the way.  
"They're busy," she said sullenly. "Come on Link, talk to meeee!"  
"You sound like a child when you whine like that. It's very unbecoming of a woman of your virtue," Link grunted, heaving himself up again.  
"Excuse me! Whining!? I'm a princess, princesses don't whine!" she huffed.  
"They sure have piercing voices though," Link chuckled, cracking his knuckles. Zelda blinked.  
"Oh you! You're teasing me, aren't you!?" she huffed as her face went red.  
"Now, now Zelda," Impa told her charge. "He's only trying to aggravate you. Remember his weak spot and hit back with no mercy."  
"Weak spot, hmm?" Zelda grinned wickedly. "Oh Liiiiink!" The boys ears tweaked up and he looked across at Zelda warily. Her singsong tone was always used when she was plotting something unpleasant.  
"What? What is it?" he asked.  
"You know," Zelda said thoughtfully, sidling up to his horse. "I've been thinking about…"things" lately."  
"I don't really wanna know-"  
"I was thinking about marriage, more specifically, who I'm going to marry. I think you might know him."  
"I'll plead ignorance," Link mumbled.  
"Now what I'm really looking forward to is the honeymoon. Oh I can only imagine all the bedroom shenanigans we'll get up to. I can hardly wait!" she giggled giddily.  
"Fine! You win! I'll stay awake and have a civilized conversation with you," Link exclaimed. "Ark, see what I have to put up with?"  
"I, uh, I'm a little busy right now," Ark stammered. Link looked over and saw Nyara trying to pull him off his horse.  
"Ugh," Link groaned. "It's starting all over again."

"Hey Zelda!" Link called as he stopped his horse near a pile of rocks that half obscured a small rock alcove. "Remember this place?" Zelda trotted over and looked at the sorry little jumble with a half-smile on her face.  
"It's where we had to bunk up for the night when we were on our way to Gerudo Valley. You, me, Saria and Ruto all squashed in that little cave." The group had almost reached the desert after a full day of traveling. Night was beginning to fall and the temperature was dropping rapidly. A decision was made to set up camp for the night as the warmer air from the desert had made it impossible for snow to fall. It was still quite cold, however, so a large fire was built between the two tents. Of course, it was up to Link and Ark to search for wood. Link complained briefly as more of a reflex action than anything and Ark didn't mind at all; it gave him a chance to escape from Nyara's attention. After hauling back a good deal of wood from a dead tree, the two boys sat down heavily as Impa got the fire going.  
"Ark cold?" Nyara asked the boy as he sat hugging his knees on the ground. Ark looked up as Nyara stood over him.  
"A little I guess. How about you? Do you need my cloak or anything, Miss Nyara?" he asked.  
"Fur keep me warm, but thanks for offering. Do you mind Nyara keeping you warm?" she asked. Ark shook his head mutely and so the animal girl sat down next to him and put an arm around his shoulder.  
"Aww, isn't that sweet?" Zelda cooed. Ark's face went the regulation shade of red.  
"It's not like that!" he protested.  
"I know, I know," Zelda laughed merrily. "You boys are so much fun to tease, right Link?" The boy looked up from where he was poking at the crackling fire with a stick.  
"No," he mumbled, resuming his aimless poking. Zelda puffed her cheeks out at him and made an irritated noise.  
"You make fun of me for having a messy room," she pouted.  
"I'm just making observations when I do that. Carpet hasn't been sighted in your room for years," he yawned.  
"That's exactly what I'm talking about!" she huffed.  
"Link smartass. Zelda want Nyara to eat him?" Nyara suggested. Zelda shook her head.  
"He'd be too sour," she muttered darkly, tossing a pebble in Link's direction. The boy grinned at her in his infuriating way before folding his arms behind his neck and lying down. Zelda glared at him for a while, but found it to be a fruitless exercise as he wasn't even looking at her. The Princess of Hyrule idly popped a stray lock of hair into her mouth and chewed on it thoughtfully.  
"You'll get yours one day," she muttered with an odd twinkle in her eye.

After dinner was over and done with, the group sat around the warm fire engaged in idle conversation. Impa had managed to engage a reluctant Link into a game of cards, a game which he was losing horribly in. While he was bad at the actual game, he was quite good at flicking the cards at Zelda whenever she made a snide little remark about his skill. His aim was usually spot-on, the rectangular cards bouncing off her forehead after being launched like Frisbees from between his index and middle fingers. That would usually result in Zelda taking another little dig at him, which in turn would result in another card spinning through the air and into her head. Impa eventually gave up trying to play and packed the cards away, not wanting them to end up in the fire. Nyara had completely zonked out in front of the dancing fames and had flopped over Ark like a rag doll with a look of bliss on her face. Ark was beginning to nod off to, his head continually drooping only to be jerked back up again as his senses kicked back in. He yawned and absently scratched Nyara's chin, eliciting an odd purring noise from the girl.  
"They seem to get along pretty well," Zelda observed to Link as she rubbed at the little red marks on her forehead.  
"Hmm?" Link yawned, rolling over.  
"Ark and Nyara. She's taken quite a liking to him."  
"Oh, yeah. She's taken it upon herself to look after him. She thinks he needs to eat more or he'll waste away, did you notice how she tried to feed him at dinner?"  
"Yes, now that you mention it she was trying to get at his plate. Isn't that odd?" Zelda giggled. Link shrugged.  
"Well when you think about it, isn't it common for certain animals to look after abandoned young they come across? Certain types of Wolfos do it," Link mused.  
"Yes but they look to be about the same age. Nyara isn't old enough to be at the motherly age."  
"Maybe it's a little bit of instinct mixed with the desire to be friendly? He was very polite to her when we first met her; maybe she took a liking to him."  
"Which is more than I can say for you when we first met," Zelda said with a level gaze. "You just stood there like you didn't know what to do."  
"I was dumbfounded by your angel-like beauty," he mumbled, rolling away. Zelda blushed rosily and put her hands to her cheeks.  
"Oh my! Thank you, I – you're just being an ass again aren't you?" Zelda said flatly. Impa gave a hearty laugh and clapped Zelda on the shoulder. Link's arm stuck straight up in the air and his hand balled into a fist.  
"Guilty as charged."

"Come on boys!" Impa called rowdily, slapping the side of their tents in the early hours of the morning. "We don't want to keep Fura waiting." Link's eyes blinked open and he poked his head out of the tent flap. "The sun isn't even up yet, let me sleep until then!" he wailed, burying his head under his covers. Then, as if to spite him, the sun popped up over the mountains to the west and shone cheerily at him.  
"It's up now," Zelda laughed as she breezed out of her tent. Link muttered something under his breath and whipped the tent closed.  
The tents were packed up after breakfast and the travelers resumed their trip to Gerudo Valley. The landscape became increasingly barren and the temperature steadily rose as soil became sand and trees became small, scraggy shrubs.  
"Are you looking forward to seeing Fura again?" Zelda asked Link, drawing her horse closer to his. Link nodded.  
"Of course I am. It's been over a year since any of us have seen her…I've missed her quite a bit," he replied.  
"Yes, me too," Zelda sighed. "I wonder what she was doing all this time?"  
"Who knows?" Link shrugged. "The Gerudo can be a strange lot sometimes."  
"Gerudo dangerous?" Nyara asked as she glanced at Ark.  
"Oh goodness no," Zelda laughed. "Not to us anyway. We're in quite good terms with them; don't worry about Ark, Nyara." Zelda's answer seemed to satisfy the girl and dropped back to where Ark trotted along. They rode for a while longer as the sun got steadily higher in the sky until they reached the narrow ravine that led to the gorge separating the Gerudo Fortress from the rest of Hyrule.  
"We're really high up," Ark gulped, looking down at the rushing water.  
"Try not to think about it," Impa told him. "Just look straight ahead." They crossed the rickety bridge one by one, Ark insisting that he be the last one to cross for good manners' sake. When it came Ark's turn to cross, he led his horse carefully onto the bridge and began to cross slowly. Suddenly, a humming noise pierced the air.  
"Ark!" Impa shouted. "Get down!" The startled boy threw himself off his horse as an arrow whizzed through the air where he should have been. The arrow sheared partway through the rope suspending the bridge, causing it to heave suddenly. The jolt startled his horse and the animal charged over the bridge, making things worse. With a snap, the rope split, sending the bridge rolling to one side.  
"Hold on!" Link urged Ark as the terrified boy tried to scramble to safety. Ark rolled to one side and made a mad grab for one of the suspending ropes and caught it with both hands. He hung over the side of the swaying bridge with his eyes wide with fright. A second arrow whizzed through the air and sliced into the rope ark was holding.  
"Ark! Nyara coming!" the animal girl called, running towards him. The rope snapped and Ark fell, his hand stretching towards Nyara as she sprinted towards him.  
"Miss Nyara!" he called helplessly.  
"Navi!" Link barked. "Wings!" The fairy shot down the back of his tunic and Link's wings emerged from his back. He flexed them once and dove off the side of the gorge. It was, however, unnecessary as Nyara had already reached Ark. She bit into the collar of his top hard and held out her hands as their momentum forced them closer to the wall of the gorge. Her fingernails suddenly sharpened and she dug them into the side of the gorge. Their descent slowed as Nyara's claws tore through the rock until they eventually ground to a halt. Ark was silent and his breaths were quick and in rapid succession.  
"Ish Ark okay?" Nyara asked through the boy's clothes. Ark opened his eyes slowly and looked down fearfully. Link suddenly appeared behind them.  
"Are you two okay?" he asked.  
"We not hurt," Nyara told him. "Hurry and find attackersh!" Link nodded and shot back up the gorge until he was hovering high above it. He scanned the surrounding landscape for the archer that had ambushed them.  
"Can you see them?" Impa shouted from below.  
"There's nothing!" Link called back. "I'll fly around and check anyway."  
Nyara climbed back up the side of the gorge with Ark held tightly in her mouth. When she reached the edge, Impa and Zelda pulled Ark up and onto solid ground.  
"Ark? Are you all right?" Zelda asked. Ark's hands began to shake.  
"He's in shock, just give him a little bit of time to calm down," Impa said. Nyara immediately sat down and pulled him into her lap.  
"Ark no worry, Nyara protected. Ark safe now, yes?" she crooned, licking his face furiously as she spoke.  
"M-miss Nyara?" he mumbled in a dazed tone. He blinked and shook his head. "That was quite a fall. T-thank you for saving me."  
"Ark scared of heights?" Nyara asked, stroking his hair. Ark nodded mutely and struggled to rise.  
"I'm okay now, Miss Nyara," he insisted. "I'm just a little bit shaky." Link dropped to the ground nearby and Navi zipped out of his tunic and landed on his head.  
"Nothing," he sighed, shaking his head. "They must have run off when they couldn't kill Ark. Either that or they thought they had accomplished their goal." Impa folded her arms across her chest and furrowed her brow.  
"Well there isn't much we can do about that now. Let's get to the fortress as quickly as possible in case they decide to come back," she told them briskly.

Since Ark's startled horse had kept on running, he was forced to ride behind Link on his. Nyara hovered protectively around him, her eyes flitting up to the surrounding landscape for any sign of the attackers. They came to the checkpoint as they rounded a corner in the ravine and the solitary guard noticed their approach.  
"Ho!" she called. "State your business!" Impa dropped down from her horse and approached the woman. Once close enough, she held out a small round disc and said something that the children couldn't hear. The guard then nodded and motioned for them to head on through.  
"Oh I can hardly wait!" Zelda giggled. "We're going to see Fura again!" The group finally reached the main fortress compound where they tied up their horses. They received a few glances from the Gerudo and a number of greetings from those that recognized them until a very familiar voice rang out.  
"Hello everyone!" Nabooru shouted, emerging from the main building. "It's been a while hasn't it."  
"Too long," Impa smiled, giving the Gerudo a quick embrace.  
"And I see we have two new visitors," Nabooru grinned. "What are your names?" Nyara, who was standing next to Ark, held her hand out.  
"Me Nyara and this is Ark, he my pet," she told Nabooru proudly. Nabooru raised an eyebrow.  
"Pet huh? You're a quiet little fellow aren't you?" Nabooru chuckled. Ark blinked and remembered himself.  
"Oh! I'm sorry! It's an honor to meet you, Miss Nabooru," Ark said quickly, bowing slightly. Nabooru's eyes widened slightly.  
"Miss! Nobody's called me that before! You're all right kid; good manners are important, even to us thieves!" Nabooru roared, clapping him on the back with such force that he almost went sprawling.  
"Oh, careful there Nabooru, Ark's probably feeling a little bit delicate right now," Zelda grimaced.  
"Huh? Oh, sorry kid," she grinned sheepishly.  
"It is of no moment," Ark smiled. Nabooru nodded and turned to Zelda.  
"Princess, you're looking lovely as usual," Nabooru told the blonde girl. "I bet the boys are falling all over you." Zelda blushed rosily.  
"Well I wouldn't go so far as to say that," she replied bashfully.  
"Now," Nabooru said, looking around. "Where's the fairy kid?" She spotted Link standing next to Impa.  
"C'mere kid, let me see how big you've gotten," she grinned wolfishly. Link stepped forward with a slight tinge of apprehension to his face. Nabooru pinched his arm between her thumb and forefinger.  
"Ow! Hey!" Link yelped.  
"Hah! You're getting leaner, kid. None of that puppy fat left on you anymore. Nicely proportioned hands, broad shoulders," Nabooru said, poking him. "Nice straight back and good long legs."  
"Is this a greeting or a sales pitch?" Link muttered.  
"Hah! You've still got it I see," Nabooru laughed rowdily, slamming her hand into his back. "Good to have you back, kid. Fura's been pining over you for quite some time. I tell you something, her tantrums have put holes in the walls."  
"Um…just what has Fura been doing all this time?" Link asked apprehensively, regaining his balance after Nabooru's hit.  
"Ahh, that's a surprise," she winked. "You'll find out at midnight tonight, that's when she comes back. You're in for a surprise or two."

Nabooru's chamber was still the same as the last time they had visited. Draperies hung from the walls of the cool room and coals glowed brightly in a number of braziers located on the walls and on narrow stands. Nabooru whumphed down on a large cushion in the centre of the room and sat cross-legged. After telling Nabooru about the ambush, the leader of the Gerudo posted double guards at all the entry points and sent out a number of scouting parties.  
"Come one everyone, sit down and eat something and tell me what you're been doing for the past year," Nabooru encouraged them. They took her up on her offer and each seated themselves down on a plush cushion. A bowl of fruit was passed around, each person taking something to eat.  
"So fairy kid, you obviously got the letter I sent you, but why didn't you bring the little green girl…Saria I think she's called?" Nabooru asked. Link almost choked.  
"Saria! She's going to kill me! She would have got the letter but would have had no way of getting here! I have to go get her or something," Link exclaimed.  
"No need for that," came a voice from the door. Link turned his head and saw Saria standing there with her hands on her hips.  
"What the…how did you get here?" Link asked. Saria frowned.  
"Nice way to say hello, Mister Sensitive," she tutted. "The nice Gerudo who delivered the letter brought me here." Zelda waved her hands madly and motioned for her to sit down with her. Saria happily obliged and the two instantly began to chatter.  
"Saria, before you begin to drone, this is Nyara," Link told her, motioning to the animal girl. Saria scowled at Link and waved at Nyara, who grinned back at her.  
"Hey, shouldn't the fish-girl be here too?" Nabooru asked, looking around. "And that strong kid, the one who's always carrying that little girl on his shoulders, where are they? They should have got their messages a while ago to compensate for the longer journey." A guard stepped in and handed Nabooru a piece of parchment.  
"Oh dear," Nabooru frowned. "This is from Ruto; she can't make it along because of her duties. But she sends her best wishes and says that Zelda and Fura had better not cheat…whatever that means. This got something to do with you, fairy kid?" Link shook his head and sighed.  
"Yeah, I thought so," Nabooru chuckled. She turned her attention to Nyara. "So…Nyara? How did you meet up with grumbles here?" Nyara stopped licking at the puff-balls on her wrists and yawned.  
"I came to protect. Good thing too, Nyara just in time to save Ark," she explained. Nyara leaned forward and held her hand up to her mouth. "Just between you and me, Ark need looking after. Lets people eat his food when he need to bulk up, so Nyara has to feed him sometimes." Ark looked slightly hurt.  
"Really?" Nabooru nodded thoughtfully. "Well you keep at it Nyara. He's a lucky kid."  
"That's not the word I'd use," Link whispered to Ark.  
"She's only doing what she thinks is right," Ark replied almost automatically.  
They talked about various matters, but mostly on the topic of things they had been doing. Saria and Zelda attempted to wheedle information out of Nabooru in relation to Fura's activities over the past year, but the thief merely smiled and tapped the side of her nose.  
"Oh! Hey fairy kid, just what is that thing around your neck? Looks like something Fura would wear," Nabooru chuckled. "You taken a liking to jewellery or something?"  
"No," Link said. "It's, I dunno, a tool I suppose."  
"Funny looking tool," Nabooru smirked. "What does it do? Hang you up on the wall?" Nabooru began to laugh, slapping her thigh with her hand. Link smacked his face with his palm and groaned.  
"So funny," he sighed. The straps dangling from the Key came to life and zipped through the air towards the laughing thief. They flicked around and coiled around Nabooru's waist, eliciting a gasp of surprise from the woman, before lifting her up and holding her against the wall.  
"Hmm, looks like it's better for hanging you off the wall," Link grinned. Nabooru tried wrestling with the straps but was unable to get free.  
"Okay, okay! You win, kid. Let me down," she surrendered, holding her hands up. The rings whizzed back around her waist before reeling back to Link, once again coming to rest on the floor behind him. Nabooru landed on her feet and walked back to her cushion.  
"That's a dandy little toy you got there, kid. Fancy letting me try it out?" she asked.  
"I would if I could, but it won't come off. It won't fit over my head and there's no clip that separates it," Link explained. Nabooru quirked an eyebrow.  
"Then how'd you get it on?"  
"Ark can explain," Link said, turning Nabooru's attention to the grey-haired boy.  
"Pardon?" Ark gulped.  
"Come on kid, don't be shy. You've been as quiet as a mouse ever since you got here. Spill the beans," Nabooru grinned.

There was a sharp rap on the door to Nabooru's chamber just as Link flicked another card at Zelda after another ill-fated game of cards. The guard stationed by the door opened it as the group craned their necks to see who it was.  
"Talen!" Saria squealed, jumping up and rushing him. "You came too!" Talen caught her in a rough embrace, squeezing all the air out of her. He let Saria down and entered the room. He was wearing a pair of baggy work pants that tucked into a pair of heavy boots, giving them an almost Gerudo-ish appearance but not as loose-fitting and airy. He wore a peculiar belt that looped around at an angle and then looped around again at an opposite angle, leaving it to look like an "X" when viewed from the front or back. A sleeveless shirt covered his torso, the frayed arm-holes leaving his brown shoulders bare. His hair had grown longer and stuck out in a jumbled spiky fashion, the only thing keeping it out of his eyes being a leather headband.  
"Hello everyone," he smiled. "It's good to see you all again." He and Link shook hands roughly and clapped each other on the back. Zelda skipped over and hugged him exuberantly, planting a small peck on his cheek.  
"How have you been? Are things going well at Rockvale?" she asked him. Talen nodded.  
"Business is booming for father and me. The palace has taken us up as the official weapons manufacturers as of a few months ago. We've moved to a bigger house with a bigger forge just next to the palace, it's great," he told her.  
"That's wonderful!" she giggled.  
"Come over here kid, let me get a good look at you," Nabooru called from her cushion. Talen approached her and grinned sheepishly.  
"Wow!" Nabooru exclaimed, standing up. "Look at you. You're a strapping young lad, aren't you?" Nabooru was right. Talen had grown significantly over the three years since Gedinia's defeat. He stood equal height with Link, but was much burlier. His shoulders were broad like Link's, but like his arms, were more heavily muscled. Florella's ring still adorned his finger, gleaming in the light of the burning coals. Nabooru reached out and shook his hand, squeezing as hard as she could to get some sort of reaction out of him; her favorite thing to do when he visited. Talen merely smiled and crunched his hand shut, popping Nabooru's knuckles.  
"Ouch! Damn you're strong," she hissed, blowing on her hand and flexing her fingers.  
"Sorry," he apologized.  
"Don't worry about it kid, I was asking for it…I do every time you come here. Come one then, sit down and have something to eat!"  
Talen got on well with Ark, possibly due to the fact that the two of them weren't very verbose. Nyara took a liking to Talen as well, stating that he could teach Ark how to "Eat right so he gets big like you."  
"I'm not that little, Miss Nyara," Ark protested. "They're only a few inches taller than I am."  
"But Ark has no meat on bones," Nyara insisted, holding his arm up and squeezing its length. "Talen's bones have plenty meat, big muscles too."  
"So kid, where's that girl, the one that rides around on your shoulders?" Nabooru asked, swirling a goblet of wine around lazily. "She usually sticks to you like glue, aren't you supposed to be getting married or something?" Talen coughed uncomfortably.  
"I'm sure she'll be along soon enough, she wouldn't miss this for the world. I should know; Florella kept pestering me to come here and bust Fura out so that she could see her again."  
"That sounds like Florella," Link groaned.  
"By the way, she told me to give you a smack on the wrist for not making any progress. But I think I'll let it slide," Talen chuckled.  
"She never quits," Link sighed. "Oh well, Ark should make an adequate victim for her."  
"Victim? I don't understand," Ark said. Nyara's tail bristled.  
"Anybody tries to get Ark, Nyara cut 'em up!" she hissed, clawing the air and barring her teeth.  
"Don't have a hissy fit, Florella isn't actually going to hurt Ark," Link told her. "Physically anyway." Saria kicked him in the shin. Nyara calmed down, but proceeded to wash Ark's face protectively anyway. Ark protested meekly at first, but gave up and waited patiently for Nyara to finish.  
"How long do we have until we see Fura?" Saria asked suddenly. Nabooru shrugged.  
"A few hours at the most. We've been talking in here for quite some time…why?"  
"We all need baths after coming all the way here. The boys can go first so that we can be sure they actually do have a bath." Nyara looked up in mid-lick.  
"Ark already have bath," she insisted. Saria smiled warmly at her.  
"Nyara, as good as you are at washing his face, the rest of him probably needs washing too…and I don't think Ark would want you to, well…" she left it hanging.  
"Nice, Saria, real nice," Link grimaced, screwing up his face. Talen coughed uncomfortably and Ark blushed a deep crimson.  
"Okay, Nyara let Ark go. But Talen look after Ark while he away, Ark need protecting."  
"Don't worry Nyara, I'll make sure he survives," Talen chuckled. The three boys headed for the door, but Zelda called out to Link before he left.  
"Link! Behind the ears!" she sang sweetly. Link scowled at her and gave a grudging affirmative before exiting the room. Impa waited until Link had left the room before fishing something out of her clothes.  
"Cards anyone?"


	5. Reunite

**Chapter 4 – Reunite**

Ark stood at the edge of the water with his towel wrapped around his waist. He looked at the water like it would suddenly come alive and swallow him up.  
"Just jump in," Link told him. "It's only water." He and Talen were already in; scrubbing at their hair like it was going out of style.  
"Yes, sorry. I've just never been very good with water," Ark told them apologetically. Link opened one eye, being careful not to get any lather in it.  
"Just sit in the shallow part then, but make sure you wash thoroughly. I swear those women can see a speck of grime from a mile away."  
"They wage holy wars against it. Best not to get in the way," Talen added before rinsing his hair out. Ark gritted his teeth and stuck a foot into the water, testing it with his toe. He held it there for a little while before pushing it down until it came into contact with the bottom of the bath. He did the same with the other leg until he was up to his knees. He seemed to calm down and sat back against the edge and began to carefully scrub at his arms with a bar of soap.  
"Master Talen, who is Florella?" Ark asked after a while. "Is she a friend of yours?"  
"Well I guess you could say that, but please, just Talen. I'm only an apprentice blacksmith, nothing worthy of a title yet," Talen chuckled. Ark nodded.  
"All right…Talen, is Florella a relative of yours?"  
"Almost," Link mumbled with a grin. Talen shoved him away.  
"Florella's…well…my fiancée I suppose," Talen admitted. "I actually thought she was just a sister of one of Link's friends when she first came through the door of my home."  
"Little did you know that you'd be stuck with her from that point on," Link laughed.  
"When you really think about it, it's all your fault," Talen told him. "Not that I'm really complaining, though. She's a good girl." Ark nodded.  
"I see, well the best of happiness to you. Link, is it the same for you and, what was her name…Lady Fura?" Ark asked. Link spluttered hopelessly.  
"We're not getting married!" he exclaimed, face aflame.  
"Heh, you believe what you want," Talen chuckled. "You have three of them my friend, you don't have a chance." Link scowled at him.  
"Can we talk about something else? I'm getting claustrophobic."

The girls took over the bathhouse after the boys had finished using it. Saria threatened them with fear of death not to get dirty before it was time so see Fura again. Nabooru laughed and said she'd keep them out of trouble, slapping Link on the back in the process. They sat around on the cushions in Nabooru's chamber while the Gerudo Leader tried to get them started in conversation about women. Talen refused outright, stating that he was already set in that area while. Nabooru frowned and looked for her next victim, deciding that Ark was a suitable choice.  
"So kid…what type of girls do you go for?" she asked with a grin.  
"Come on, leave him alone," Link told her.  
"Hey, I'm only trying to get a conversation started!" she protested. "Well, come on kid, don't be shy."  
"I, uh, I don't think about those things, Lady Nabooru," Ark stammered nervously, suddenly finding his shoes very interesting.  
"Come on, every boy does. How about that cat-looking girl? She isn't too bad is she?" Nabooru probed. "I mean, she's got all the right curves…and she seems pretty sweet on you, right?" Ark's face went redder and redder while he stared harder and harder at his feet. Nabooru, sensing her advantage began to wander around him in slow circles.  
"I could give you a few pointers on attracting women, I mean, I am a woman after all," she boasted.  
"You do lack certain femininity though," Link chuckled. Nabooru shot him a withering glance and he shrank into his cushion. Nabooru turned back to Ark and circled around so that she was behind him.  
"So how about it, kid? I could turn those licks into…" she looked from side to side before leaning over and whispering into his ear. "…kisses!" Ark's eyes bulged and something inside him seemed to snap. He squeaked something that sounded like "Yeek!" and Nabooru's hair suddenly stood on end. In the next instant, a bright arc of electricity leapt from the boy to Nabooru, shocking her. The thief staggered back with a dazed expression on her face.  
"Wheeeee," she wheezed before falling back onto her cushion.  
"By the Goddesses!" Talen hissed. "What was that?"  
"Something that would be perfect for Ruto," Link chuckled. He stood over Nabooru and prodded her with his foot. "Nabooru! You all right?"  
"Oh Lady Nabooru! I'm so sorry! I can't help it sometimes!" Ark gibbered, his apologies falling over each other. Nabooru merely lay back with a dopy grin on her face.  
"She'll be fine," Talen said, looking at her eyes. "She's just a little stunned. You sure do pack a punch for a little guy."  
"I really wish I didn't," Ark sighed, looking at Nabooru as she lolled on her cushion giggling brainlessly.  
"Don't say that, who knows when you'll need that to protect yourself. Besides, you didn't really hurt her; you just stunned her a little. She's fine, right Nabooru?" Link asked, tapping her with his foot.  
"Nggh," she groaned.  
"Exactly," Link said with a nod. Ark couldn't help but smile.

Nabooru recovered quickly and merely laughed when Ark tried to apologize to her.  
"I brought it on myself, kiddo. Don't worry about it," she chuckled. Ark was about to reply when the air above them began to warp and shimmer. The faint scent of blossoms filled the air and an odd feeling of happiness seemed to exude from the warp in the air. Ark scrambled back while Nabooru and Link get their weapons handy.  
"There's no need for that," Talen sighed. "It's only-"  
"Darling little me!" a girlish voice squealed. Talen smiled slightly and Link's face fell as Florella popped out of the air. She fluttered her wings and landed softly on the ground, curtsying as she did so. She brought her head up and looked at each of them, her eyes lighting up when she saw Talen.  
"Talen!" she squealed jumping at him. Talen caught her and she hugged him as tightly as she could. Florella could no longer ride atop Talen's shoulders as she had reached the physical age where she had begun to grow quite fast. She was still quite small and petite, but her body overall looked more mature. Like the other Great Fairies, she had styled her near-black hair into three flowing ponytails that reached down to the small of her back. She wore a white and brown dress that reached her ankles with her customary sandals. Talen let her go and she turned to face the others in the room. Upon seeing Link and Nabooru, she rushed over and hugged them both.  
"It's so good to see you two again!" she exclaimed. "You've grown lots, Link."  
"Nice to see you too, Florella," he told her. "How has Windhill been?"  
"Oh everything's wonderful! I spend a lot of time with Princess Shera, you know, playing in the snow and such," she looked up at Link's fairy. "Hello Navi, has Link been behaving himself?"  
"More or less," the little fairy replied. "But there have been one or two occasions where he stepped out of line. Saria corrected that though."  
"Well that's good to hear," she smiled. Florella turned to Ark, who stood silently. "And who's this fine young fellow? A new friend of yours, Link?"  
"Florella, this is Ark. Ark, this is Florella, the Great Fairy of Spring," Link said, introducing the pair. Ark's jaw almost hit the floor.  
"Nice to meet you," Florella chirped, curtsying daintily. Ark was at a loss for words and he groped for something to say.  
"I…I mean…a pleasure to make your acquaintance…Miss? No, no, Lady…sorry, um," he stammered, groping for the right word.  
"Oh dear," she sighed. "One of those. Listen Ark, I don't mind how you address me, just so long as you're comfortable with it. And that doesn't apply to you, Link."  
"I'm just standing here," Link said innocently, holding his hands up. Florella narrowed her eyes at him and then smiled.  
"I really have missed you. Now where are Saria and the princesses? Are they here yet?" she asked. Link dropped onto a cushion and crossed his legs.  
"Saria, Zelda and Impa are here, but Ruto couldn't come. We've also an, uh, additionally guest," Link told her.  
"Her name is Nyara, she's an animal girl," Talen finished for him. "She seems quite friendly."  
"Ah! More guests," Florella smiled, clapping her hands. "Is she a cutie-pie? I've heard that they have the loveliest little fuzzy bits on their wrists!"  
"Careful you don't pop there, girly," Nabooru chuckled. "The girls are in the bath at the moment, they had to wait for the dirt bags here to finish." Florella sniffed at Talen.  
"I see. I was wondering why you were unusually clean." Talen looked slightly offended.

They all sat down and waited for the girls' return, which didn't take too much longer. To say that Saria and Zelda were happy to see Florella was an understatement. The three girls swarmed together, giggling, hugging and chattering. Florella went absolutely spare when she saw Nyara and went on and on about how adorable her fluffy white fur patches were, confusing the girl. Overall, the two of them got along quite well and there were soon four girls chattering away in the middle of the room. Ark looked at them with a slight amount of apprehension showing on his face.  
"Welcome to our world," Link murmured in a low voice. Zelda snapped her head at him and Link immediately looked around as if nothing had happened. When she turned back to Florella to resume her conversation, Link gave Ark a thumbs up.  
"Ark," Florella called suddenly. "Can you come here for a second?"  
"Yes, Lady Florella," he said, beginning to stand. Link quickly grabbed his arm.  
"Careful!" he hissed. "She's probably going to be asking you if there are any women in your life. The best option would be to just say yes. Tell her that you have someone waiting back in your village for you and that you're engaged or something." Ark gave him a confused nod. As he neared the Great Fairy, she patted a cushion near hers and motioned for him to sit down. He did so a little nervously; Link's words still fresh in his mind.  
"Now," Florella began, rubbing her hands together and sizing him up as if he were a meal. "If you don't mind me asking…is there a significant other in your life at the moment?" Ark blinked, slightly shocked at the accuracy of Link's prediction. Florella was waiting expectantly, as were the other women in the room.  
"Erm, well I…" he heard Link cough quietly. "I have someone waiting for me back home. The two of us are, um, engaged." Ark really didn't like lying to people, but he was quite desperate to head off any uncomfortable conversation before it got started. Florella clapped her hands together.  
"That's wonderful! Finally, a boy who's thinking prope-" she stopped suddenly and narrowed her eyes dangerously. She, along with Zelda, Saria, Nyara and Nabooru, turned and glared at Link.  
"I didn't do anything!" he protested.  
"Get him," Florella said shortly.  
"Augh!" Link yelped. "You're getting your hair messed up, Saria!"

As midnight loomed closer and closer, the girls were filled with an increasing restlessness. Only Nyara seemed to be exempt from this, but she still displayed a certain level of excitement as the Gerudo began to bustle around for what was turning out to be quite a large ceremony.  
"Just what has Fura been doing to warrant all of this?" Link asked as they left Nabooru's chamber and made their way towards a large amphitheatre-type construction. It was built around the entrance to a large set of bronze double-doors built into the sheer face of a natural rock wall. Torches were burning everywhere, illuminating everything in an orange glow. Link could also smell food somewhere and his stomach began to growl quite loudly.  
"Already?" Zelda exclaimed.  
"Well excuse me!" Link huffed indignantly. "I can't help it if I get a little peckish sometimes." Nabooru laughed and slapped him heartily on the back, knocking the wind out of him.  
"Good appetite you've got there, no wonder you've grown so big!" The thief led them down a walkway that sloped down to the bottom of the semicircular construction. A larger and more ornate seat stood right in the center, signifying it was Nabooru's.  
"Now," she said. "Impa, you and the young ones sit on either side of this seat. Make sure that Fura can see you clearly when she comes out; especially you, kid." Nabooru pushed Link into a sitting position on her right. Zelda quickly sat next to the boy while Saria next to Zelda and Impa in turn sat next to the Kokiri girl. Talen was on Nabooru's immediate right, followed by Florella, Nyara and Ark. It seemed that all of the Gerudo were in attendance, bar a few guards that kept watch over the entrances to the fortress. As Link sat on the stone seat he began to fidget restlessly. Contrary to the way he acted, Link was very excited about seeing Fura again. Her absence over the past year had left a peculiar gap in his life, a gap which he did not yet fully understand.  
"Stop twitching," Zelda told him suddenly, lightly tapping her knuckle against his knee.  
"I wasn't twitching," he replied defensively.  
"No need to feel embarrassed, you're just eager to see Fura, aren't you?" Zelda teased. Link frowned at her.  
"And you aren't? Wow Zelda, I never knew how much of a cat you were," Link whistled in mock amazement. Zelda puffed her cheeks out in irritation and lightly hit him in the arm. Link laughed, pleased at being able to emerge victorious from the little clash of wit. Navi scuttled out from underneath his cap and perched herself on his shoulder, stretching her wings.  
"Anything started yet?" she asked him.  
"Not yet, but soon from the looks of things." Almost as soon as Link had spoken, the various torches burning around them were doused, plunging the amphitheatre into darkness.  
"What's going on?" Talen asked Nabooru.  
"It's about to start," the Gerudo whispered. "Shhh."  
As the crowd fell into a hushed silence, Link could feel a slight tingling sensation on the back of his neck. He scratched it absently, but the sensation just got stronger. He tried to forget about it as the large bronze doors, flickering in the light of the two remaining torches, slowly ground open. Everyone waited for something – anything to happen, but an oppressive silence still hung over the amphitheatre.  
"Is something supposed to ha-" Link's sentence was interrupted by an incredible flash. The torches on either side of the bronze doors suddenly erupted into great spots of flame reaching high into the sky. The crackling flames fused together and came crashing down to fill the doorway with a great wall of fire. Then, as calmly as if they were taking a stroll, a figure emerged from the dark doorway and walked through the fiery wall. The bright flames wrapped themselves around the figure, transforming whoever it was into a being of living flame. There were "oohs" and "ahhs" from some of the Gerudo and Link could see his friends looking on with excitement and wonder. The figure bathed in flame then began to dance; furiously spinning on the spot and then stopping and stamping their feet in a staccato-type rhythm. The sound of drums beating in time with the dance took up from somewhere hidden, adding to the almost ferocious look of the dance. The figure did a number of backward flips, followed by some odd shuffling and hand-clapping, each movement producing a shower of sparks. The dancing and drumming suddenly ceased and the figure stood facing the crowd, watching. Then, with an almost casual air about it, the figure raised one hand and pointed their flaming index finger towards the crowd, tracing through the people as if trying to single someone out. They did, and most people were quite shocked to see that the burning figure was pointing at Link. The boy suddenly felt very self-conscious with all eyes, including those of his friends, trained on him. The figure curled their figure towards itself, beckoning Link forwards. When he didn't move, Nabooru quickly picked him up by the back of his tunic and dumped him on the ground in front of the figure. Link groaned and got to his feet, fully prepared to blast Nabooru with some kind of scathing remark, however, the rising temperature behind him indicated that the flaming figure was drawing closer. He whirled around with a look of extreme apprehension on his face as the figure extended a smoldering hand towards him.  
"Shouldn't we help him?" Zelda whispered to Nabooru, a touch of fear in her voice.  
"He'll be fine," the thief winked. "Ooh! Here comes the best part!"  
Link was in a fine situation. The burning figure, whoever it was, kept coming closer and he was running out of space where he could safely retreat to. Nabooru, finally fed up with his lack of cooperation, leaned back in her seat and kicked him firmly in the backside as he came near her. He stumbled forwards with a yelp and straight into the open arms of the fire-person. He closed his eyes tightly, expecting some serious pain from the fire, but oddly, there was nothing. His eyes blinked open and he was shocked to discover that he was being held by his shoulders. The fire, though hot, did not burn him and it was with a stunned look that he stared at the figure before him. Her squinted, trying to discern any human features, but the fire kept whoever's face it was a secret. The figure let go of him and began to sidestep around him as the drums started up again. Link watched like a stunned mullet, his usual serious look replaced by one of perplexion. The figure suddenly began to juggle apple-sized balls of fire, spinning them in circles on their fingertips and balancing them on its nose. Finally, the figure hurled them at Link, making the boy flinch and instinctively reach for his shield. The fireballs never hit, though, as they dissipated into the night air before they impacted. Link lowered his shield and watched the figure as it continued to dance. Just as he was about to demand what was going, the dancing and drumming stopped again. The figure strode towards him with an air of determination about it. Oddly enough, Link refastened his shield to his back and waited as the figure drew closer.  
"Who are you?" he asked when they were standing no more than a foot apart. The figure leaned heavily on one leg and put a hand on a jutting hip, immediately defining the person to be a woman.  
"Oh come now, Link," she said in a familiar voice. "It's only been a year; I can't have changed that much, can I?" Link's jaw nearly hit the ground.  
"Holy – Fura!?" he exclaimed. The fire covering her body suddenly flared up and then vanished, revealing Link's friend in all her glory.  
Her hair was much longer than the last time Link had seen it, and it was now coiled up into two great masses on either side of her head above and behind her ears. A kind of white ornament covered the gap between the two masses and then another white strip curled down and around from that to hold the two balls of hair in place. From the bases of these large balls of hair stuck two white horn-like decorations that stuck diagonally out from just behind her ears. From the back of her head came the rest of her hair, tumbling down in a red cascade that reached the small of her back. Her top, while rather spectacular, was also very revealing. It had a tall collar and large pointed shoulders with long sleeves that flared out at her wrists. Where the front of the top should have been, was a divide running straight down the middle and up the back. Covering her front was a purple girdle with a lacy edging on the top of it to cover her chest, though not particularly well as a fair amount of cleavage was still visible. A billowing yellow semi-transparent piece of material emerged from the base of the girdle to cover her hips and join onto a kind of broad female loincloth. She wore an odd pair high heeled purple boots that collared back down at her ankles with a pair of marone leggings reaching up to her thighs. She still wore her thick golden bracelets and neckband. All in all it seemed to be quite a provocative little number.  
The crowd stood and began to cheer very loudly, Nabooru being the most boisterous of them all. Link rushed in and hugged her fiercely, hearing her back pop as he crushed her to him. He suddenly remembered what she was wearing and hurriedly stepped back. Nabooru held her hand up for silence.  
"Gerudo!" she called. "Behold, now and for the rest of her natural life, the new Fire Witch!" The crowd cheered even louder until it became a deafening roar.  
"So that's what you've been doing!" Link exclaimed. "You were training to become the new Fire-"  
"Do not say witch. I can't stand that term," she told him. She looked him up and down with an open grin.  
"You're so big now!" she exclaimed and her eyes suddenly narrowed. "Ruto or Zelda haven't managed to get you, have they?" Link flushed red.  
"I-I hardly think that's something to be spoken about in front of everybody," he told her under his breath.  
"Yeah!" she cheered. "I'm still in! I knew you'd wait for me!" She calmed down slightly, before gripping his arm rather tightly.  
"Are you pleased to see me?" she asked.  
"Of course I am! I've missed you heaps; I haven't seen you for a whole year!" Link exclaimed, hoping that he hadn't somehow made her upset. "I even brought a present with me." Fura's eyes lit up.  
"A present! How thoughtful! Gimme a kiss!" she ordered, lunging for him.  
"N-no! Not with all these people wa – mmph!" Link's words were cut short by Fura gluing her lips against his. Zelda inhaled sharply and the Gerudo began to stamp their feet and their cheering became a roar. Talen felt infinitely sorry for his poor friend.

Immediately after the ceremony had concluded, the rest of her friends had rushed over to greet her, showering her with hugs. Fura lapped it all up, but was disappointed at the news that Ruto was unable to attend. She explained that since Kotake and Koume had disappeared from the time stream like their son Ganondorf had, the Gerudo were in need of two new elemental witches. Fura had been nominated because of her courageous actions in defeating Gedinia, and an Ice Witch had not yet been selected. She also explained to her friends that she wasn't able to do as much as her predecessor had been able to, simply because she was still so young. However, as she got older and more experienced her power would increase.  
"It's like an ongoing thing," she told them. "You can't learn everything in one go." Fura was delighted to meet Ark and Nyara and was tickled pink when Ark referred to her as "Lady Fura."  
"He calls every woman he meets a lady," Zelda explained. "Imagine how far Link could go if he extended the same courtesy." Link, who's arm was still in the merciless grip of Fura, made a face at her.  
"I like him just fine the way he is. His crudeness only adds to his charm." They were led away from the amphitheatre to the main courtyard of the fortress, where a number of long tables had been set up. They were covered in piles of food and Link's knees almost went weak.  
"This day just keeps getting better and better," he breathed, reaching hungrily for some roasted meat. Saria lightly slapped his hand.  
"Ladies first," she told him. Link's face fell.  
"But there are only three men! There's hundreds of women!" he protested. "Just a little tas-" She slapped his hand again.  
"Excuse me Nabooru," Zelda said. "But is there anywhere to sit?"  
"Hah! 'Fraid not, Princess. You just grab a plate and eat where you stand."  
"Nyara think Ark should eat first," the animal girl piped up. Ark tried to hide behind Talen, a look resembling dread on his face.  
"Please don't let her feed me," he whispered to the blacksmith.  
"Why is that?" Florella asked, a hint on amusement in her voice. Nyara swiftly plucked Ark out from behind Talen and held him up by the collar of his clothes.  
"Look how light he is," she told them, hefting him up and down. She put him down and held his arm out to the Great Fairy. "Skinny too. Ark need more meat on bones, always lets other people eat his food."  
"I see," Florella said, holding her chin in her hand. "Well Nyara, I think you're absolutely right." Ark's look was anguished.  
"B-but there is plenty of food!" he protested. "I don't mind waiting a little while! It's not like I'm not going to eat anything at all!" His objections fell on deaf ears, however, as Nyara took hold of his arm and dragged him off to the tables. Florella watched them go with her eyes narrowed slightly.  
"I'm going to keep my eye on that pair," she said, a thin smile forming on her lips. "I think it's time to work my magic once again."

Link and Talen both raided the tables without mercy, heaping their plates with all manner of food before ploughing it down and going back for more. Fura followed them around everywhere, not willing to let Link out of her sight for a second after being separated from him for so long. Zelda watched them flit from table to table with a small amount of jealousy bubbling around in her stomach, wishing that it was her hanging off his arm.  
"Oh well," she sighed, steeling herself. "They've just gotten back together after a year, she deserves it." She sighed again and licked her fingers clean, silently wishing that the Gerudo had provided them with cutlery. She also wished that the Gerudo weren't so fond of spicy food. Clicking her tongue, Zelda went in search of something to drink. As the Princess drifted around the tables hoping that the Gerudo had at least heard of keeping beverages on hand at feasts, she bumped into Nyara.  
"Hello Zelda," she smiled. "You seen Ark? He not easy to find sometimes."  
"Why? Where did he go, I thought he was with you?" Zelda queried. Nyara frowned and shifted her weight.  
"Nyara was making sure Ark eat lots. Nyara turn around for second to get more meat and Ark gone when turn back." Zelda stifled a giggle.  
"Honestly Nyara, I think he's a little afraid of you," she chuckled. Nyara's ears twitched.  
"But Nyara not scary! Nyara have pom-pom hands!" she insisted, holding up her wrists to display the puffy fur. "Nyara only want Ark to grow big!"  
"Oh no, he's isn't "afraid" afraid. He's more…"embarrassed because you don't wear any clothes" afraid. Nyara blinked and looked around.  
"What?" she asked.  
"How can I put this delicately…the goddesses were very, uh, kind to you, Nyara. Now Ark's a quiet boy, quieter than most, and having a naked female such as yourself trying to feed and clean him doesn't rank too highly on his comfort-meter. Understand?" Nyara looked thoughtful for a moment as she went over what Zelda had just told her.  
"Nyara kinda understand. Maybe I ask Ark what he think," she said, already turning to leave.  
"Wait, no! That's not a good ide – never mind," Zelda sighed as Nyara bounded away, sniffing the air in search of the Thunder Mage. As Zelda shook her head, Florella popped up beside her and tapped her fingers together.  
"This is just getting better all the time. Tell me Zelda, how exactly did you meet those two?" she asked. Zelda rolled her eyes.  
"If you find me a drink I'll tell all," she said. Florella waved her hand absently and a glass of water appeared.  
"Sing like a canary."

"So Link, what is that thing you're wearing?" Fura asked the boy as he fought with Talen over the rights to a single remaining piece of food.  
"What thing? Oh…damn you Talen!" he grunted as the smith crushed Link's hand and snared the food for himself.  
"Don't be a sore loser," Talen chuckled, devouring it with relish. "Mm-mmm! Victory just makes everything taste better."  
"The thing on your neck. And did you say you had a present for me?" Fura asked sweetly. Link looked around to make sure nobody was looking before smearing his greasy fingers on the tablecloth.  
"The present, right," he muttered, patting his tunic down. "I know it's in here so – ah! Here it is!" He produced a small statuette about the size of his hand. It was made of red jasper and was carved into the shape of a girl holding two scimitars in a battle stance. Fura accepted it with wide eyes.  
"Took me months to make that, even with Talen's help. I've been carting it around just in case of an occasion like this. It isn't very good but I-"  
"I love it!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck. "It's wonderful! And you spent all that time making it for me?"  
"Well…it isn't much…just a little something…" he stammered, scuffing his feet on the sandy ground. Fura opened her mouth to say more when a shout swayed her attention. There was a crackling sound followed shortly by an explosion. Talen and Link exchanged glances.  
"Ark."  
There was another explosion as Ark came skidding around the side of a building like a frightened mouse.  
"Everyone, watch out!" he shouted as the Gerudo looked at him with a mix of puzzlement and curiosity. There was another detonation from the corner of the building he had just rounded, throwing him to the ground and a huge Lizalfos-type creature lumbered into view. It opened its mouth wide as a roiling fireball formed between its jaws before suddenly launching it at the fallen Ark. He barely managed to roll to the side as the fireball impacted where he had been moments earlier. Now while lumbering into a fortress filled with warrior women may have seemed like a stupid thing to do, the monster wasn't in too much danger. For one thing, its hide was thick enough to withstand the blades of the Gerudo scimitars. So when it was attacked, the weapons bounced harmlessly off its thick scales. The creature resumed its hunt for Ark after sweeping one of its arms and knocking six Gerudo to the ground.  
"Everybody stay away! It's after me; don't get in its way!" Ark warned. As he scrambled away, he was suddenly grabbed by the back of his clothes and something sharp was held against his throat.  
"Everybody keep back!" a rough voice growled. The monster stopped moving and the Gerudo held their distance. Link, Talen and Fura arrived on the scene with their weapons drawn to find Ark being held roughly by a lean looking man in a grey outfit.  
"And you three can drop those and stay where you are," the man ordered them. Link let his sword fall to the ground along with Fura's scimitars and Talen's stone skin.  
"What do you want with Ark?" Link demanded.  
"He's been a very bad boy. My master wants to have a little work with Ark, if that isn't too much trouble." Link narrowed his eyes.  
"Was it you trying to shoot him yesterday?" Link asked.  
"One of my underlings I'm afraid. He didn't quite grasp the fact that I wanted the boy alive." The man dug the knife into Ark's neck a little harder. "Now all of you will let me be on my merry way or Ark here gets an extra breathing hole." The man began to back away from the crowd slowly, a victorious grin spreading over his face. It vanished quickly, however, as Nyara suddenly appeared out of nowhere and slashed at the man's face with a savage strike. He dropped Ark and howled with pain, allowing Nyara to quickly snavelled the boy up in her arms whereupon she darted over to where Link and the others were.  
"Well it looks like you don't have any leverage left," Nabooru smirked. "How about you give us a reason why we don't break your arms?" The man got to his feet and touched his fingers to the great gouges along the side of his face.  
"Hah! You? What could you do to me?" he sneered contemptuously.  
"Nyara eat you for hurting Ark. Ark belong to Nyara, not you!" the animal girl spat, her fur bristling as she barred her pointed incisors.  
"Pah, you'll pay for that little stunt you pulled before," the man growled. With a lightning quick movement, he flicked his wrist and sent the knife he was holding spinning at Nyara. She saw it coming and dove out of the way, but not before it embedded itself in her shoulder. She yowled in pain and clutched at the wound while Florella rushed to her side.  
"Well," the man shrugged. "So much for that." He snapped his fingers and the monster, which had stopped moving as soon as Ark had been grabbed, lumbered towards the group. Talen stepped forward, and cracked his knuckles.  
"I will handle this," he growled.

Ark saw the knife spin almost as if it were going in slow-motion. He watched it sink into Nyara's flesh and he heard the cry of pain from the girl, and at that moment something seemed to snap. The man had issued some kind of order to the monster as he began his retreat, but Ark was already after him.  
"Ark! No!" Nyara cried from where she lay. He lunged at the man after sidestepping the monster and took him down by his legs.  
"Get off me, kid!" the man raged, kicking Ark away. The boy rolled a short distance away and got to his feet, breathing heavily with a look of anger on his face. "Well, if I can't take you with me, then I'll just have to kill you here." The man drew a hand back and filled it with green energy before launching it at Ark. Ark's eyes widened slightly and he held out his own hand.  
"Static Shield!" he shouted, focusing his energy into creating a spherical electrical shield. The man's attacks bounced harmlessly of the crackling surface and he looked at Ark with surprise.  
"You! You'll pay for what you did to her!" Ark told him, his eyes taking on an eerie electric-blue colour. The man narrowed his eyes and began to draw in more energy, and that's when Ark made his move. He dropped his shield and dove at the man, grabbing his front before an attack could be made. The air suddenly came to life, and the rumble of thunder could be heard overhead. The man looked up and inhaled sharply before trying desperately to shove Ark away. But it was too late.  
"You will pay!" Ark roared, his eyes flashing and the inside of his mouth glowing with the same energy as if it were boiling up from the pit of his stomach. There was a brilliant flash and a great roar of sound as a sizzling bolt of lightning struck the two males and enveloped them in an amazing explosion.

The monster lunged at the group, its eyes wild with rage. Talen ran forward and the two of them locked grip, each struggling to force the other back. Talen barged forward twice, forcing the monster back slightly.  
"Talen, watch out!" Link called from behind him. Talen looked up and saw the beast opening its jaws to bite his head. Quickly, Talen formed his protective layer of stone skin just as the monster struck. With a shattering sound, the monster's teeth broke on the hard surface, producing a bellow of pain. Talen quickly made his move. He rolled back and flipped the monster over his head, slamming it onto its back. In the same instant, Talen let go of the beast and thrust himself up into the air. He fell towards the monster and formed a large spike on his forearm before plunging it into the beast's chest. It lay dead as Talen climbed off it, allowing his skin to crumble apart.  
"Not too bad," he sighed, rolling his hand on his wrist. "That skin was tough, though."  
"Talen!" Florella called from where she was tending to Nyara's wound. "If you're injured in any way, you're going to wish that lizard had killed you!"  
Yes dear," he sighed. A sudden flash got his attention and he looked over to see Ark holding the man by the front of his clothes. The sky rumbled and a sizzling blot of lightning struck the ground where they both stood.  
"No! Ark!" Talen heard Nyara wail as she tried to scramble up. As the swirling sand cleared, no sign of the two people remained.


	6. Crossing

**Chapter 5 – Crossing**

"Ark!" Nyara wailed, digging her claws into the ground in an attempt to wrench herself free from Impa, who held her still.  
"Don't move," Florella told her. "I haven't finished with you yet." Nyara paid her no heed, however, and broke free. She joined Link and Talen at the blast-site and peered into the sandy crater that had been formed by the lightning bolt. In the centre of the crater lay a charred skeleton: the victim of Ark's attack. So powerful was the lightning bolt that it had fused some sand into solid glass, and they lay shining in the dim light cast by the moon and flickering torches from around the fortress. Ark himself was nowhere to be seen, and it looked as if he may have shared the same fate as his enemy.  
"Wow," Talen said sadly. "The little guy must have vaporized himself." Link sighed bitterly and scuffed his feet.  
"I should have done something, I should ha-"  
"Ark still here!" Nyara chirped excitedly, sniffing the air. She scampered down into the crater and began to rake at the sand in the very center as the Gerudo began to surround them.  
"What's she doing?" Saria whispered.  
"I think she can smell him," Zelda replied. "She was sniffing around for him before." Nyara gave a sudden cry of glee and stuck her face in the sand before crawling backwards. From where everyone was standing a piece of material was clamped between her teeth and she was pulling it from the ground. The sand suddenly parted and Ark's head popped through to the surface with a large intake of air. The Gerudo cheered along with Link and co. Saria and Zelda clung to each other with relief while Link wiped his brow.  
"Haah, haah," Ark gasped, his arms digging to the surface. He saw Nyara tugging on his clothes. "Miss Nyara! Are you all right?"  
"Nyara fine, but Ark in big trouble!" she growled. Ark brought his hands up to his face defensively.  
"But I-"  
"Look what happen! Ark get big smack in face!" she pointed to where the man had kicked him. "And Ark nearly fry himself and get buried! Ark can fight, but need to fight better! Just like Ark need to eat more! Ark been very bad, very bad!"  
"Hey...now Nyara," Link began. Nyara quickly turned and hissed menacingly at him. "Shutting up." Nabooru writhed around with suppressed laughter as Nyara continued to rant and rave at Ark, who was still buried up to his neck in sand.  
"Now why couldn't you have ever been buried while we shouted at you?" Fura frowned, looking at Link.  
"Because I was smart enough not to blow myself up. Now hush, I'm busy channeling sympathy at the poor fool."

Ark was dug out of the sand after Nyara had finished her tirade, though some of the impact was lost in her comical speech. Ark was a little dazed and had a little bit of trouble hearing, but he was otherwise unscathed…except for the bruise that was going to appear on his face. Nyara carried the protesting boy to Nabooru's chamber where she sat him down in her lap and began to lick his face clean as roughly as possible. Ark looked like he wanted to be swallowed up by a dark hole as his friends watched on with a mixture of amusement and, from Link and Talen, pity.  
"This is so cute!" Florella squealed. "Does she do this often?"  
"Too often," Link yawned. "Is everybody all right?"  
"Well," Florella said, glancing at Nyara. "Nyara and Ark are the only ones with any injuries, but I can take care of them."  
"Well if there isn't anything else to take care of, perhaps it's a good idea for us to get some sleep?" Link asked hopefully. Fura turned on him and poked him in the chest.  
"Not so fast," she told him. "Ark was attacked for a reason, wasn't he? Something tells me that it's no coincidence that you and he met, now spill, what's going on?" Link suddenly found the eyes of Nabooru, Talen and Florella upon him. He shifted uneasily and began to twiddle his fingers.  
"Well you see…" he began.  
"And if you lie I'll flame broil you, Link," Fura told him menacingly.  
"Well it's so nice to have things back to normal again. Fine!" he snapped irritably. "It's like this…"

It took the good part of an hour to fully explain all the events leading up to Link, Zelda, Nyara and Ark's arrival at Gerudo Valley. Fura finally got her explanation of what the Key was, complete with demonstration of his ability to manipulate it with thought alone. Ark tried to apologize for dragging everyone into the whole mess at various intervals but Nyara eventually silenced him, jamming a desert apple into his mouth and telling him he could speak once he had finished it.  
"Well," Talen said, rubbing the underside of his nose. "Naturally, I'll be coming along."  
"And if Talen's going, I'm going," Florella told them resolutely. Fura cracked her knuckles and grinned broadly.  
"I'm not going to let Zelda have the unfair advantage!"  
"What? You're all going?" Link groaned. "Is there any way I could get you to…reconsider?" Fura grabbed the boy in a tight headlock and rapped her knuckles against his skull.  
"Not a chance, sweet-cheeks! This'll be a good chance to expand my skills, and you could probably use all the help you can get."  
"Well thanks for the vote of confidence," Link muttered, struggling to get free. He ended up resorting to tickling her under her arms in order for her to let go. What about you Saria, you aren't coming too, are you?" The Kokiri girl looked at him.  
"Somebody needs to keep you in line," she smiled sweetly.  
"Besides," Talen grinned, thumping Link on the back. "We're a team; I can't leave you to do this without my help at least." Link sighed and gave a lopsided grin.  
"Well," Link said, looking at Ark. "At least there are three of us now."  
Impa sent all of them off to bed not long after, telling them that they had already stayed up way past their bedtime. Fura began to protest, reasoning that she should at least get a chance to spend some more time with Link after only just meeting him again. Strangely enough, the boy was nowhere to be seen when Impa jokingly suggested the two of them share a room so that they could talk as soon as they woke up. Ark was very glad to have an excuse to get away from Nyara's face-clean and he darted out the door, politely wishing everyone a good night's sleep. The animal girl, against Impa's recommendation, bounded after him and was shortly after discovered scratching at the door to Ark's room. Impa and the others came past her in the hall and herded her away, stating that a repeat of the morning in Hyrule Castle probably wasn't a good idea. She mewed in protest, complaining about leaving Ark unguarded until Talen offered to take the room next door so he could act in case anything happened. Nyara seemed to calm down and tottered off into her room without any more fuss. Once all of the children had been packed off to bed, Impa and Nabooru sat down to discuss travel means for crossing the desert.

Link woke to the pleasant feeling of a draft blowing through his window. The night had been quite hot, forcing him to sleep with only a sheet covering him. He sat up and yawned, tapping Navi into wakefulness as he did so. As Link reached for his cap, there was a loud banging on his door, followed by Nyara's voice.  
"Link get up! Nyara need favor!" she demanded.  
"Great," Link groaned, wiping the sleep from his eyes. "First thing in the morning." He opened his door and yawned.  
"What is it, Nyara?" he asked the clearly agitated girl. She grabbed his head and pulled it into the hall.  
"Ark not answer door!" she told him. "You go open and see what wrong!"  
"Why can't you do it?" Link asked, twisting out of her grip. Nyara flicked her tail irritably.  
"Nyara no want shock again. Make fur go all puffy, not nice." Link sighed and shook his head.  
"Fine, I'll go wake him up," he told her, padding along the stone floor in his bare feet. He rapped sharply on Ark's door twice.  
"Ark! You in there, time to get up!" he called. When he received no answer he pushed the door open and peered in.  
"Hmm," he shrugged. "He's not there."  
"What!? Then where is he? Ark may be taken by bad men!" she wailed, clasping her hands to her face.  
"Or he could have gotten up earlier," Link sighed. Nyara stopped her tirade and sniffed the air.  
"Oh," she said simply. "He went this way." Link shook his head as the animal girl padded off down the stone corridor, sniffing the air all the way.  
"Think yourself lucky," Navi told him. "You're lucky she's the only one who can smell that well."  
As Link had said, Ark had gotten up slightly earlier to prepare for the trek across the desert. He was sitting calmly with Nabooru as the Gerudo leader went about cutting his shaggy grey hair. Her explanation had been that the less hair he had on his head, the cooler he would be when he went across the desert. She also reasoned that it was getting in his eyes too much. By the time she finished with him, his hair was much shorter, but had gone all strange. One side of his fringe stuck up erratically, while the other side hung down the side of his face like it normally would. Needless to say, Nabooru nearly cut everything off in frustration.  
"Ah dammit!" she grunted. "Sorry kid, but you look like you've dipped half your head in glue and then hung upside down until it dried."  
"Do not worry, Lady Nabooru. You did a fine job, thank you for your efforts."  
"Well thanks for the compliments, kid," she grinned. "I'd mess up your hair right now if it wasn't…well, already messed up."  
"It's fine, Lady Nabooru," Ark insisted.  
"You sure you don't want me to just cut it all off?" she offered. Ark shook his head and smiled. It was at that moment that Nyara came galloping into the room at full speed.  
"There you are!" she exclaimed, leaping at the boy. Ark barely had time to react as the exuberant girl tackled him to the floor. "Ark bad! You no tell Nyara where you go! Bad pet, bad!"  
"Hey, easy there kitty-cat," Nabooru chuckled, lifting Nyara off Ark's back. "He was only here with me. Nothing to worry about." Nyara blinked and looked critically at Ark.  
"What wrong with Ark's head?" she asked. Nabooru frowned.  
"Don't mock my work. As long as the kid likes it, who's complaining?" the Gerudo grumbled. Link strolled into the room followed closely by Fura.  
"Morning all – Sweet Din! What happened to you?" Link exclaimed upon seeing Ark's hair.  
"I wasn't supposed to do that! Look, the kid's got funky hair or something, don't blame me!" Nabooru huffed, stamping her foot.  
"Well sorry I asked," Link mumbled, holding his hands up.

As the rest of the group filtered into the room, various remarks were made about Ark's odd hairstyle. Talen said that it looked fine; while Florella pointed out that he only thought that way because his hair was spiky too. Nyara even tried to plaster it down by licking it thoroughly, but that didn't work in the slightest. She gave up with a dejected sigh, leaving Ark to wait for his hair to dry out. They had a light breakfast so as not to give themselves stomach cramps before Impa outlined the travel arrangements.  
"We'll cross the desert on horseback, but we'll have to walk them at regular intervals so that they don't wear out. We'll be taking a route that leads through several oases, so it won't be life or death out there. Once we reach the far side, we'll leave the horses with the two Gerudo that will accompany us across. The horses will then be taken back here and looked after until our return."  
"We have to walk the rest of the way?" Fura groaned. "Ark, how far is your village from the edge of the desert?" The boy rubbed his chin thoughtfully.  
"Well it took me four days…running," he told her almost apologetically.  
"Oh well, at least I'll be in good company," Fura sighed before giving Link a playful wink.  
"Erm…yeah," he laughed nervously. Florella rolled her eyes at him.  
"You're a case, Link," she told him exasperatedly.

The horses were saddled and loaded up with provisions, all the work being done mostly by Talen, Link and Ark. Nyara, however, sat on a nearby rock and watched Ark like a hawk, occasionally pawing at the shoulder Florella had healed to make sure that the wound hadn't somehow opened up again. The boys finished packing the horses down and, accompanied by Nyara, went back inside to tell the women that they were ready to leave.  
"Now Fura," Nabooru told the girl. "You do us proud as a member of the Gerudo, right?"  
"I'll make sure our enemies tremble in fear at the very mention of our name, Nabooru," Fura grinned. The Gerudo leader bade everyone else goodbye and, yet again, tried to squeeze Talen's hand in her own. But like before, he merely smiled and clenched his fist together, getting a popping sound from each of her knuckles. As the group rode away into the desert, Nabooru and the rest of the Gerudo gave them a loud sendoff with lots of cheering and chanting. Fura waved to them from atop her horse and, to get them riled up even more, began to blast great plumes of fire into the air. The cheering eventually died down as they rode down into a gully and out of sight. The gully provided them with some shade from the sun, so long as they hugged the wall while they rode.  
"How long will it take us to get across the desert?" Zelda asked one of the Gerudo escorts. The woman thought for a moment before answering.  
"Well, it's reasonably early at the moment. If we keep up a steady pace, then we should cross by some time tomorrow."  
The rest of the day was completely uneventful. As the sun rose overhead, the travelers stopped at a small oasis to water and rest their horses in the shade of a small group of date trees. They stayed until the sun had passed directly overhead before moving on, Nyara managing to shimmy up one of the trees to bag some dates to eat on the way. Ark, as usual, bore the brunt of her efforts and had more dates than was probably good for him. He politely declined after Nyara tried to worm another one into his mouth, so she decided to offload the rest onto the others. Link flat-out refused, stating that dates were "the hemorrhoids of the fruit world." Nobody ate any more after that.  
They set up camp at the next oasis they got to just as night was beginning to fall. Talen, Link and Ark set up the tents while Florella and Impa got dinner ready. Fura, naturally, got the fire started with a spectacular display of completely unnecessary pyrotechnics. The two Gerudo that accompanied the group ate their meal quickly before walking a little ways from the campsite in opposite directions to stand guard. Ark also managed to avoid any unpleasantness thanks to Impa, who set his plate down in front of him before anyone else and thus managed to evade Nyara's force-feeding.  
"Ark learn good," she grinned, tucking into her food without the aid of utensils. "Ark get food before anyone else. Good Ark." The boy managed a nervous smile before returning to his meal. Florella watched the two of them with great interest and the little gears could almost be heard clicking away inside her head.  
"This is just like old times," Fura smiled, leaning back with one hand clasped around her knee. "I just wish Ruto were here, then it'd be complete."  
"She'd probably shrivel up out here," Link shrugged. "Maybe it's better that she's back safe at Zora's Domain."  
"Is that what you'd want us to do? Stay bundled up at home?" Zelda asked him with a level gaze.  
"W-well," Link began, the penetrating stares of his companions upon him. "A man can dream, can he not?" The boy suddenly found himself the recipient of half a dozen light thumps to his arms.

Link woke early in the morning to Talen shaking him lightly. He groaned and rolled over, muttering something about banning mornings. Talen shook him again, only with more force.  
"Come on, Link. Let's get up before the girls do. They can't hold it over our heads all day if we do." Link grudgingly agreed and stumbled out of the tent with a loud yawn along with Talen and Ark.  
"I see your hair's still trying to touch the sky," Link mentioned to Ark. Ark looked up and bent down the side of his fringe so that it sat like the other half. It stayed for a grand total of about two seconds before springing back into an upright position.  
"It doesn't look too bad. Kinda like you've got some kind of feathered headdress on," Talen observed.  
"Yeah Talen," Link chuckled. "That sounds much better now." Aside from the three boys Navi and a single Gerudo on watch, the camp showed no signs of life. Link wandered over to the small oasis and dipped his face into the water before scrubbing it briefly with his hands. He dried himself with the sleeve of his tunic and turned around to come face to face with Florella.  
"Good morning, Florella," he greeted her. "Sleep well?"  
"I did, as a matter of fact. Well isn't this a novel change; Link washing his face without prompting from any of us, I'm very impressed," she said with amazement. Link made a face at her and wandered back to the remains of the fire. Florella once again appeared behind him.  
"Was there something you wanted?" he asked her, yawning as he did so. Florella's eyes lit up and she smiley coyly at him.  
"Well there is one thing you could do for little old me," she cooed. Link rolled his eyes.  
"Don't do that, Florella. It doesn't work on me. What is it that you want?"  
"You're no fun!" she accused him. "At least humor me once in a while." Link groaned and stood up, and then bowed in the same movement.  
"What is it that the Great Fairy of Spring desires?" he asked. Florella clapped her hands together with a squeal of delight.  
"I need you to tell me everything about Ark and Nyara. I wanna know it all."  
"That's what you wanted to know about? Why didn't you just ask them yourself instead of pestering me about it?" Florella narrowed her eyes and leaned in to whisper in his ear.  
"Because it just seems more…more…fiendish this way," she snickered. Link slapped his hand to his face.  
"And you say there's something wrong with me. Ugh, fine. Ark was raised by the leader of his village and trained as a Thunder Mage. He's shy, quiet and if you surprise him too badly he's likely to shock you by accident. Nyara just kind of appeared all of a sudden and decided that she'd adopt Ark as her pet, so she feeds him to beef him up a bit and gets all hissy if anyone makes fun of or tries to hurt him. You know she's threatened to eat me on a few occasions? I don't know if she's joking or not," Link rattled off as quickly as possible. Florella looked slightly fazed.  
"Mind repeating that?" she asked. Link shook his head.  
"Not right now, but I'm sure you can get Zelda to give you the girlie version; complete with all the little ramblings of "a match made in heaven." That stuff makes me want to gag, so I'll steer clear," Link told her with a dismissive wave. Florella frowned and went to bop him on the head, but with a quick flick of the Key, he was in the air above her as if on stilts.  
"You're a cheater," she huffed, before stalking away to find Zelda. Link lowered himself back to the ground and muttered to himself, watching Nyara suddenly jump Ark as he walked past the tent she had slept in.

Link and Talen took great pleasure in loudly awakening the rest of the girls by shaking their tents, producing squeaks of surprise from the semi-comatose occupants. So, after a stern reprimand and a light breakfast, the party was once again on their way. Because they had left the gully behind them the previous day they were directly exposed to the hot sun and the small party practically wilted in their saddles. Impa became very business-like and ordered everyone bar Fura and the two Gerudo to put on some cream that she insisted protected the skin from the sun. For mutual benefit, Navi merged into Link's back, allowing him to fan himself with cool air using his wings.  
"That's cheating," Saria groaned. "Lemme have some." She moved her horse up beside Link's and trotted along in the draft created by Link's rapid fluttering. Zelda quickly bagged the other side and she let out a sigh of relief as the cool air washed over her.  
"Ahh, that's better," she sighed. "Link, you're the greatest."  
"I live but to serve thee, Royal Moocher," he told her, not bothering to move from his slumped over position. Zelda stuck out her tongue and he quickly halted the movement of the wing she was getting her cool air from. With a hasty apology on Zelda's behalf, he resumed fanning her. Florella watched with interest before turning to Talen and smiling sweetly.  
"Talen dear, I could do the same for you if you want," she told him, batting her lashes. Talen looked back at her and raised an eyebrow.  
"No thank you, Florella. I wouldn't want to tire you out," he said with a very slight smile.  
"Well the offer still stands, dearest," she winked back at him.

The rest of the day, like the previous one, was utterly uneventful. The barren surroundings almost seemed to amplify the boredom experienced by the children on their trek. Nyara fidgeted like it was going out of style, unable to get off her horse because the sandy ground burnt her feet. The horses unnerved Nyara slightly, and she would frequently mew out for someone to help her. The rest of the group didn't mind too much; all that they really had to do was either steady the horse for her or take the reigns for a little while.  
At about midday they crested a large dune and saw the end of the desert. It stopped almost unnaturally as a sheer wall of trees rose from the ground as if to push the hot sands back. It took them until late afternoon to reach it and another few hours after that to find the path that Ark had entered the desert by.  
"This path leads to my village, but it will take us about a day to get there. There's a small clearing in which we can set up camp for the night a little ways into the forest," Ark informed them. The two Gerudo that had accompanied them declined an offer to spend the night and instead made their way back through the desert with the horses in tow. Fura saw them off and told them to tell Nabooru that they had arrived safely.  
"Well Ark," Impa smiled, hefting her pack. "Looks like you're almost home." Ark nodded and led the way through the rapidly darkening forest.  
"Eeh, what those?" Nyara asked, pointing to some little glowing lights that swirled around in the trees surrounding the fire. They had set up camp just as night had fallen, finding an abundance of wood in the surrounding forest.  
"They're fireflies," Saria told her. "Little bugs with glowing backsides." Nyara looked at them for a while longer before going back to her dinner.  
"Ark glow when get embarrassed," Nyara said around a mouthful of food. "Then fur stand on end and zap!"  
"I really don't mean to do it," Ark sighed, rubbing his forehead.  
"Nyara know," she smiled, patting his head. "Ark good in fight as long as he blow up baddie, not himself. Ark need to learn."  
"Well at least he didn't dump himself in a lava pit in his first fight," Link chuckled, elbowing Talen.  
"Hush. It was all part of my great plan," he said before biting into some bread. Florella's ears suddenly perked up.  
"What's this? Lava dumping, you? I never heard about that," she said, her eyes narrowing dangerously.  
"Oh calm down," Link told her. "That was before you decided that Talen was your personal property."  
"It makes no difference! We're soulmates! Destined to be together before we even met!" Link smiled and scratched the side of his face.  
"Born into slavery, huh?" he grinned. The grin fell off his face, however, when he saw Nyara nashing her teeth at him. Florella impulsively embraced the girl.  
"Nyara, we're going to get along very well indeed."

As the fire died down, the weary travelers sat around the glowing embers, occupying themselves with various activities. Link had crashed out and lay comatose in Fura's lap while she and Zelda played with his hair. Florella dozed lightly in Talen's lap, her toes wiggling as she dreamed her odd little dreams. Impa was teaching Saria to play cards under the glow of Navi and Chat while the unfortunate Ark had been persuaded to scratch Nyara under the chin. Ark never knew that such a simple thing could render Nyara almost incapable of anything coherent. Her eyes were half-open and had a glazed look to them, while her mouth twisted and contorted into toothy grins of enjoyment. She lolled around as if she were a cat, purring and making little squeaking noises.  
"Miss Nyara…are you feeling okay?" Ark asked her in a slightly concerned tone.  
"Yee!" she yipped, rolling onto her stomach as Ark jerked his hand away. "Ark so kind and gentle. Nyara glad Ark is pet."  
"I'm very flattered, Miss Nyara," Ark replied with a crimson hue to his face. "But perhaps we should all be getting to bed?" Impa nodded and stood.  
"Good idea. Come on Zelda, as much as Link would absolutely love those leaves and twigs you've woven into his hair, I think it's time to call it a night, hmm?" Zelda pouted, but did as she was told. Fura woke Link up and he staggered over to the boys' tent with Talen and Ark, picking things out of his hair all the way.  
"Well Ark, looks like you'll be home tomorrow and we'll be one step closer to figuring out this mess," Talen told him, clapping him solidly on the back. Ark nodded and smiled to himself, eagerly anticipating introducing his new friends to his adoptive father.


	7. Enemy

**Chapter 6 – Enemy**

Link's eyes blinked open in the very early hours of the morning. He groaned and shifted slightly to get off the uncomfortable rock that had woken him up. Talen and Ark dozed peacefully next to him, oblivious to the world around them. Deciding that getting back to sleep before the girls inevitably woke up, Link pulled his boots on and stumbled out of the tent to see what the day was shaping out to be like.  
The forest was very quiet, so quiet in fact that Link could even hear the girls breathing in their tent. The slight creak of wood and the soft clinking of the Key seemed to set Link's mind at ease as he looked out into the leafy depths of the woods. Link's stomach rumbled and he frowned slightly.  
"Breakfast probably wouldn't be a bad idea," he mused, looking at the packs and then the remains of the fire. Checking the coals, he found that some were still glowing and in no time at all he had the fire crackling away again. Rummaging through the packs he managed to get his hands on some flour and milk. He mixed the two ingredients together to make a doughy substance that he plunked down on a plate. He tore a wad off and molded it around the end of a stick before holding it over the fire to cook. He sat back as he waited for it to darken in colour, idly shaking his foot from side to side.  
"Well what do we have here?" Zelda's voice sounded from beside him. He jerked his head up and saw Zelda with her head hanging over his shoulder, watching him toast the dough.  
"Hello Zelda, you surprised me there. Did you sleep well?" he asked her. Zelda smiled and nodded.  
"What are you making?" she asked, sitting next to him. He swung the stick back towards him and tested it with his fingers.  
"Breakfast," he said simply, gingerly picking the cooked morsel off the end of the stick. He juggled it slightly until it cooled off, allowing him to hold it properly. Link went back over to the packs and pawed through them until he found a small container of jam.  
"Doesn't look particularly appetizing," Zelda said dubiously as he sat back down.  
"Well that's because you haven't tried it before," he told her, dripping jam into the hole created by the stick. Once it was filled he handed it to her and she took it from him, screwing her nose up slightly.  
"Don't make that face," he told her. "Just pop it in your mouth." Zelda did so and was pleasantly surprised to find that it wasn't at all like she had expected.  
"It's very good," she said, licking her lips and wiping her chin and large globs of jam oozed out of the end of it. "But very messy. I can see why you like it so much." Link made a face at her.  
"Ever think about dropping being a princess and becoming a comedian? 'Cause you'd make a killing," he told her in a voice dripping in sarcasm. Zelda ginned at him and flicked his nose.  
"Can you make me another one?" she asked him with a flutter of eyelashes. Link frowned.  
"It's not that hard, pah-rincess," he told her. "Dough on stick put in fire. Easy."  
"But it would be so much…nicer if you did it for me," she cooed. Link gave her a level gaze before dipping his finger in the jam and smearing across the bridge of her nose.  
"Bleh," he laughed before reaching for more dough.  
"Well now why don't you share it with me?" Zelda tutted. She grabbed Link's ears and pulled his face towards hers, angling her face down slightly. Link tried to escape by wrapping the key around her arms and pulling them away, but she held on and eventually managed to smear her face all over his, creating a big jammy mess. They wrestled slightly, with Link grunting as he tried to separate himself from Zelda as she continued to rub her face over his. Impa emerged from her tent and looked at the two of them before sighing.  
"Play nice, children," she told them, wiping off Zelda's face with a handkerchief. Link was content of clean the jam off his own face with his tunic, but Impa stopped him and forcefully removed the sticky sweet substance herself.  
"You're such a child sometimes," Zelda sniffed at Link in mock disdain. Then, as if to prove her point, Link once again wiped a dollop of jam across her face before retreating to the safety of the lower branches of a large tree.

Link's jam dough was surprisingly popular with everyone as they woke, with Zelda being the greatest admirer. Nyara, unsurprisingly, managed to make a huge mess and covered her hands and face in large blops of sticky jam. She casually invited Ark to lick it off, but the boy declined by way of choking and breaking down into a coughing fit. Nyara shrugged and did it herself. Soon after breakfast, the troupe was on their way again, winding down a narrow forest path that Ark informed them leaded to his village. Idle talk filled the hours, with Fura planting herself at Link's side so that she could get up to date on his every movement since their separation. The boy didn't seem to mind too much and he happily answered all of her questions, though he spluttered a little when she asked him rather forwardly if he'd made any moves on any girls.  
"Remember who you're talking to?" Saria laughed, practically rolling around on the ground. Link frowned at her.  
"I'm sure they do," he told her tartly. "And I'm not changing."  
Nyara trilled and danced along, darting at insects that she saw on small bushes and trying to get Ark to join in. The exuberant animal girl stopped for a moment to watch Ark. She liked him enough; he was kind, polite and really didn't look after himself enough; quite the opposite to the people in her own village. Perhaps it was for those reasons that she was so fascinated with him, or maybe it was simply because she had come all the way to protect him? Nyara mentally shrugged it off; she wasn't one for philosophizing about her own thoughts. With a yowl of glee she disappeared through a hole in the bushes and emerged a moment later with the tail of a mouse clenched tightly between her jaws, whereupon she proudly presented it to Ark.  
"Oh…that's very well done, Miss Nyara. But…what do you want me to do with it?" Ark asked hesitantly. Nyara held it in front of his face.  
"Eat!" she smiled happily. "Mousy have lots of good stuff inside, yes?" Ark's face blanched.  
"Oh Nyara, you can't be serious!" Saria grimaced, shrinking away from the struggling rodent. Zelda held herself in a similar pose. Nyara looked at them in bemusement.  
"What wrong? Mouse good, Nyara eat all the time," she told them.  
"Well in that case, I'd feel more comfortable if you had it, Miss Nyara," Ark said, eyeing the creature carefully, just in case Nyara decided it was feeding time for him again.  
"Ark sure?" she asked him. "Ark no hungry now?"  
"I'm positive. I'll even tell you when I start to get hungry; just…please don't make me eat it." Nyara shrugged and popped the live mouse into her mouth before swallowing it.  
"Ahh," she sighed. "Mouse good. Dance all way down." Zelda covered her mouth lest her squirming stomach get the better of her.  
"Ugh, that's so rank, Nyara," Link shivered. He turned his head to Ark. "At least you're the only one she licks, friend." Ark blinked and looked at Nyara, who had started to clean her fuzzy wrist balls.  
"Mmm," Link grimaced, wrinkling his nose. "Mousy-breath."

Nyara was midway through a cartwheel when she suddenly made an odd noise and dropped into a low stance with her ears flared.  
"What wrong?" Impa asked, her eyes darting around.  
"Things in forest. They follow us," she growled, peering into the dim trees. Link, Talen and Fura were immediately at the ready with their weapons drawn. Impa unsheathed her long knife and stood protectively in front of Saria, Florella and Zelda. Ark looked hesitantly between the two groups before moving over towards Link and Talen with his staff twirling slowly in his hands. The twin straps that hung down from Link's neck rippled once and went very still as he gripped the Ragnarok tightly in his hand.  
"Do you know where they are?" Talen whispered as he clenched und unclenched his fists. Nyara sniffed at the air and suddenly pointed off the side of the path.  
"There!" she barked angrily, her hackles rising. A slow and steady clapping noise rang through the air, followed shortly by feminine laughter.  
"Hah! I'm quite impressed, pussycat," a female voice chuckled. A young woman appeared before them with a flicker. She seemed to be no older than Fura, with lustrous black hair that trailed down to the small of her back. She wore a skin tight black bodysuit covered by a brown Gerudo-looking vest and thigh-length brown skirt, leaving her arms and midriff bare bar the bodysuit underneath.  
"Who are you?" Fura demanded, leveling a scimitar at the girl. The stranger shifted position so that she was sitting with one leg over the other in mid-air.  
"Just someone sent here on a job is all," she replied mildly. "You know, you busy little beavers have given us a lot of trouble. Disposing of the last three people wasn't something we thought you capable of doing."  
"So, you're with the guy Ark fried in the forest and that man that attacked us on our way to Hyrule castle?" Link asked, narrowing his eyes. She threw back her head and laughed.  
"In a way, yes. So unfortunately I have to put your skylarking to an end," she frowned with a false look of melancholy. Nyara stepped protectively in front of Ark.  
"You stupid to take on all us. Nyara gobble you up and spit you out; you no hurt Ark! Ark Nyara's property!" she growled. The girl looked disdainfully at Nyara and clicked her fingers. There was a rumbling growl from the dense forest and two large beasts came into view. They loosely resembled a pair of Wolfos; large shaggy canine-like creatures that half-loped along on their hind legs. They were different from regular Wolfos though. Their hind legs were longer, indicating that they were able to stand more readily on them. Their front paws looked more like hands and their dewclaws seemed to have grown into opposable thumbs.  
"You didn't think I'd just come waltzing along without help, did you? Kodok may have been smart enough to bring a little bit of help, but the arrogance amongst those people is staggering sometimes. You people aren't to be taken lightly, so I'm not taking any chances," the girl laughed, changing positions in the air yet again.  
"What do you mean by "those" people? Are you saying you aren't with them?" Link asked.  
"You're a perceptive one. Well, not exactly; you see, I hire my services out to people willing to pay the price."  
"You're a bounty hunter then," Fura snorted. "Never liked your kind."  
"Close enough. I do anything to get my hands on treasure, and what I'm getting for him over there is something I can't turn down. I've never lost and I always get what I'm after." She pointed to the five children on the ground. "Take all of them except the one with the grey hair; I'll take him myself so that there's actually something left to take back to my employer."

Fura paired up with Nyara and Talen went with Link as the two great beasts lumbered forwards. They were surprisingly fast; using their front paws to heave themselves along with shocking agility. Talen dove to the side as Link sprung up into the air using the Key. He landed on top of the beast and attempted to brain it with his sword, but the thick skull was like diamond and he was unable to harm it. With quick thinking, he shot up again as the monster swung madly at Link, missing him and smashing itself in the side of the head. As Link bounded up into the air he pulled out his bow and notched an arrow into it, before firing it straight down at the beast. The arrow pierced its neck, producing a howl of anger more than pain. While it was distracted with the bouncing Link, Talen dashed in and raked his stone claws along its side. The monster growled fiercely and turned with speed unbecoming a beast of its size. It swiped at Talen, striking him across the back and sending him rolling into the base of a tree. He wasn't too injured luckily; his stone skin had prevented that. The beast turned again as Link landed on the ground behind it, twirling his sword in readiness to strike. He and the beast charged head on, meeting with a clash as his sword met with the beast's claws. Link hastily jumped back as the monster's superior strength threatened to drive him into the ground. The beast was quickly after him, however, and it was only with a quick sidestep followed by a sword-spin did he escape damage. His blade tore into the beast's shoulder, sending a spray of blood in all directions. It roared in pain and rounded quickly, getting down on all fours to charge the boy.  
"Link!" Talen barked. "Jump!" Link did as he was told, coiling the key beneath him and shooting straight up as the monster raged towards him. He looked down as he ascended and saw with some surprise that the beast had been sent flying. It appeared that Talen had uprooted a tree and had used it as a massive club to beat the monster away. Link landed next to Talen with a thump and the monster got to its feet unsteadily.  
"Now's our chance!" Link declared. "Talen, help me cut the damn thing's head open!" The twin Key rings rose up in front of Talen and he took hold of them. Link sprung over behind Talen so that the smith's arms went back over his head. Then, with a great heave, Talen swung his arm back in the direction they had come from. Link was whipped overhead with tremendous force and he brought his sword up so that the force of the movement was behind it. With a crunch, the blade smashed into the beast's skull, splitting it open and killing it instantly. Link was jarred by the force of the blow and was left stunned after hitting the ground harder than anticipated.  
"You okay?" Talen asked, walking over to his friend. Link sat heavily on the ground and rubbed his head.  
"Ugh. I've got a headache in my whole body," he groaned. "Saria's going to kill me."  
"Come on, Nyara and Fura seem to have taken care of that other monster, but Ark may need some help. Let's move!"

Fura attacked first, sending a torrent of fire at the enemy from an outstretched palm. The beast barely dodged it, getting one of its shaggy arms singed as it charged forward. The Gerudo twisted to the side with a spin of her scimitars, cutting twice into the animal's side. It grunted and turned quickly, but not before Nyara dropped onto its back. The girl had moved like the wind, a feral look in her eyes. Without pausing, she sunk her teeth into the monster's neck and clawed at it viciously. Fura was slightly taken aback, but shook it away as she formed a fireball and let it fly at the monster. Nyara flipped away and landed in a crouched position with her teeth bared and her front stained with blood. The fireball struck the monster and exploded, blowing it through the air and into a tree where it staggered to its feet. Fura was momentarily impressed by its toughness; being able to withstand an explosion like that was no mean feat. Nyara was at it again, moving like the wind. She slashed at the beast with her claws, attempting to sever a major artery in the neck out of instinct. She succeeded with Fura's help as the Gerudo ran over and sliced down hard using two hands on the one scimitar to tear the thick muscle. The monster convulsed for a moment before falling limp and silent. Nyara stepped back and began smacking her tongue loudly.  
"Bleh! Monster taste bad! Nyara no bite again in hurry," she scowled.  
"For our sake too, Nyara. That was just a little too disgusting. Just look at you; covered in blood," Fura grimaced. Nyara's ears suddenly twitched.  
"Nyara help Ark!" she shouted into the forest. "Ark, Nyara coming!"

As Link, Talen, Nyara and Fura were forced to tackle the two monsters; Ark was left to face the strange girl. The narrowed her eyes and grinned maliciously, setting herself down on the ground. Ark squared his jaw and held his staff out in front of him. The bounty hunter raised an eyebrow and beckoned to him.  
"Well come on then little man. If you think you can take me, then try it," she taunted, floating back into the forest. Ark gritted his teeth and followed her, being careful not to lose sight of her. They arrived in a clearing a little way off from the main path; with the girl standing calmly at the opposite end to Ark. He stopped and twirled his staff slowly, waiting for her to attack first. While he didn't look it, Ark was quite able to defend himself. He wasn't as seasoned as the others at fighting, but he had been run through some basic steps at his village; he just hoped it was enough to hold the bounty hunter off. Her first attack was sudden. She sent a ball of dark purple energy racing towards him with a quick flick of her wrist. Ark's eyes widened slightly and he rolled to the side, hearing the crackle of energy sizzle past his ear. Another quickly followed and Ark swung his staff, deflecting it into a nearby tree.  
"Not too bad there," the girl sniffed. "And that's rather an interesting jewel on the end of that staff…I guess you won't mind if I take that too."  
"You won't be getting anything, madam," Ark told her. The girl ran forwards whilst charging more energy in her palm. Ark twirled his staff once and aimed the jewel at her, sending a writhing bolt of electricity at her. It struck her in the chest and she flinched back with a grunt.  
"You're quite powerful, but not powerful enough!" she laughed, resuming her attack. Ark was soon running, rolling, blocking and evading as the girl sent attack after attack at him.  
"What's the matter? Getting tired?" she taunted him as he stood panting. Ark clenched his fist and blue electricity writhed around his arm. Then, steadily, he began to walk forward, sending off a bolt of electricity each time he took a step. The girl created some kind of barrier with her purple energy to shield herself from the barrage of lightning bolts. They crashed into the barrier, seeming to chip away at it as they did so. The girl inside frowned and swept both hands out in a wide gesture, causing the shield to suddenly expand. Ark was thrown back and he lay on the ground with a dazed expression on his face.  
"You put up a rather good fight," she girl smiled casually, walking towards him. "But I guess all good things must come to an end." She looked up briefly as she heard the others crashing through the forest towards herself and Ark. She raised her hand and formed a sphere of her purple energy.  
"Don't take it personally," she frowned. "But my orders are to have you dead." Ark's eyes rolled into focus and her glared at her.  
"Though you are an enemy, I simply can't bring myself to kill a lady!" he spat. "So until you give up, I'll just have to keep you away!" Puzzlement registered on the girl's face for a split second.  
"Lady?" she mumbled. His staff suddenly whirled up and the girl found herself staring the jewel on the end of it in the face.  
"Oh sh-" She didn't have time to finish as a huge bolt of electricity erupted from the jewel and slammed into her chest. She yelped with surprise as the wreathing electricity wound back and then hurled her away through the canopy of the forest. The girl soared through the air and looked down at the rapidly shrinking Ark.  
"I'll be back for you!" she shouted at him before clicking her fingers and disappearing in a flash of purple light.  
"Hey Ark! You all right?" Link called as he ran up to his friend. Ark nodded breathlessly and sat up.  
"That was quite a fight," he panted, shaking his head.  
"I'll say!" Talen grinned. "You did great!" The sound of feet striking the ground rapidly reached their ears as Nyara bounded into the clearing and charged at Ark at full speed. She tackled to boy and ended up having him pinned to the ground.  
"Ark okay? Ark hurt?" she demanded. Ark shook his head with wide eyes upon seeing the blood that stained her front.  
"I'm fine, Miss Nyara! Really I am!" he insisted, trying to worm his way out from underneath her. She looked around the clearing with a frown.  
"Ark win! Nyara very impressed with Ark!" she cheered, thumping his shoulders. She suddenly stopped and looked around. "Where enemy?"  
"Well I…kinda couldn't bring myself to kill her. She was a lady after all…so I just got rid of her," he said sheepishly. Nyara narrowed her eyes.  
"Nyara not quite as impressed as before. She just come back for you. Ark need to learn more!" she told him sternly. Ark looked pained.  
"Miss Nyara…could you please let me up? I'm a little sore and you're squashing me," he groaned. Nyara smiled sheepishly.  
"But Ark comfy," she whined.  
"But you're all messy. You'll get blood all over his clothes if you aren't careful," Fura told her. Nyara sighed and got up, helping Ark to his feet as she did so.  
"Well it shouldn't take us very much longer to get to your village now, Ark. Let's get going so we can recover there," Talen suggested. Ark nodded and the five of them began heading back to where Saria, Zelda, Florella and Impa waited.

Talen and Link were both scolded by Saria, Zelda and Florella when they met up on the path. Florella put on a spectacular performance, telling Talen at great length that if he wasn't more careful in battle she'd end up as a widow. She berated him even further when he pointed out that they weren't married. Link got off quite lightly compared to his burly friend, receiving the regulation tutts and frowns and shaking of heads. Saria poked and prodded him all over as she searched for the sore spots, making note of where they were for later.  
They were on their way once more and it didn't take them too long before arriving at the entrance to Ark's village. It was sleepy little place with small thatched roof cottages scattered around the village. Everything was incredibly neat and well-looked after, with fences bordering the forest. A small stream flowed through the center of the village, turning a waterwheel that powered a windmill similar to the one in Kakariko. All in all it had a pleasantly rustic feel to it.  
"Here it is; my home," Ark stated proudly. "Agria Village."  
"It's wonderful," Saria breathed. "You're lucky to have been born here."  
"I've heard of this place, but I've never had time to visit," Impa frowned. "I should have though."  
The group headed through the middle of the village. Ark was greeted by next to everyone they passed, particularly the plump housewives that bustled about their gardens.  
"Looks like you're popular around here, Ark," Fura chuckled. "Must be your impeccable manners." Nyara, on the other hand, drew looks of wariness and even fear in some cases.  
"Oh!" Ark exclaimed suddenly. "Miss Nyara, perhaps it would be a good idea to clean all that blood off of your front, some people are getting a little bit edgy." Nyara looked down at herself and nodded.  
"So where are we headed?" Zelda asked. "To the chief?"  
"Yes, Lady Zelda," Ark nodded. "He'll be most excited to see us, particularly you, Link." Link looked puzzled.  
"Why me?"  
"Because you're the bearer! You have the Key," Ark reminded him. Link's hand went to his neck as he felt the gold band.  
"Oh yeah…" he grinned sheepishly.

The chief's home was a larger building situated at the center of the village. Ark knocked politely on the door and an elderly man answered. He had a long white beard and long hair that was trimmed so that it reached his shoulders. His kind, wrinkled face sported a pair of small reading glasses. The old man squinted through the glasses he wore on the end of his nose before grinning broadly.  
"Ark my boy! You're back! And…" he looked at Link. "You're found the bearer!" the old man congratulated him.  
"And more help too," Ark told him, gesturing to the others. "They more or less insisted that they follow along."  
"Well come in! Come in everyone!" the man insisted, inviting them into his house. The interior was very cozy, with a large carved table in the middle of the room and a kitchen in the corner containing a multitude of herbs, spices and copper pots and pans. They seated themselves down around the table as the old man took off his glasses and polished them quickly.  
"Now I'll get straight down to business," he said almost gravely. "I expect you're wondering what the Eternal Ark is all about."  
"Well the thought had crossed our minds," Link grinned. The old man nodded.  
"Where to begin…" he mused, tapping his fingers together. "Ah!" The old man leaned back in his chair and began.  
"The Eternal Ark, as its name suggests, has always existed. When time began, it was already there, waiting quietly. The Ark, however, does not fully exist in this world but rather in a spiritual realm that looks down upon this world. Now it was the Gods that created this spiritual "house" if you may, to guard the Ark, for they could sense a great power from within it. Legend grew about the Ark and tales of unimaginable power and wealth began to spring forth, prompting many to seek it out. Nobody was ever successful…until now. An unknown enemy managed to break into the resting place of the Ark and what they found was a lock keeping the Ark closed. Thinking that removing the lock would result in the opening of the vessel, they shattered it and separated it into several smaller locks that were then scattered around the world. What wasn't anticipated, however, was that unless a key is used, the Ark will never fully open…even if the lock is broken." The old man stood and walked over to Link.  
"And this," he said, tapping the golden band around his neck. "Is the key to the Eternal Ark."  
"So what are we to do?" Talen asked.  
"You must find the locks, put them back together and close the Eternal Ark, for at this very moment it lies ajar, allowing its power to slowly seep out." Fura nodded thoughtfully.  
"Have you any idea where these locks are?" she asked.  
"I'm afraid I don't. There are six locks in all; Tranquility, Discord, Chaos, Order, Love and Hate. Each lock has an opposing force and joining them all together creates a perfect harmony to seal the Ark."  
"Perfect harmony…" Florella mused. "It makes some kind of poetic sense I guess. All right then, how are supposed to go about finding them?" The old man smiled.  
"All in good time, dear girl. For now, why don't you all rest up, and it would make an old man very happy to hear about the friends my boy Ark has made."

Nyara wasn't too happy with bathing in water, but conceded that it was perhaps the best way to clean off all the blood that stained her extraordinarily fine fur. While the animal girl busied herself with cleaning, the rest of the group talked with the chief, whose name turned out to be Aarden. As they talked, Link could have sworn he could see tears in the old man's eyes. As it turned out, Aarden and Ark were the only two that lived in the big house. Aarden had never married, much to Florella's dismay and horror, and had thus never had children of his own. He had raised Ark as his own son after the boy's parents had passed away when he was only a baby. Saria and Zelda were nearly in tears after hearing the story, claiming that it was both "beautiful" and "heartwarming". Nyara returned both clean and content, sitting herself down near Ark.  
"And what would your name be, pretty one?" Aarden asked.  
"Me Nyara," she told him proudly. "Nice to meet you." Aarden laughed.  
"So Nyara, how did you meet Ark?"  
"Nyara find Ark in field with Link. Bad man attack so Nyara help Ark because Ark not very strong," she said, squeezing the boy's arm for emphasis. "Nyara decide to keep Ark as pet, feed Ark lots to toughen up." Aarden nodded.  
"I see. Well Ark was never one for lots of physical labor, I'll grant you that. It's very fortunate that he's got someone like you to look after him. Nyara, it is my solemn wish that you take possession of Ark while you are all on your journey. Look after him and do as you wish to keep him in line," Aarden told her. Nyara grinned broadly and patter Ark on the head. The boy looked absolutely horrified.  
As evening approached, Aarden took them all outside and led them towards a small path behind his house.  
"This, my friends, leads to your means of finding the locks," he told them. "I cannot say for sure what will happen, but know that it will guide you wherever you go."  
"Is it some kind of clue? A map or something?" Link asked.  
"Much more than a clue. I will take you to it, but once there I can go no further with you." They continued up the path until they reached a circular iron door built into the ground. Aarden stood before it and sighed heavily.  
"Beyond this door lies the Forever Compass; a holy relic that shall guide you from lock to lock. Use it well and never let it fall into the wrong hands." He turned to Link and motioned him to step forward.  
"Link, since you have the Key, you must open the door." Link nodded and looked down at the large piece of circular metal. He couldn't really see anything that resembled a keyhole or anything as such, until he noticed two circular indentations in the center of the door. Frowning slightly, he moved the rings hanging from the straps until they clicked audibly into the two indents. There was instantly a low rumbling as the door split down the middle and ground slowly open.  
"This is it," Aarden told them. "Where it all begins."


	8. Scatter

**Chapter 7 – Scatter**

With a resounding boom the door opened fully, leaving a gaping hole in the ground. Link looked down and whistled.  
"Sure is dark in there," he mused. He turned back to Aarden. "What is the "Forever Compass" anyway?"  
"A relic created to be used in conjunction with the Key. It will guide you to the locks scattered around the world," the old man told him. "Come, I can go as far as the compass itself, but after that you are all on your own." He started down some stone steps built into the opening into the ground. Link looked over at Talen and the boy shrugged before following Aarden along with everybody else.  
The tunnel they found themselves in was quite dark, but Fura provided them with ample light thanks to a flame that spouted from the palm of her hand. She hovered close to Link as did Zelda on his other side as the odd Keese flapped down from the roof of the tunnel. Fura and Talen took pot shots at them with fireballs and rock-shards, competing to see who could nail the most. Link voiced his frustration that he was unable to join in because Zelda was holding on to his arm, but Saria silenced him with a quick scowl in his direction.  
"Well I can see who's in charge around here," Aarden chuckled wryly. "Men control the world and women control the men."  
"I wouldn't say control," Florella said. "More like…"  
"Dominate! Shackle! Imprison!" Link blurted. Talen laughed then quickly stopped himself as Florella glared daggers at him.  
"As you can see we don't have much luck with this one," Florella growled.  
"Nyara eat him up if you like," the animal girl offered, eyeing Link almost hungrily. "Link step out of line and Nyara have as appetizer." Link shrank away from her.  
"I told you she's got it in for me!" he hissed at Zelda. The Princess rolled her eyes at him.  
"It's a joke Link; she'd never eat a sourpuss like you."  
"But if she did, I could cook you up for her," Fura grinned, wrapping her arm around his neck. Link sighed and tickled Fura's side, prompting her to let go.  
"The joys of friendship," Link muttered.

A circular room greeted them at the end of the long tunnel. It was quite large, with a raised circular dais in the center. The dais glowed blue, illuminating the room with its soft pulsating glow. Nyara sniffed the air and held Ark back firmly as if testing the air for danger. Once satisfied, she let him go and proceed to wander around the base of the dais.  
"This," Aarden told them. "Is the Forever Compass. Please…if all of you would stand up here?" It was a reasonably tight fit, but they all managed to squeeze up onto the dais. The instant Link set foot on it, the dais began to glow brighter and a soft humming filled the room.  
"What's happening?" Saria asked slightly fearfully.  
"Do not fret. The Compass is merely preparing to send you on your way," Aarden told her.  
"What! You mean that what we're standing on is the compass?" Florella exclaimed. The blue light got even brighter and waves of power began to surge up from underneath them.  
"Ark!" Aarden said sharply. "Wherever you go and whatever you discover…never forget the people around you!"  
"I won't, father," Ark nodded. Aarden smiled and stepped back.  
"And the rest of you…good luck and take care of my boy." The roar of power became deafening, almost drowning out Aarden's words. There was a flash and then silence as the group stood on the Compass not knowing what to do. Suddenly, the room exploded in a burst of light and they were gone, as was the blue light of the room. Aarden sighed almost sadly as he looked at where Ark and his friends had once stood.  
"Ark…I hope I get another chance to see you."

Link could feel an odd tickling sensation in his nose as he woke. Something smelled rather nice too. His eyes blinked open groggily and focused on a brightly coloured flower pressed up against his nose. He then realized that he was lying sprawled on the ground with his arms sticking straight out in front of him. Link groaned and attempted to prop himself up, but found himself pinned underneath something heavy. He twisted his neck as best he could and managed to catch a glimpse of what was on top of him.  
"Fura? Zelda? What are you doing?" he exclaimed upon seeing that the two girls were draped in a criss-cross position on his back. "Rrrgh! Wake up you lumps! You're squashing me!" Zelda and Fura didn't respond so Link resorted to using the Key to help himself out. The twin straps wrapped around the two sleeping girls and gently lifted them off of Link before depositing them on the ground. Link stood up and dusted himself off before looking at their current location. Navi popped out of his cap and settled on top of his head.  
"Where do you think we are?" she asked, looking around. Link had no idea. He was standing in a flower-filled clearing at the bottom of a lush valley. A stream gurgled away happily a short distance from where the girls lay, while butterflies fluttered awkwardly around in the bright sunshine. Zelda and Fura slept peacefully amongst the flowers alongside Link's pack that had made the trip with them.  
"Well I was going to say that it smells an awful lot like Florella Country…but we haven't had the sudden urge to break out in poetically florid speech. I don't think this place has anything to do with our odd little fairy friend," Link muttered with his hands on his hips.  
"Speaking of Florella; I can't see her anywhere…for that matter, where's everyone else?" Navi asked. Link blinked and looked around the beautiful landscape but could see no trace of his friends.  
"This doesn't look too good," he frowned. "And what happened to the Compass? How is it going to help us if it's back at Agria?" He cursed a few times before kicking a small stone into the stream.  
"Zelda wouldn't take too kindly to you saying things like that," Navi told him, hanging down in front of his eyes.  
"Feh, she's zonked out with Fura, so what she doesn't know can't hurt her," Link snorted.  
"I'm awake," Zelda mumbled from behind him. Link flinched and turned around.  
"Are you okay?" he asked, going over and helping her up. Zelda nodded and yawned.  
"Where are we?" she asked groggily. "And why is Fura still sleeping?" She pointed to the Gerudo that lay sprawled on her back.  
"The Compass did more than just tell us where to go; it sent us somewhere. I woke up underneath you two lumps a little while ago. But fat lot of good it does us if we're here and it's all the way back at the village," Link told her. "Oh, and as for Fura being asleep…I guess she's just lazy." Zelda frowned at him and then suddenly noticed the valley around them.  
"Oh it's so beautiful!" she breathed, clasping her hands together. "Look at all the flowers!" She began to pick the colourful blooms, smelling them with great delight.  
"So what are you going to do? Pull them all up?" Link asked her. Zelda looked at the bunch in her hands before throwing them at the boy.  
"And you say that we rain on your parades," she huffed, shooting him a frosty glance. Link grinned and sat himself down next to Fura.  
"We may as well sit around while we wait for Fura to wake up," Link said. "Got nothing better to do." Zelda thought for a few moments before smiling broadly at the boy. Link suddenly felt very uneasy.

Fura woke to the sight of a very bored looking Link combing Zelda's long golden hair. The Princess sat serenely in the bed of flowers with a look of contentment on her face as Link slowly drew the little comb through her blonde locks.  
"Hello you two," the Gerudo yawned. "What's going on?" Link looked up with what looked like relief.  
"Fura! Glad you're awake!" he called, dropping the comb and rushing over. Zelda frowned at him before tucking her hair back up underneath her headdress.  
"Are you feeling all right?" Link asked her. Fura nodded and sat up.  
"Just a little drowsy…where are we?" she asked, looking around the valley.  
"The Compass sent us here and don't bother asking where here is; we don't know. Oh, the others aren't here either," Link told her. Fura stood up and stretched.  
"Well this is certainly a nice place we've ended up in," the Gerudo noted, shielding her eyes from the sun while she scanned the area. "I wonder where in the world we ended up?"  
"Oh! Navi, form my wings. If I can fly up high enough, I may be able to see out of the valley. Perhaps then I can see some familiar landmarks," Link suggested. Navi gave a brief salute before shooting down his tunic. Seconds later, Link was speeding up into the sky as fast as his wings would carry him. He passed through some low-level clouds before reaching a sufficient height. He could see Zelda and Fura waving at him from far below in the valley and he waved back before suddenly freezing. He looked around frantically, not wanting to believe what he saw. The valley was a gash in the middle of a tabletop land formation; a piece of land that stuck directly out of the ground like a mesa, only much bigger with no way down the sides. The source of the stream that had cut the valley into the ground was a spring that welled up from somewhere far underground. The problem that Link saw, however, was not so much that they were stuck on top of the land formation, but the fact that it was an island in the middle of a vast ocean.

The sound of someone crying brought Talen to his senses. He groaned and sat up, rubbing the side of his head as he did so.  
"Where am I?" he asked nobody in particular as he notices his situation. The smith was in a small cave that looked like it would barely miss his head when standing. The only light source was from an odd fungus that grew in small patches on the wall and floor of the cave. The crying sound that had woken him earlier had reduced to a sniveling sound. Talen concentrated and tried to pinpoint the source of the noise, finally coming to the conclusion that it was from behind the wall in front of him. He got to his feet and rapped his knuckles sharply on the stone wall. Finding that it was only about half a foot thick, he pressed his ear up to it and tried to listen for any more noise coming from the adjacent chamber.  
"Hello?" he called upon hearing nothing. "Is anyone there?" What he received was a sudden scream. Talen's mind raced and he drew his fist back before smashing it into the wall with tremendous force. The wall crumbled and Talen burst through to see a group of three Stalfos heading towards a figure obscured by shadow in the corner of the chamber. Not wasting any time, Talen formed a large spike in his hand and hurled it at the closest Stalfos. The spike crunched through the flimsy armor and shattered the monster's ribcage, sending it to pieces. The other two Stalfos turned towards him, their tiny red eyes hanging in their large sockets. They rushed him at the same time, slashing at him with their crude swords. Talen rolled between them and evaded the attack, before rounding quickly and smashing his elbow followed by his fist into the back of one of them. Like the first, the second Stalfos shattered into splinters of bone. The remaining Stalfos swiped madly at him, but Talen jumped back and drove his fist into the ground. There was a brief shaking and a section of the floor burst up as a stone pillar, crushing the skeleton against the roof. Feeling rather satisfied with himself, Talen turned to the person that the three monsters had been after.  
"Hey, are you injured?" he asked.  
"Talen?" came the incredulous reply. The figure stepped forward slowly into the glow of some of the luminous fungi. Talen's eyes widened.  
"Florella!" he breathed. "What are you doing in here?" The fairy girl sniffed once before running at the boy with tears streaming down her cheeks.  
"Oh Talen! I'm so relieved that you're here!" she bawled. "I woke up and I was all alone in this dark cave…then those monsters surprised me…and then you came crashing in to save me!" Talen picked her up and gave her a crushing hug.  
"No need to cry, Florella," he told her. "I wouldn't have let anything happen to you…besides; you could have taken care of them I'm sure." She merely cried with renewed vigor.  
"Or maybe you were just a little too scared to remember that," he sighed. "All right Florella, you can ride on my back while we try to figure out where we are and where the others are. How does that sound?" The fairy nodded mutely and maneuvered around so that she was on his back with her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. She nuzzled her face into his neck and breathed a huge sigh of relief.  
"I feel so much better now," she mumbled. "Which way should we go?" The chamber that they were in had three exits, not counting the one Talen had made. The boy thought for a moment.  
"That way," he said, pointing to one of the openings. "I've been living in caves most of my life. This one'll get us to the surface of wherever we are." Florella nodded and gripped him tighter as the two of them set off through the maze of underground catacombs.

"An island!" Fura exclaimed. "Wha…why – could you see any other land?" Link shook his head.  
"And to make matters worse we can't get down to the water because of the way the island's formed. We're going to have to look for another way off." Fura groaned dejectedly and sat down.  
"This sucks!" she blared, punching the ground. "What the hell are we supposed to do here!" Link shrugged and sat down.  
"We look around for an opportunity, right Zelda?" The Princess nodded.  
"We've got the bearers of two parts of the Triforce; one of them defeated a force even to that of a God, and the Gerudo Wi– Priestess of Fire. If anyone can get off this island it's us," Zelda told the grumpy Gerudo. Fura's anger seemed to dissipate.  
"You're right," she sighed. "And that was a nice save there Zelda."  
"Well I think priestess sounds much better than witch, don't you? Now let's have a more thorough look around this island."

Zelda was a little disappointed to be leaving the flower field, but had to resign herself to the fact that if they didn't get a move on then they'd probably never get off the island. They had come to the decision that they would follow the stream to its end, reasoning that it would eventually have to empty into the ocean.  
"It may have worn the land away so it isn't as steep. It's worth a look," Link had said. As well as passing through the flower field, the river flowed through thick woodland, making travel a little bit more difficult. Link and Fura took turns in taking the lead, using their weapons to hack their way through any undergrowth that blocked their way. As far as monsters went, the island seemed to be home to only the odd Mad Scrub. They didn't pose much of a threat as all it took to send them away was a quick flash of Fura's fire. The more persistent ones allowed Fura to show off a little. Link sighed and shook his head as Fura launched a volley of fireballs at an offending Scrub with a booming laugh. The Gerudo girl had always been quick to change her mood, usually going from happy to volatile in the wink of an eye. Fortunately for Link, she was in a good mood most of the time…provided he watched his step around her. She'd never go so far as to actually hurt him though; she'd made it very clear how much she cared about the young Hylian. It was like Nabooru had often said; "Her bark is worse than her bite." Not to say that her bark wasn't sometimes a little bad, such as the time she'd thrown Link's back out, accidentally of course, or the time she'd strung him up from the rafters of Gargun's palace after he'd bounced an apple core off her head. But through all of that Fura and Link got on extremely well, and she also bore not animosity towards Zelda and Ruto for focusing their affections on the sometimes oblivious boy. In fact, the only person that seemed to show any signs of suffering from the unusual situation was Link himself; and even then it was only him being shy whenever the girls were feeling particularly amorous.  
"Wow! I've heard about these places…but I've never actually seen one!" Zelda gasped upon seeing the place at which the stream ended. After a bit of stumbling about, Link had managed to almost drop himself down a very large sinkhole that the stream had worn away. Looking down from above, one could see a hollow, cylindrical cave-like formation that opened up to the ocean. A small sandy beach rested at the bottom of the sinkhole, with a small amount of plant life backing it. As it seemed to be the only piece of land that lay directly open to the sea; it was a logical place for them to set up camp for as long as they were going to be there for. Since it was a straight drop down to the beach, Link had to ferry his pack, Fura and Zelda down one at a time using his flying ability.  
"You know if the situation was a little different I'd probably say that I wouldn't want to leave here," Fura sighed, looking around.  
"Well don't get too comfortable," Link grunted, rummaging through his pack. "As soon as we can figure out how, we're kissing this Godforsaken rock goodbye." Zelda rolled her eyes as Link looked to see if anything was missing.  
"Oh come one, this place is a veritable paradise! Clean water," she pointed to the waterfall made by the stream as it cascaded into a pool. "Wonderful weather and you're all alone with two specimens of breathtaking womanhood. You're living every man's dream." Link stopped what he was doing and gave her a level gaze.  
"You forgot to mention lack of food, shelter, and I also happen to know that you two celestial nymphs are more trouble than you're worth. Give me a treehouse with access to a fishing hole any day." He unbuckled his tightly-packed tent and dumped it on the sand before standing up.  
"You're such a stinker," Zelda frowned at him.  
"Hah!" Link laughed. "Link one, Zelda zero." Zelda looked at him and then the tent.  
"But you forget we've only got one tent, so all three of us are going to have to squeeze into it tonight," she smirked. Link's face fell.  
"Zelda wins," Fura chuckled.

"Talen, it's getting hot," Florella groaned. The air inside the caves had been getting thicker and thicker as they had progressed through the twisting tunnels and chambers. The occasional monster had bothered them, but Talen had quickly taken care of them. From somewhere far off they could hear an odd echoing bubbling sound, punctuated by a rumble or a sharp cracking noise.  
"We're probably very near a magma vein that runs through the ground. If we actually meet with one we'll have to be very careful," he told his passenger as she gripped him tighter.  
"It's a little hard to breathe," she mumbled. "And it kinda smells in here." Talen chuckled.  
"That's the sulphur in the air; nasty stuff that smells like rotten eggs. Just try to ignore it; we'll be out of here soon if I can help it." Florella sighed and buried her head against his shoulder.  
"Talen, you've got no idea how relieved I am to have you here with me," she told him.  
"I'm at your service," Talen grinned, stepping over some rubble. They rounded a corner and the heat suddenly increased to the point of being almost unbearable. They had reached a massive hollow chamber that opened up to the sky high above. A single narrow bridge spanned a very wide pit that led all the way down into a bubbling pool of molten rock that blasted incredibly hot air up at them.  
"Woo!" Talen whistled, looking down at the boiling magma below them. "Wouldn't want to fall down there. Fried in an insta- whoops, sorry Florella." The fairy was looking decidedly pale. Talen scratched his forehead and squinted across the perilous rock walkway.  
"Well I'm guessing that opening over there…" he said, pointing to a rough tunnel on the opposite side of the pit. "Will lead to the surface. We're very close already, but I don't want to risk climbing out right here. From the looks of things we were put smack dab in the middle of a volcano. I don't want to be in this area if it goes off, no sir. A fiery death awaits should this thing- sorry, I'm doing it again." If it were at all possible, Florella had gone even paler.  
"Talen…please stop talking," she begged. Talen grinned apologetically at her before starting across the bridge. He went slowly and steadily, always keeping his eyes on his feet to make sure he didn't misstep. Florella kept her eyes closed as tight as she could manage for the entire duration of the crossing, that was, until Talen shouted a warning. The ground beneath them began to crumble away and the boy made off at a mad dash to the other side. He was about three-quarters of the way across when he was forced to take a flying leap as the bridge collapsed completely. Florella squealed in terror as Talen reached behind him in mid-leap and grabbed the back of her clothes. With a grunt, he whipped his arm forward and sent her shooting into the opening as he dropped short of it. The girl rolled to a stop inside the tunnel and then, with a cry of dismay, raced back to the mouth of the tunnel. She poked her head out just as the chunks of walkway plunged into the churning lava below. She was about to burst into tears when a stone hand slapped down in front of her. She leaned out and looked down to see Talen with his arms covered in their stone skin, digging into the wall of the chamber.  
"Talen!" she cried, grabbing his other hand in her own diminutive ones and helping to pull him over the edge. Once he was safe, he rolled onto his back and lay there panting. Florella was on him immediately, smothering his face in teary kisses.  
"Don't ever do that again!" she scolded him, trying her best to look cross though her watery eyes. "But…you were very gallant, dear Talen. You shall be rewarded greatly for your deeds today." Talen didn't look like he was paying much attention as his chest rose and fell rapidly.  
"Well for starters I'd be eternally grateful if you could manage something cold after this. I'm about to burn up."

"Well I guess you get the middle and we get the sides," Fura said as Link finished erecting the tent.  
"But I hate the middle! There's never enough room and it gets all hot. If I have the side then I press my face up to the canvas to cool it off," the boy complained.  
"Well tough," Zelda told him as she stirred a pot of soup over a fire Fura had made. "There's two of us and one of you so we have to share. You're in the middle to be fair." She stuck her tongue out at him and went back to the soup. Fura walked up behind the grumpy boy and slapped him heartily on the back.  
"Don't be such a complainy-pants," she told him. "We're just looking out for your well-being. It's cold outside at night and we don't want you getting sick."  
"Well then fat lot of good sleeping in a tent will do me. Zelda's feet, by recollection, are cold enough to give me pneumonia," Link snorted. The Princess cast him a withering gaze but said nothing.  
"Well I'll keep you nice and warm then," Fura purred into his ear. Link's face went red and he jumped away.  
"I think I'll be fine," Link told her nervously. Fura laughed and sat down in front of the fire as the sky began to give way to the stars. Link grumbled something and seated himself next to her as Zelda poured the hot soup into bowls before she took her place on Link's other side. They sat in silence for a while, drinking the soup that Zelda had made.  
"Do you think we'll ever get off this island?" Zelda asked eventually, breaking the quiet.  
"I'm sure we will," Fura said. "We've been in much trickier situations than this." Link nodded in agreement before downing the rest of his soup in a single gulp.  
"I'll find a way off," he told them. "Just you wait and see." Zelda hugged him impulsively and then Fura, not wanting to be left out, did the same. Link looked from one to the other and prepared to shake them off, but he stopped himself at the last minute and sighed in defeat. He shifted slightly and put both arms around the pair before the three of them gazed up at the stars high above.

"Are we n-nearly there?" Florella murmured as Talen carried her through the sweltering tunnels. The heat had gotten to the fairy, causing her to droop like a wilted flower. She was flopped over Talen's back with her arms dangling lifelessly down his front. Sweat was pouring down the boy's face as he soldiered on through the thick air.  
"I really couldn't say, Florella," he told her. "For all I know, this tunnel could wind on for quite some time before it reaches the surface. But at least I know that it will reach the surface. I can feel it in the rocks."  
"Well can't the rocks give you a little hint as to when we're going to get out of this furnace?" Florella moaned, whimpering slightly at the end. Talen reached over his back and patter her on the head, ruffling his fingers through her dark purple hair.  
"There, there Florella," he told her sympathetically.  
"Oh I do hope the others are okay," she worried. "I need to look out for Ark and Nyara. There's something there all right."  
"Well perhaps you can pass the time by thinking about how you're going to manage the situation? Get it perfect, how about that?" Talen suggested, rounding yet another corner. Florella was quiet for a little while, mulling over what Talen had said.  
"That's a fantastic idea, Talen!" she squealed, squashing her face to the side of his. "I can plan it all! What was I thinking! This heat must be affecting me."  
"Oh, of course," Talen smiled. The pair entered a huge chamber, but it seemed that unlike all of the others they had passed through; this one had been made by someone. Rough carvings covered the wall and what looked to be an altar was constructed over a lava pit sunk deep into the floor. Towards the ceiling, four great carved insectoid heads leered down at them, their stone features seeming eerily alive in the flickering light cast by the lava. Other than the door they had just entered through, there was only one exit. It was a set of tall bronze double-doors built into the far wall. After a brief pause, Talen started towards them while Florella seemed to be eyeing the altar suspiciously. She gasped suddenly, surprising Talen.  
"What? What's the matter Florella?" he asked, concerned.  
"This place!" she hissed. "It's a place of sacrifice! I can feel the death emanating from that altar!" Talen frowned.  
"You're sure about it?" he asked her.  
"Positive! I can almost hear the damned souls crying out from that thing," she said, pointing to the altar. "It's terrible!" Florella covered her ears and whimpered, burying her face into Talen's shoulder. The boy's expression hardened and he took a step towards it.  
"No!" Florella shrieked. "Don't get any closer! I can't bear it!" She was almost weeping by that point and Talen had had enough. With a low growl he stamped his foot down hard onto the ground. There was a brief shaking and a crack appeared from underneath his foot. It zigzagged along until it reached the altar, dividing in two to run across the ground in front of it. The altar trembled slightly before falling away with a loud cracking noise. The altar plunged into the lava below, producing a thick black and red smoke that billowed up to the roof of the chamber. Florella seemed to calm down and she flopped her head against his back.  
"Oh…thank you Talen," she panted. "It's going now…the death is beginning to drain away from here…but it still lingers in the very ground." She was shivering slightly and Talen was getting worried.  
"Well let's get out of here as soon as possible. I don't like seeing you like this," he frowned, making for the double-doors. Florella murmured something in response that Talen couldn't properly hear. Just as he started moving, however, the doors swung open to reveal a crowd of people dressed in dark brown robes. There were two muscular men dressed in baggy pants, leaving their upper-bodies bare. Between them they held a rather helpless-looking fellow that had his wrists bound in chains. The hooded figure that looked to be the leader stopped suddenly when he saw Talen and Florella. He drew his hood back to reveal a rather handsome tanned face topped with short black hair. His eyes bulged when he noticed that the altar was noticeably absent.  
"You!" he hissed. "What have you done? You have defiled this sacred place!" Talen squared his jaw.  
"I was only doing a little redecorating at the little lady's request. You know how women are when it comes to what rooms are supposed to look like," Talen told him. "Now I suggest you stop whatever it is you do here before you displease my companion here. If not, I'll be forced to take drastic measures." The man looked outraged and he jerked his head towards Talen. One of the burly men rushed forwards, drawing a long dagger as he did so. Talen frowned and merely grabbed the blade with the protection of his stone skin. With a flick of his wrist he snapped the blade in two before landing a solid punch to his attacker's chest. The burly man was sent skittering across the floor before coming to a stop against the wall next to the doors.  
"Now that," Talen growled. "Was not a good idea." The leader hissed and pointed at Talen.  
"Kill them!" he barked. "All of you! Kill those two! They shall be our sacrifice!"


	9. Friction

**Chapter 8 – Friction**

Since Florella wasn't in the right state to take care of herself, Talen's first priority was her safety. He acted quickly, wanting to have her out of the way before the fighting started. He sat her on the ground and then raised his hand, cupping it as he did so. The ground shook and a bowl-shaper rock formation appeared with Florella sitting groggily in the middle. Then, with a low rumble, it elevated up high out of reach on a stone pillar. Satisfied with his efforts, Talen faced the enemies at hand. They came thick and fast, brandishing wicked looking sacrificial knives. Deciding to even the odds, Talen folded his arms across his chest before spreading his fingers. As he did so, long rock claws burst forth to make him look like his fingers had been replaced with blades. Three of the zealots met him head-on, swiping madly with their weapons, but Talen dispatched them quickly with a few quick slashes of his claws. Three more came as his back was turned, so he twisted around so that he was side-on and fired the stone blades like arrows. The men were pierced like pin-cushions and their knives clattered harmlessly to the floor.  
"What are you doing!?" the leader shrieked. "He's only one boy! Kill him!" With renewed vigor, the hooded figures swarmed Talen again, shouting mindlessly as they did so. Talen swung his arm back and, with a great bellow, slammed his fist into the ground. With a vast rumble, a huge stone hand tore through the floor of the chamber and suddenly slapped down with a crunch, easily wiping out a third of the zealots. Still they came at him and it was only through a great deal of dodging and striking did he make it to safe ground with only a few cuts to show for it. Talen's rock hand had drained him of a fair amount of energy, but he still had enough to fight on.  
"He's beginning to tire! Now's your chance!" the leader shrieked again. Talen gritted his teeth and extended both hands.  
"I'm not done yet!" he growled. Hundreds of stone spikes shot forth from his open palms, spraying the crowd with a deadly hail. A great number fell instantly under the attack, but others still managed to get through. There were about twenty people left, all of whom were clamoring to get at the boy as he stood with his back against the wall. Just before they reached him, however, Talen dove forward and disappeared under the ground like a swimmer diving into water. The people stood unsure of what to do, looking around for the boy that had just eluded them.  
"Don't just stand there! Do something!" the leader bellowed. "Bring the heathen out of hid-" He never got a chance to finish as the ground below him split open with a resounding crack. Talen exploded upwards with a roar, his hand covered by the stone lance formation that the boy seemed fond of. In the next instant, Talen thrust his arm forward and buried the tip of the lance into the leader's ribcage, killing him instantly. His underlings froze at the sudden scene of their leader's expiration. With a look of contempt, Talen allowed the stiffened body to slide onto the ground before he faced the remaining opposition.  
"Listen here," Talen growled. "Either leave here and never come back…or suffer the same fate as those that have fallen here today. It's your decision, but I warn you that I can get cranky when people upset my lady up there." The zealots cast a quick glance up at where Florella was encased before bolting for the door, their weapons clattering to the floor in their wake. Talen watched them go with a frown before he lowered Florella's pillar with a wave of his hand. The little fairy was kneeling down with a look of exhaustion and worry on her face.  
"Are you okay, Florella?" he asked. She looked him over.  
"You're hurt!" she almost wailed. "Talen!" Her little hands reached up to him.  
"Easy now, don't scold me," he told her, holding his hands up. "You're still a little out of it so climb up on my back again. I'll take care of this place and get us out of here."

Link didn't consider himself to be an unreasonable person, truth be told he believed that he was incredibly tolerant for a good portion of the time. His patience, however, nearly reached its limit when he awoke in the middle of the night to find the impossibly hot Fura sleeping with her arm around his neck. He was in agony; her skin was so hot that he truly believed that, had there been sufficient light, he could have seen steam rising from the sweat drenching his tunic. Since no actual sleeping gear was in Link's pack, the trio had to simply sleep fully clothed, minus footwear of course, without covers. Still, it was quite comfortable though; the soft sand had provided them with a cushiony surface over which the bottom of the tent lay. Link carefully removed the Gerudo's arm from his neck and breathed a sigh of relief as he instantly began to cool down. He glanced across at her as she, in a rather unladylike manner; lay on her side with her mouth hanging open with a slight trickle of drool running out of the corner of it. Zelda, on the other hand, was the very picture of serenity. She lay on her back with her hands clasped lightly together on her stomach. Her lips were closed and her silky gold hair tumbled lightly about her shoulders. Link had to admit that both girls were exquisitely beautiful and he found himself gawking at the pair of them; however, sleep was by far at the top of Link's list of priorities. Being careful not to wake the sleeping Zelda, Link gingerly rolled her away so that he had enough room. While Fura was freakishly hot when she slept, Zelda was her direct polar opposite. Her body temperature seemed to plummet to frigid levels that Link found, similarly to Fura's, unbearable. To make matters worse, the pair of them seemed to be particularly snuggly when they slept, and Link frequently found himself waking up either drenched in sweat or shivering. Zelda also had the frustrating habit of digging her feet into the backs of Link's knees when he had his legs tucked up in slumber and, since her feet were perhaps the coldest parts of her body, it was incredibly uncomfortable. He yawned as he remembered the last time that they'd all been squashed together in the same bed three years previous. It had been quite a shock, understandably so since he was very, very restrained in such matters. It was also this restraint that had sometimes gotten Link into Florella's semi-bad books. The Great Fairy of Spring, to use her proper title, loved nothing more to involve herself in affairs of the heart, specifically of those of other people. She was the center of the annual Spring Festival at her home, Windhill. The festival was a celebration of the coming of spring and, much to Link's aversion the first time he heard of it, love. In fact, Florella herself cast an extremely potent spell at the beginning of the festival that broke down peoples' inhibitions to make them, bluntly, lovey-dovey. Ever since his narrow escape the first time he had been present, Link had been very, very careful to prevent himself from falling afoul of Florella's magic. He seemed to have been able to overcome it by casting a particularly strong Nayru's Love spell to shield himself. Unfortunately there wasn't much he could do to defend himself against Fura, Zelda and, particularly, Ruto. Talen was another that wasn't entirely comfortable with the spell and had discovered that by digging underground he could evade it. Florella was always a little miffed at the pair of them for working that out. Link yawned again and tried to get back to sleep, quickly failing as Fura's wandering arm found its way back to his neck. From what he could tell it was probably only around midnight.  
"I have to get off this island," Link groaned to himself.

Ark was cold, wet, hungry and tired. He had woken some hours earlier in an unknown and unfriendly looking forest. The trees were more like living beings than plants, their twisted branches clawing at the sky like deformed hands. It was very dark and Ark had trouble seeing which way to go. The light drizzle that seemed to fall perpetually on the twisted forest had gradually soaked Ark's thick clothing completely through. That coupled with the wind that howled through the branches had made him incredibly numb and cold.  
"I hate water," he sighed. "Well at least there aren't any monsters around." A particularly loud screech made him jump and look fearfully around. Deciding that it was only the wind in the trees, he looked down at the blue sphere in his hand. He had woken with it lying next to him on the wet ground, glowing softly. He had come to the conclusion then and there that it was the Forever. After his discovery he also noticed that he was completely alone in the gloomy forest. Calling out had proven fruitless and all it had succeeded in doing was to attract a Wolfos to his location. He had taken care of it without too much trouble before he had noticed that the Compass had a small white ball in the center of it. The white ball seemed to jiggle slightly before zipping over to the wall of the Compass and hovering there. When Ark had turned, the ball stayed in the same direction as if pointing him somewhere. Since he didn't know where he was or how he'd arrived there, Ark had happily followed the Compass merely glad to have some kind of direction. He was, understandably, feeling quite miserable as he sloshed through the soggy ground. He sighed and looked down at the thick grey mud that caked his boots, wishing desperately that he was somewhere – anywhere that was at least dry.  
"Something had to have gone wrong…it shouldn't have split us all up like this," Ark muttered, staring at the Compass as it continued to point off into the trees. "What's the matter with you?" He shook it roughly in frustration before watching as the white pointer ball jiggled slightly before settling back into the correct position.  
"Take me back to the others, you infernal device!" Ark demanded. "Don't leave me out here all alone in the cold." The Compass did nothing, as the boy had more or less expected it to. Ark grunted and looked up at the cloudy grey sky before he noticed that he was actually shivering. Since his clothes were wet though, the cold penetrated much faster to bring about his involuntary teeth-chattering. He wiped his face and looked around for anything that might resemble shelter, but found nothing. The trees were big, but none had anything that resembled leaves to block out the rain. Ark suddenly sneezed very loudly and his shivering increased.  
"Oh I hope I'm not catching a cold," he groaned, slogging through the thick mud.  
"Well it certainly would make my job a lot easier." Ark whirled around, his eyes darting everywhere in an attempt to locate the owner of the voice.  
"Up here," it said. Ark's gaze wandered up to the high branches of one of the skeletal looking trees. It was the girl that had attacked him the other day.  
"Oh no…" Ark began, backing away slowly.  
"Hello there," she waved cheerily. "I found you." Ark quickly grasped his staff and aimed the tip at her warily.  
"G-go away," he stammered through his chattering teeth. "I don't want to fight." She looked disappointed.  
"What, after all the trouble I took to find you? I don't think so," she pouted. "Besides; you seem to have picked up another pretty looking bauble there." She was looking at the Compass as Ark clutched it tightly in his hands.  
"You can't have it," Ark said, stepping away slowly. "We need it."  
"Who's "we"? I can't see anybody else around here. If you give me that jewel then I'll make your death swift and painless. We got a deal?" Ark didn't reply. Instead, he turned and bolted through the trees.  
"Hey! Get back here!" the girl shouted before she began lobbing her purple energy balls at him. The boy ducked and weaved under and around branches that clawed at him as he thundered along through the mud. An explosion rocked the ground nearby, sending up a curtain of water and grey mud. Another hit a tree that he had just ran past, sending splinters twirling off in all directions.  
"Quick little fellow, aren't you?" she sneered, swooping through the air behind him. Ark chanced a quick glance behind him and he saw her charge up for another shot. With a yelp, the boy veered off to the right to move out of the way of her latest blast. He was almost sent rolling as the impact made the ground shudder, but Ark regained his footing and continued to splash along. Since the trees were fairly far apart it was reasonably easy to keep up a fast pace, but it also meant that Ark's pursuer could keep up with him. Deciding that simply running was getting him nowhere, Ark held his staff at the ready as he ducked and weaved.  
"I gotcha!" the girl laughed suddenly, firing an energy ball at his back. But, to the surprise of the girl, Ark turned his head and swung his arm back, knocking the energy blast straight back at her. She yelped and rolled back in the air, allowing the attack to sail over her. She righted herself and saw that Ark had already put quite a bit of distance between them.  
"Grrr, you'll get yours!" she hollered, firing two blasts as him. Once again his staff swung up and batted them away, shattering two trees on either side of him.  
"Tricky little fellow, aren't you?" the girl giggled. "I like that! Nobody's given me a workout like this before!"  
"I'm glad you're enjoying it so much," Ark said in a panicked tone. Suddenly, the girl shifted her aim and fired off an attack at the ground at his feet. The mud exploded behind him and he was sent flying into the base of a tree head first. His face exploded in pain and he lay sprawled on his stomach. He rolled over slowly, groaning as he did so to see his tormentor. She was floating over him with a great gloating grin on her face and in her hand she held another of her purple energy balls.  
"Looks like you've broken your nose there," she smiled. "Lost your staff too. Don't worry, I'll find it afterwards."  
"Just hurry up and get it over with," Ark wheezed as blood dribbled down his face.  
"Well it certainly has been a pleasure," she chuckled. "I won't be forgetting you in a hurry, no sir. Perhaps I'll keep your staff and hang it up on my wall at home…yes, I'll have a plaque and everything on it too." Ark's hand closed around his staff which he was currently lying on top of.  
"See ya!" she crowed, hurling her magic at him. Ark acted quickly. With speed unbecoming someone in his position, he whipped out his staff from underneath him and thwacked the spell as it sizzled towards him. It rebounded off the side of it with a loud "ping" sound before hurtling back at its sender. The girl blinked stupidly before realization dawned on her face.  
"You cheeky little bas-" She never finished. The purple spell hit her in the chest and knocked her through the air whereupon she slammed into the trunk of a tree. The girl slid down to the base of it, knocked out cold as the spell had been significantly weakened by Ark's staff. Ignoring the pain, Ark stood up slowly and looked at the girl.  
"Another one for me," Ark muttered, gently touching his fingers to his nose. Pain lanced his face and he yelped before bringing his hands down quickly. He pulled out the compass and peered at it closely as the little white pointer still told him to go in the same direction.  
"I sure hope you're pointing in the right direction," he muttered before casting a quick glance at the girl and heading on his way.

"Impa, where do you think we are?" Saria asked the tall Sheikah woman as the pair of them made their way along a country road. Impa shrugged.  
"I only know that we're somewhere where we aren't supposed to be. I should be by Zelda's side, and I'm sure Link's probably covered in filth now that you aren't with him." They began to laugh, despite their situation. A few hours earlier, the pair had awoken together on the side of a rode in the middle of a sloping countryside. Saria had instantly begun to panic and it was up to Impa and Chat to calm her down.  
"This place looks vaguely familiar," Impa commented as she looked around at the surrounding countryside. "Maybe I've been here before."  
"You have?" Saria asked hopefully. "Then we may know how to find a way back to Hyrule!"  
"But even then there's the problem of finding everyone else. Who knows where they've turned up?" Impa sighed. "Oh Zelda…whenever you and that boy get together it usually means trouble for me." Saria smiled.  
"Zelda can't be all that bad, can she?" the Kokiri girl chuckled.  
"When she's good, she's very, very well behaved…but she can sometimes be very, very naughty. Did you know that she bribes Link to tidy up after her?" Impa grinned.  
"Bribes? With what…oh, food," Saria groaned. "He's always thinking with his stomach. I swear Link could just fall on his face and eat the ground if it wasn't bad for him." The two of them continued their little "who has it worse" competition until they crested a small hill. In the distance they could see a small town situated by a very large lake.  
"A town!" Saria exclaimed. "We can ask where we are now!"  
"No need to. That's Lake Ara, but…we must have been sent to the other side of the planet! It's going to take us a while to get back to Hyrule from here and first of all we need to cross that lake. Come on, I'll inquire about getting us a boat."

"Good morniii- oh…he isn't even here," Fura sung, before frowning at the absence of Link. She scratched her head and looked over to see Zelda was also missing. Fura blinked and then immediately dashed out of the tent.  
"Hey! Where have you two gone?" she demanded, bursting into the morning sunlight. She heard a girlish laugh and immediately identified it as Zelda's.  
"No! I don't want it, take it away!" Link complained. Fura looked around and saw them both by the waterfall. Zelda kept grabbing for Link's arms and the boy kept tugging them away. A brief scuffle ensued and the two tumbled into the sand.  
"It's good for your skin!" Zelda told him, waving some kind of plant in the air. "Your elbows are like sandpaper, I could feel them last night!"  
"And what, pray, were you doing with my elbows?" Link asked in a pained voice whilst trying to keep Zelda from dabbing the plant against him.  
"Well I was cold and you were right there so I decided to steal some body heat."  
"You're always cold! You're like an ice queen with those feet of yours!"  
"Well…not all of me is cold," Zelda said almost thoughtfully.  
"What?" Link blinked.  
"Oh, nothing," Zelda giggled with a wave of her hand. "Just talking to myself…now give me your elbows!" Link rolled his eyes and the Key suddenly came to life. Zelda soon found herself hanging a few meters up in the air with the Key straps wound around her waist. She kicked her feet and tried to free herself, but her efforts were to no avail.  
"What is your problem?" Zelda cried.  
"I'm just a little bit sick of being fussed over all the time. Can't I be left alone once in a while?" he told her. Zelda frowned and tried once again to get free as her patience began to wear thin.  
"Let me down, you stubborn little boy!" she demanded. Fura shook her head and walked over. A shouting competition started with insults being thrown backwards and forwards between the pair the instant Link let Zelda down. At first they were actually rather clever, but it soon degraded into name-calling with things such as "brat" and "ice queen," being echoed repeatedly. Fura rubbed at her temples and decided that she had better step in as a mediator.  
"Please stop," she groaned, dragging Link away.  
"I was only trying to look out for his well-being, but he had to be difficult!" Zelda huffed.  
"Well sor-ry if you're too pushy," Link muttered. The two of them glared at each other for a second before turning their heads away.  
"Good God, how in creation did this happen?" Fura sighed.

Ark was in a whole world of hurt. His nose was badly broken and was throbbing sorely as it swelled. That, coupled with the miserable weather, made the boy feel very sorry for himself indeed. His altercation with the girl that had tried to kill him had taken place some hours earlier and had taken it as a blessing that she hadn't come after him. Since then the flat, boggy ground had given way to hilly, boggy ground. He took some solace in the fact that the water could at least run away to make the ground less-mucky instead of simply pooling beneath his sodden feet. He sneezed suddenly and then cried out as sharp pain lanced through his nose.  
"Oww," he whimpered. The sky, as overcast as it was, was beginning to darken and the temperature was getting lower. "If I don't find some shelter I'm going to freeze." He fought to hold back another sneeze and suddenly stood stock-still as he heard a twig snap somewhere in the distance.  
"Oh no! She's coming back!" he yelped. Ark took off at a run, ignoring the pain in his face. As soon as he started moving, the thing out in the trees began to head for him quite quickly; he could hear it. Whatever it was had two feet and images of something akin to a Wolfos appeared in his mind. Wolfos, however, only stood on two legs when attacking so he cancelled that out. A particularly loud splash made him turn around with his staff held at the ready. A figure leaped at him with what he thought were claws of death outstretched, but instead of some hideous roar an entirely different sound greeted him.  
"Nyaaaaaaa!" the shape yowled, hitting him full in the chest. He was sent straight to the ground with a grunt. "Arkarkarkarkarkarkarkarkarkarkarkarkark!!!" The figure was babbling over and over. The boy looked up and, to his relief, saw Nyara kneeling over him.  
"Miss Nyara! What are you doing here?" he exclaimed.  
"Nyara wake up in stinky forest with two bags. Everyone gone, so Nyara start looking. Me smell you and came to find. Nyara so happy!" she crushed him to her.  
"M-Miss Nyara…where are the packs now?" he asked her.  
"They back at cave, Nyara leave them there," she told him. Ark's eyes lit up.  
"Cave? Miss Nyara, is it far?" he asked. She shook her head and helped him up. She suddenly peered at his face and frowned.  
"Ark break nose? Look sore…Nyara fix up for you! Follow me!" she chirped, grabbing his arm and leading him away.  
Ark and Nyara arrived at the cave just as night fell and Ark was shivering quite badly. The cave was reasonably small, but it wound a little way into the side of the hill it was in and provided them with ample protection from the elements. At Nyara's instruction, Ark fired a bolt of energy at a tree and blew it to pieces. That done, Nyara gathered up the dry wood from the core of the tree and brought it into the cave. A fire was soon lit thanks to some flint and tinder from one of the packs and Ark huddled in front of it.  
"Now…Ark sit still and behave, Nyara fix you up," she grinned, advancing on him. Ark looked up at her and his face blanched.  
"What do you mean by – augh!" he yelped. Nyara pounced and began to pull his wet clothes from his body. Since she was a great deal stronger than him, Ark was soon disrobed and sat clad only in his underclothes. The animal girl laid his wet clothes on the stone floor of the cave to dry before turning on him once again.  
"What…there's more?" he groaned, his face burning at his lack of clothing. She knelt in front of him and grinned before holding up her hand. Ark looked at it and then suddenly gasped.  
"No! I'm in enough pain as it is!" he wailed. She frowned and jumped him, eventually ending with Ark held sitting in her lap. She held his head back with one hand and then grasped his nose between the thumb and forefinger.  
"Please…no!" Ark whimpered.  
"Nyara reset bone. Be brave Ark," Nyara smiled before twisting his nose sharply. There was a loud crack and Ark cried out sharply in pain. Then, as if a dam had burst, blood began to flow freely from his nostrils.  
"There you go. Swelling go down already, see?" Nyara said.  
"Urgh," Ark groaned. Nyara reached over and pulled some bandages out of one of the packs. She held them up to his nose to stem the blood flow.  
"That no so bad, was it? Keep bandages at face now Ark," Nyara told him. The boy nodded and sighed in relief as the pressure that was in his nose dissipated. He sighed and closed his eyes before he suddenly opened them again.  
"Um…Miss Nyara?" he asked tentatively.  
"Yes?"  
"Can…uh…can you let go now? If you've finished that is." Nyara shook her head.  
"Ark not wearing many clothes so you get cold if sit alone," she said simply. "Nyara keep you warm."  
"But…the fire's right there," Ark stammered. "Can't I just-"  
"Ark be good pet and sit still! Ark nose still sore, yes? So Nyara must take care of Ark because Ark in pain." Nyara grinned, squeezing her arms together and crushing the boy.  
"W-Whatever you say, Miss Nyara," Ark sighed as her rough tongue began to rasp against his cheek. He yawned and closed his eyes in preparation for sleep, happy to be able to feel safe after his ordeal in the forest.

Deciding that a break from the girls, Zelda in particular, was probably a good idea, Link flew off the beach and began to search through the forest for small trees which could be used to build a raft. In the least he could fly to the highest point on the island to build a signal fire in case any ships came near the island.  
"Stupid Zelda…" he grumbled, hacking away at plants in his path. "Why can't she leave me alone sometimes?"  
"Aren't you being just a little unreasonable?" Navi asked her partner.  
"No I'm not!" Link blared.  
"Whatever you say," Navi sighed. Link continued to grumble and mutter to himself as he swiped at things in his way.  
"You do realize that you're attacking a rock," Navi remarked.  
"He's a real idiot sometimes," Zelda muttered as she at her breakfast. "Why doesn't he just try to get along instead of being difficult?" She frowned and looked out to sea.  
"Well I suppose the pair of us could grate on his nerves a bit," Fura admitted. "I mean…put yourself in his shoes."  
"That jerk…he ought to know how I feel," Zelda brooded.  
"Well…maybe what you two need is some time apart? You're together a fair bit, so maybe if you're both separated or a while you'll come to appreciate each other a little more. Remember how happy he was to see me?" Zelda didn't say anything for a while.  
"You aren't just saying that to keep me away from him, are you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.  
"No, no, no…not entirely at least," Fura grinned awkwardly. "Link's just…different from other boys; you know that as well as I do."  
"If he doesn't like me, why doesn't he just come out and tell me!" Zelda exclaimed. Fura groaned inwardly.  
"He never said he didn't like you, Zelda. You're pulling things out of thin air. He likes you very much."  
"Well he certainly has a funny way of showing it!" the Princess blared yet again. "I can do without him, that stupid grin, those…baby blue eyes…his smi- I can!" Fura shook her head and rolled her eyes.  
"Far be it for me to encourage others to go after the boy, but…" she looked pointedly at Zelda. "If he really didn't like your attention, if he really didn't want you to fuss over him, take time to worry about silly little things such as the skin on his elbows, tell him off for being a bit of a dill sometimes…would he have put up with it for so long?" Zelda sat in silence, looking out at the sea.  
"He's a clod, he's a difficult clod…but he's a sweet clod. Remember that."

Link finished hacking timber with his sword and threw what he had gathered on the large mound he had stacked up. He had worn a scowl on his face for the entire duration of his efforts and had to put up with Navi continually asking if he was all right. He'd usually snap at her and say that he was, but Navi kept asking anyway  
"You two should make up," she told him pointedly.  
"I don't fell like it right now," he grunted, sitting himself on the ground.  
"You really are a grumpy old bear. The only reason you're miffed with Zelda is because she just happened to be there…the same goes for why she's equally miffed with you. The pair of you are acting like a pair of children simply because you're both feeling a little strained. You've both blown a little disagreement way out of proportion."  
"No I haven't!" Link declared. Navi shook her head.  
"Listen to yourself, you're never this unreasonable. You're being affected by this falling out and I'm sure she is too; the pair of you are very close."  
"Ugh, whatever. Let's go back and get something to eat," Link grunted.  
"Sure thing, my irrational partner," Navi chuckled. Link glared at her before the fairy ducked down the back of his tunic and sprouted his wings.  
"Just promise me you'll kiss and make up," she sounded in his mind.  
"Shut up, Navi," Link snapped, before launching into the air and speeding back to the beach.


	10. Trouble Times Two

**Chapter 9 – Trouble Times Two**

"This area appears to be geologically unstable," Talen mused as he trotted along a twisting stone corridor with his companion clinging to his back. "How are you doing back there?"  
"Mmm," Florella mumbled sleepily. "Better…really brought…roof down." Talen chuckled to himself. Florella had been drifting in and out of consciousness ever since he had permanently stopped the use of the sacrificial chamber. It had taken a titanic amount of effort, but he had managed to cave the room in on itself, the carved heads on the walls tumbling into the lava pit. Florella had instantly calmed down and had mumbled something along the lines of, "The stench of death has been washed clean." Talen hadn't really caught it as she had her head buried in his shoulder at the time; he was also running as fast as he could to get away from the ceiling of the tunnel he had unintentionally brought down.  
"We're getting close to the surface Florella, I can feel it," Talen told her. The sacrificial victim that had escaped the knife thanks to Talen's intervention had pointed them in the direction of a lesser-used entrance when they found him some distance up the tunnel. After assisting them, he informed them that he would stay behind in the tunnels for a little while longer to rest before journeying to the surface. From what he'd said it wasn't much better than underground.  
After rounding a corner, Talen caught a glimpse of something glimmering up ahead of him.  
"Florella! Look, stars! We're out!" he cheered. Florella mumbled something unintelligible and snuggled in closer to his neck. The boy slowed down upon reaching the exit and coated his forearms in a protective layer of stone just in case there were any hostiles waiting to ambush them. He peeked out into the night and instantly felt the cool air on his face. Talen looked around but saw no sign of enemies. What he did see, however, made his heart sink. They were standing on the side of one of many huge rock formations that rose from the dark red sands of a desert. The glow of fire and lava bathed everything in an eerie arrange glow as veins of magma punctured the surface as boiling pools.  
"Where in the world did we end up?" he muttered. A great spout of flame suddenly licked at the night sky, illuminating a foreboding city below. Talen was rather surprised that he hadn't noticed it before. The houses were squat, square shaped little buildings constructed in straight rows with wide torch-lit streets separating them. At the very heart of the city lay a large, blocky palace that was constructed in terraces. Each terrace wall gradually sloped inwards until they reached the flat pinnacle of the building. At the very top of the palace there was a massive torch that burned brightly with a fierce yellow flame. The palace was very large and had four square buildings, each roughly a quarter of the size of the main building, on its four corners. Small square windows peppered the walls, making it look more like a fortress prison than a palace.  
"Well Florella, it looks like things are looking slightly pear-shaped," Talen sighed as multiple spouts of flame illuminated the sky.  
"Mmm," the fairy mumbled before sighing into his ear. Talen shuddered slightly as he began to feel slightly light-headed.  
"Careful Florella, you're leaking magic or something," he told her. "Come on, I'll find us somewhere safe to spend the night." Florella giggled sleepily and whispered something quite naughty into his ear. Talen's face turned bright red.  
"_Florella!_" he hissed. "You're not yourself at the moment! I really don't think it would be appropriate to do _that_ right now…or at all for that matter." She giggled again and promptly fell asleep. The boy shook his head and sighed before he began searching for a safe place to rest.

Link landed on the rim of the beach sinkhole with a thump. He shielded his eyes from the sun with one hand before looking around for some trees suitable for building a raft. He selected a couple of medium thickness and began the process of cutting them down. It didn't take too long; the sword Talen had made him had a very sharp edge to it and he soon had several logs piled up on the ground. With a few hacks here and there, he defoliated them and deftly kicked them down onto the beach. He glided down onto the sand and dragged his efforts into a suitable spot to begin the construction of the raft. Link looked up for a moment and saw Fura talking with Zelda. The Princess occasionally glanced over at him as she chewed on a lock of her hair that had escaped the confines of her headdress. The boy frowned and returned his attention to the task at hand.  
"You'll both come around sooner or later," Navi told him, landing on his shoulder. Link gave her an irritated glance and batted her away with his hand.  
"Hmph!" Zelda grunted, allowing her hair to slip out of her mouth. "He's doing that just to spite me."  
"Doing what?" Fura asked. "Trying to get us off the island?"  
"He's ignoring me!" Zelda fumed. "He's being childish."  
"Well he certainly isn't alone," the Gerudo sighed. "Zelda, the pair of you have _got_ to snap out of this before it gets too serious. It's happened to me before and I can tell you it's none too pretty." Zelda cast a sidelong glance at Link as the boy began stripping the bark from the logs.  
"What happened?" she finally asked.  
"Oh I got into a little argument with a friend over who stole what in a training exercise. Didn't seem like much at the time, but it got bigger and bigger. She was in the wrong of course."  
"Oh, of course. So what happened?" Zelda asked curiously.  
"What? Oh, I didn't break her arm very much," Fura shrugged. "But the point of it is; you shouldn't let trite things come between you. Besides, since Ruto isn't here you're the only sorta-rival I've got. It won't be very fun if I don't have competition…well what I mean is, it _will_ be fun but…you know what I mean!" Zelda rolled her eyes and popped her stray lock of hair back in her mouth. She chewed it thoughtfully as she watched Link tumble over backwards into the sand after tearing off a strip of bark a little too quickly. A torrent of swear words followed, making the Zelda frown.  
"Can I break _his_ arm?"

Ark was roused from his sleep by someone tapping his head. Since he knew of only one other person in the cave besides him, Ark came to the conclusion that Nyara wanted him for something.  
"Mngh?" he mumbled sleepily, reluctant to move from his comfortable position. "Miss Nyara? Did you want something?"  
"Ark need have breakfast now. Get light outside so we can go," she paused and then giggled. "Or Ark want to make babies with Nyara instead?" Nyara's question hit Ark like a ton of bricks and his eyes snapped open. He suddenly realized why he felt so warm and comfortable; he was pressed up against Nyara's chest. He gave a startled cry and jumped away, babbling apologies as he went. Nyara, on the other hand, collapsed in helpless gales of laughter.  
"Zelda say these make Ark uncomfortable," she chuckled, cupping her chest. Ark went beet red and looked away in an instant, making Nyara laugh even harder.  
"M-Miss Nyara!" Ark protested meekly. "I-I'm sorry if-"  
"But Ark seem plenty comfortable all last night when use them as pillows," she snickered, patting him on the back. Ark gasped and brought his hands up to his face in horror without remembering that his nose was still very sore. He yelped in pain before launching into yet another rush of apologies.  
"Miss Nyara! How can I ever apologize enough for-"  
"Ark keep Nyara warm like teddy bear, so Nyara no care. Hurry and eat breakfast," Nyara grinned, pointing to a hunk of bread she'd filched from one of the packs. Ark frowned and did as he was told whilst keeping his eyes averted the whole time. Nyara shook her head and laughed again.  
"Ark very strange, but Nyara like that about Ark. Ark may not be tough, but Ark kind and cuddly like teddy bear." She leaned over towards Ark until her face was right next to his. Ark looked back at her nervously.  
"Y-Yes Miss Nyara?" he asked.  
"Nyara curious…" she began, placing a finger on her chin. "What does Ark think of Nyara?" The boy blinked under Nyara's unwavering gaze and fidgeted nervously.  
"W-Well…you're certainly unlike anyone I've ever met before, Miss Nyara. You've saved my bacon on numerous occasions and you've got your, uh, _unique _way of doing things." Nyara's face beamed and she patted his head.  
"Ark very sweet, but uses brush to paint picture. Maybe Ark one day use fingers instead, no?" she told him cryptically. Ark frowned and mulled over what the girl had told him.  
"Miss Nyara…what do you mean?" he asked her. Nyara grinned and winked at him.  
"Ark smart, you work it out soon enough so Nyara wait until then," she paused and touched his nose gingerly, making the boy wince slightly. "Ark nose heal very good, but very strange too. Should be all bumpy, Nyara felt bone reset…but it only swollen. Ark must be cheating…nose heal too fast and take away Nyara's job!" She stalked towards him on all fours, her sharp incisors protruding from her lips. Ark held both his hands up in a sign of surrender.  
"N-Now, now…I'm not doing it on purpose. I don't know why it's healing so fa- augh!" he yelped as the animal girl let out a gleeful yowl and jumped at him. They rolled around the floor of the cave somehow avoiding hurting Ark's nose any further. His ears, however, weren't so lucky. Nyara chewed and nibbled them while Ark struggled to hold her off, by her shoulders of course. She only laughed harder and continued to play, letting out growls and clacking her teeth while Ark, despite his protests, felt strangely happy.

"Hello grumpy, how are you?" Fura asked perkily. Link poked his head out from under the beginnings of the raft. Fura pursed her white lips at his sour expression.  
"Well couldn't that face of yours curdle milk!" she exclaimed. Link rolled his eyes and disappeared back underneath his work.  
"You wanted something?" he asked.  
"Yes I did. Get out from under there first; it's difficult to talk to you." There was a grunt from underneath the logs.  
"Why is it so difficult? I can hear you, you can hear me," Link told her. Fura frowned before reaching down and ensnaring his bare foot in her hand. She dragged him rather unceremoniously out into the sunlight.  
"Ergh, fine, fine," he sighed. "What do you want?" Fura put on a look of feigned surprise.  
"My, _my_ you sound irritable! Perhaps you're tense? C'mere," she ordered pleasantly. When Link didn't move, she clicked her tongue and quickly flipped him over onto his stomach.  
"Hey! What are you doing?" he demanded as she pinned him down by sitting on his back.  
"Mediating," she told him simply. "I don't like seeing you and Zelda at odds with each other very much at all…neither does Navi." The fairy nodded and settled on Fura's shoulder.  
"Oh God, is that was this is about?" he mumbled, all the while trying to shake Fura off.  
"It certainly is, my boy!" she grinned. "Now while I won't _force_ you to go over and make amends with her, I _will _strongly advise you to. The two of you have been through a lot together, hell; you even shared the very _core_ of your being with her to keep her from dying." Fura suddenly placed her hand between his shoulder blades and pushed down sharply. Her reward was a sharp crack and a groan from Link. She smiled sweetly and patted his head.  
"It's on my to-do list, Fura," Link muttered.  
"Well it had better be…now how about a back rub? You've been working away here for hours, sweating like a dog," Fura smiled.  
"Dogs don't sweat," Link snickered. "And I want to get this thing done as quickly as possible so I can get off this armpit of an island and eat real food and sleep in a real bed."  
"You're such an ass sometimes!" Fura sighed. "But that's just the stress talking. Come on, I'll make you feel like a million rupees!"  
"A million rupees is pretty useless if you can't spend it! I want to cut wood up and bind it togeth- eeh!" Link squealed as Fura maneuvered around the Key and tweaked a particularly sensitive part on his neck.  
"Fura knows best!" she laughed haughtily. "Damn you've got some stiff muscles back here."  
"Well they won't even _be_ there if you keep tearing them to pieces like that!" Link told her before whimpering half with pain and half with relief as she grabbed his shoulders and yanked him backwards, producing a multitude of crackling sounds.  
"What was that? It hurts, but in a good way? Yeah, I'll have you feeling ship-shape in no time!"

Talen yawned after finally being able to rest. He was sore, tired and feeling just a little bit hopeless at his and Florella's situation. The rock formation he and his companion had emerged from was full of small caves, so finding a sheltered spot to spend the night was no problem. He glanced at Florella as she lay curled up in the corner of their temporary domicile. The poor girl was being affected in some way by the very land they stood on; it had sapped her of her strength and rendered her practically defenseless. Talen's destruction of the sacrificial chamber had lifted a great deal of strain from the fairy and had allowed her to begin her recovery, but the fact of the matter was that something still weighed on her.  
"I wonder if we'll ever get out of here?" Talen mumbled dejectedly to himself, gazing out of the cave-mouth at the starry night sky. He sighed heavily and flopped back on the ground with his hands folded behind his head. He was just about to close his eyes when a face popped into view.  
"Hello there Talen!" Florella beamed at him. Talen blinked up at her and made to rise. "No, no! You just relax, my dear! You've already done so much today!"  
"Florella? What are you doing awake? How are you feeling?" he asked her, slightly shocked at her sudden bout of activity.  
"Me? I'm feeling a whole lot better thanks to you!" she giggled. "But take a look at yourself! You're all cut and bruised!" Her little hands were instantly poking and prodding his wounded body, eliciting tingling sensations as she healed him. Strangely enough he felt quite tired after she had finished.  
"Are you sure you should be doing that?" Talen asked her, sitting up. "I mean…you aren't at your best right now…"  
"Oh you're such a cutie-pie!" she squealed, throwing her arms around his neck. "This is nothing, perfectly harmless." She gave him a very affectionate look. Talen frowned slightly.  
"Oh Talen, you're all worried, aren't you?" she smiled.  
"Well of course I am," he told her. "You were…"sick" back there and we're stuck in some Godforsaken red desert that spouts fire _and_ we have no idea where the others are. I think I have good reason to worry." Florella giggled girlishly and kissed him lightly on the cheek. Talen instantly felt and odd feeling of warmth spreading from where her little bow-like mouth had touched his skin. He felt very, very drowsy and his cares seemed to evaporate into thin air.  
"I…I'm just…gonna sl…sleep for…" he trailed off and flopped into Florella's waiting arms. She squeezed him tight for a second, a look of pure glee plastered on her face. Then, as carefully as she could manage, she lay him down on his side and wormed her way under his arm. The little fairy watched his peaceful face for a moment or two before shuffling closer and resting her own lips against his very softly, staying in that position for the rest of the night.

Link felt like Fura had pulled his body to pieces, cleaned and oiled all his joins and then slapped him back together again. He had raised some strenuous objections at first after her initial tweaks gave him horrible images of mutilation and permanent damage. He had noticed Zelda grinning openly at him, finding some kind of justice in his agony. The pain, however, soon subsided and to Link's surprise he actually found himself enjoying it. All in all it was quite satisfying for both parties; Link had something to take his mind off his problems with Zelda and Fura was able to spend some quality time with him. His tunic had remained firmly in place throughout the entire process, despite Fura's objections that physical contact was the best way to bond with someone. Link remained steadfast, despite the fact that his underclothes covered more than enough of what shouldn't be seen. Fura merely sighed, grabbed his foot and wormed her fingers inbetween all his toes before clenching her fist. The result was a multitude of popping sounds and a yelp from the boy.  
"You did that on purpose!" he accused her.  
"Well of course I did," she smiled sweetly. "And I've got to do it to the other side now of else you'll be all unbalanced." A brief struggle ensued as Link thrashed his other leg about while Fura lunged at it. She eventually managed to snare the wayward foot whereupon she administered the same as she had on its twin. After a few more nasty surprises, Fura stood up and made a show of dusting her hands together.  
"Well there you go. You should be feeling like a brand new man…so now you can get back to that job of yours with renewed vigor," Fura grinned. Link grunted and wobbled to his feet.  
"You're right there Fura. Instead of being an able-bodied young man, you've turned me into a cripple. I'd call _that_ new, wouldn't you?" Link coughed. Fura's face darkened instantaneously and she flicked his nose.  
"Fine! See if I ever do something nice for you again!" she blared. "What do you have to say about that, you big fat smart-alec!?" Link blinked at her and a flicker of a smile hovered about his mouth.  
"Wait! Don't even bother answering; I've just gone and dug my own grave. I forget who I'm talking to sometimes," she muttered, stalking back to Zelda.

Talen stirred as something sharp poked into his chest. He stirred and mumbled something unintelligible before rolling over.  
"Taleeen," he heard Florella squeak. "I think you'd better wake up!" Talen grunted as the pointy thing jabbed at him again.  
"Ugh, okay, okay! I'm up," he yawned, getting into a sitting position. As he opened his eyes he came face to face with a group of about a dozen armed soldiers. The pointy object from earlier was the head of a spear that was directed at him along with about five others. Florella was in a similar position next to him.  
"What's the meaning of this?" Talen demanded.  
"You are wanted at the palace," one of the guards told him gruffly. "Both of you move." After a slight bit of poking, Talen and Florella were on their feet and being led at spear point down the side of the rock formation. Talen came to the conclusion that the soldiers must have known that he could fight well, as they had threatened to skewer Florella should he attempt to resist. He wasn't sure how they had found him or learnt about his abilities, but he decided to play it safe, lest Florella come to any harm. The journey to the palace took a good couple of hours and Talen, as well as Florella, noticed the sky was still pitch black. The stars, however, seemed to have disappeared since the last time they had been out under the open sky. They walked in an oppressive silence that was only broken by the occasional order thrown at Florella to make her walk faster. Florella probably could have sent all the soldiers off to sleep, but Talen suspected that she had lied to him when she had woken up earlier in the night. She was, in fact, not entirely fine. Something in the land itself seemed to drain the fairy girl's power, leaving only a minimum behind. Still, she held her head high and managed to make it look like she was the one in charge.  
The palace was an even grimmer place up close. Flaming torches boiled out dirty black smoke that hung in the air and made it almost hard to breathe. The palace itself was constructed out of light brown stone blocks cut immaculately. Florella and Talen were led along a series of dark corridors until they finally reached a large set of bronze doors that glinted eerily in the light of the ever-present torches. The soldier in charge pushed open one of the doors and stepped inside. A short time passed before he appeared again at the door.  
"Bring them in," he grunted. The spears aimed at the two children prodded at them, herding them through the doors. The adjoining room was nothing short of vast. Great bronze snake statues littered the corners and walls of the room, some even functioning as pillars to keep the roof up. The room itself was long and rectangular, with the ceiling stretching off far above to be lost in darkness. Coal braziers hung from the open mouths of the bronze serpents to illuminate a long and extremely richly detailed carpet that trailed up to a raised dais at the back wall. The dais itself was shrouded in a silky curtain that only allowed for the silhouette of whatever lay behind it to be revealed.  
"Let them approach," a husky female voice asked from behind the curtain. The soldiers poked Talen and Florella towards the dais. "No, only them. The rest of you may leave." The soldiers looked slightly uncertain, but did as they were told. Talen looked at Florella with a questioning expression.  
"Come on Talen, let's not be rude," she said simply, reaching out and taking hold of his wrist. She walked forward briskly with Talen trailing behind. While he was being led along by Florella, Talen's eyes scanned the room for any means of escape should things turn nasty. The only entrance or exit he could see were the doors from which they had entered. Florella suddenly halted in front of the dais, causing Talen to nearly bump into her. The curtain obscuring the dais then drew back slowly to reveal an ornate divan upholstered with rich red velvet. A young woman lay across it, propped up on an elbow almost lazily. Her appearance would put even Fura to shame. Her chest and lower abdomen were clothed in what appeared to be a gold brassiere outfit; they also happened to be the only parts of her body that were covered at all. Her eyes were large and slightly angular with thick, dark lashes. Her hair, which was also very dark, was tied back in a bun with only a few strands making it down past her ears. Her skin had the same bopper tinge to it that Fura's did, the dim light making it even darker. Her wrists and neck were adorned with a multitude of bangles and necklaces that clinked together when she rose from the divan in a sinuous manner. Talen's eyes hit the floor the instant he saw her, causing Florella to smile to herself.  
"What's the matter, boy?" the young woman asked in an amused tone. "Don't you like what you see?"  
"Don't answer that," Florella told him sharply. The boy held his hands up and pursed his lips.  
"So you're the two that defiled _and_ destroyed the room of sacrifice as well as killing a good number of my followers. I'm quite surprised."  
"Oh?" said Florella with a level gaze.  
"Absolutely. I was to understand that I would be seeing a "titan of the earth with the strength of steel". The pair of you are only children."  
"Oh you'd be surprised at what we can accomplish when we try hard enough. Now what's this all about? And who are you anyway?" Florella demanded.  
"My, my," the woman smirked. "What a feisty little girl you are. It's easy to see why you seem to be the one in charge."  
"You haven't answered my question," Florella said, tapping her foot impatiently on the floor. The woman smiled and walked towards them with a sinuous grace.  
"I am Queen Sarissa, the ruler of this land, and you…" she said, licking her lips up at Talen. "Have single handedly plunged the religious order into chaos. You're quite an amazing young man…" Talen blinked and shuffled in behind Florella.  
"Sorry madam," Florella said curtly. "You can look but you can't touch. This one belongs to me and you're a little too old for him." Florella reached back and thrust Talen's ringed finger out towards the Queen. The woman raised her pencil-thin eyebrows and chuckled softly.  
"Twenty-two years is hardly old, little girl, and it seems that you aren't entirely what you appear to be."  
"No. I'm not. And you can either refer to me as Florella or the Great Fairy of Spring, _not_ little girl." A flicker of surprise showed on Sarissa's face for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by her calm expression.  
"My apologies, Great Fairy…but as I understand it, Great Fairies live for thousands of years…and you're saying _I'm_ too old?"  
"I'm young at heart and that's all that matters. Now enough of this idle banter. Are we prisoners here?" Florella asked bluntly. Sarissa circled them slowly, looking at Talen with a strange expression as the boy made sure that Florella was always between him and the Queen.  
"For now, yes. But there may be a point at which you could possibly be free to go. A test, however, is first required before that can even be considered."  
"A test?" Talen asked incredulously.  
"Oh, so you can talk after all? There's more to you than just a pretty face, dear boy. You have some fantastic abilities that I want to see…for a number of different reasons." Florella narrowed her eyes dangerously at the Queen.  
"I'd rather you keep some of those reasons to yourself, thank you. Part of what I like so much about him is his naivety and innocence in_ those_ particular areas. When he's ready, it'll be _me_ who instructs him." The two women stared at each other calmly for what seemed like ages. Talen could feel the hair beginning to rise on the back of his neck and he began to fidget nervously.  
"Can I leave the room or take this test or something while you two do whatever it is you're doing?" Talen asked. The Queen turned her attention to him and smiled.  
"Mmm, so eager to get started, I like that!" Sarissa laughed. "You test begins…now." She clicked her fingers and stepped back up to her divan. A slight ripple passed through the air and the floor of the room trembled. Talen stepped back with his eyes darting all around the room. A vast groan filled the chamber causing Florella and Talen to whirl around in time to see one of the giant bronze snakes come to life.  
"Taleeeeen!" Florella squeaked, ducking behind him. The boy squared his jaw as his stone skin raced down his arms and formed his sharp rock claws.  
"Get away, Florella!" he barked as the snake reared up in preparation to attack.

After Fura had stomped off, Link had a burst of activity on the raft, but then he'd felt so relaxed that he had to lie around and do nothing for a while. Before he did that, however, he went and thanked Fura properly. Her eyes went large and luminous and her smile was wide when he'd given her his mumbled and drawn-out appreciation for the massage. That done with, he passed out snoring almost as soon as he'd reclined on the warm sand, but an unpleasant surprise met him as he woke up. Something kicked him roughly in his side, causing him to grunt and sit up sharply.  
"Ow! Fura, if you want my attention you only have to call out my name or something," he muttered, rubbing his ribs. He opened his eyes when he heard the sound of metal scraping against metal and came face to face with the point of a cutlass.  
"Eep!" Link squeaked. He followed the blade of the cutlass up and saw a rough-looking man holding the weapon.  
"Up!" he barked. "And get over with the others!" Link did as he was told upon seeing that Zelda and Fura were both being held by a group of men with similar weapons. How the men had managed to sneak up on the three of them was beyond Link, but that fact of the matter was that they were in very big trouble.  
"What's happening?" Link whispered to Fura when he was thrust over to the two girls.  
"I don't know. I was sitting with Zelda when they snuck up behind us. We're up the creek without a paddle," the Gerudo replied.  
"Can you blast them?" Link asked. Fura shook her head.  
"If I start blowing people up then they'll stick you and Zelda in an instant." Link frowned.  
"Enough talk!" one of the men ordered in a gravelly tone.  
"Hey," another one cut in. "That kid looks like he's wearing a solid gold collar! Get it off of him; it could be worth a _lot!_" The eyes of all the men suddenly focused on the Key and Link.  
"Hey kid, get that thing off and give it here," the man holding him said.  
"Erm…I kinda can't," Link winced.  
"It's not a request!" he roared angrily. Link held his hands up.  
"I would if I could! It won't fit over my head and there's no catch on it!" Link said quickly. A murmur ran through the men before one of them spoke up.  
"Well then just cut his head off and take it off his neck!" There were shouts of agreement and Link was hauled away from Fura and Zelda as they screamed out in protest.  
"Can't we come to some kind of agreement!?" Link shouted as he was forced to kneel with his head out.  
"Sorry kid, nothing personal," the man said as he raised his cutlass in order to slice Link's head clean off.


	11. Fire Fusion

**Chapter 10 – Fire Fusion**

"Wait!" a loud voice boomed, stopping the man's swing. Link opened his eyes and said a silent prayer of relief. "He'd be worth more with the collar on." The man who had come so close to lopping Link's head off his shoulders stepped back quickly.  
"Yes captain!" he barked. "Good thinking captain!" The man who was referred to as "captain" looked to be in his mid-thirties. His skin was slightly tanned from the sun and salt and his hair and eyes were a very dark brown colour. He wore a red vest that left his chest bare and a pair of loose-fitting shin-length white pants. Unlike the rest of the men who carried cutlasses, the captain wore a very long single-edged sword strapped to his back.  
"Malk, if I want someone's nose wedged up my backside I'll get myself a dog. Go check if these pipsqueaks have any items of value around," the captain ordered.  
"Captain," the man acknowledged sourly, leaving to search the three children's campsite. The captain hefted Link up and looked at him closely.  
"Hmm," he frowned. "You're in very good shape. That means you'll sell for quite a lot, especially with that gold collar of yours." He shoved Link back over with Zelda and Fura.  
"Sell?" Zelda whispered fearfully. "What does he mean by that?"  
"Slave-traders," Fura hissed. "They're going to sell us." Link squared his jaw and clenched his fist.  
"They'll try."  
Malk returned with only Link's weapons since no other items of real value were present at the campsite. The captain jerked his thumb over his shoulder and ordered that everyone return to the ship. The ship, as it turned out, was a large galleon-esque boat that was anchored out of sight of the beach. Link, Zelda and Fura were loaded into one of a few longboats before being rowed out to the ship. Once there, they were each hoisted up a ladder before being led below decks and thrown into a small cell.  
"Heh, you three get to stay apart from all the others because you're worth a lot more," their jailer snickered. "You kids be good and you just might be sold to somebody nice…though I hardly think that's possible where we're going." The man left, laughing loudly to himself as he went. The three were silent for a while before Zelda began to sniffle.  
"S-Slaves?" she said, her voice cracking up slightly. "I-I don't want to be a slave!" She broke down after that and began choking out heaving sobs. She clung to Fura and began crying her eyes out.  
"We won't be slaves, Zelda," Link muttered, deep in thought.  
"I wasn't talking to you," she snapped, recovering slightly from her tears before starting again. Link frowned at her and went back to thinking of a way out of their ever-deepening troubles.  
"Is this really the time for that, you two?" Fura sighed, rubbing her temples while trying to hold Zelda at the same time. When she received no reply from either one of them, the Gerudo groaned and hung her head.

To his relief, Ark was finally fully clothed once more. It had, however, taken a great deal of effort to do. For one thing, Nyara seemed all hyped up and continually pounced on him when he reached for an item of clothing. They would roll around for a while, with Ark spluttering desperately about how inappropriate it was since he was clad only in underclothes. Nyara had quickly dismissed it, stating that she _never_ wore clothes and that perhaps by not wearing his own Ark would feel more comfortable. Ark had looked utterly horrified at the remark and had half expected Nyara to tear whatever clothing he had left off his body. She didn't, thankfully, and merely grinned at him while allowing him to quickly rush his clothes back on. After Nyara had gotten out of her playful mood, Ark quickly ate breakfast and got ready to resume the following of the Compass; the palm-sized blue sphere that continued to point in that single direction. As it had been the previous day, drizzle fell from the sky endlessly, keeping the ground in a constant state of bogginess. Nyara didn't seem to mind at all and squelched the mud between her toes and jumped in puddles while Ark stepped gingerly along, trying to keep himself as clean as possible.  
"Ark, what ball point to?" Nyara asked him eventually, slowing down enough to walk next to him.  
"I really don't know, Miss Nyara. It could be pointing to one of the Locks, or it could be homing in on the Key in an attempt to bring us back together," Ark sighed, twisting the Compass around in his hand. "What I want to know is why it split all of us up."  
"Maybe it have interference, like when metal held near regular compass?" Nyara shrugged.  
"Perhaps you're right, Miss Nyara. For all we know someone with strong enough magic could have knocked the compass out of whack just as it sent us away. Perhaps by timing it right they succeeded in separating all of us." Nyara nodded in agreement and scratched the side of her head.  
"Ark probably know more about magic than Nyara, so I no can be of help," she shrugged. "Nyara better at hunting and fighting." Nyara shook herself suddenly, sending droplets of moisture spraying off in all directions. Ark kept his eyes averted and blushed horribly as her actions set about the jiggling of certain parts of her female anatomy.  
"Ark strange," she sighed.

With a sickening crunch the bronze snake statue slammed its gaping mouth into the ground just as Talen jumped out of the way. He rolled like a thrown doll across the floor before getting to his feet in a battle stance. The snake undulated back up from the impact zone it had created and raced towards him with blistering speed. Just before it struck, Talen bunched his legs and shot himself high into the air. As he neared the peak of his jump, he aimed one arm towards the back of the snake and grabbed it with the other to keep it steady. Then, with a shout, he fired off three large shards of stone with each leaving his palm with the sound of a splitting boulder. The three projectiles pierced the bronze snake along where its spine should have been, pinning it to the floor. Talen landed with a thump, cracking the floor tiles around him. The snake, seemingly enraged by the three chunks of stone protruding from its body, thrashed around madly in an attempt to free itself. It succeeded, tearing its own body away from ground with the stone shards still piercing it. The statue rounded on him and hissed viciously with a strange metallic rasping sound before rearing up to strike. Talen somersaulted back as the snake hit the ground, then again as it bounced up and tried to strike him a second time. Changing tack, the snake coiled itself up and began lashing out with its tail, sweeping across the floor or slamming it straight down. The noise was incredibly loud, making Talen wince each time the tail clanged onto the floor. Suddenly, the snake struck faster than anticipated and Talen was hit heavily in the side. He rolled across the room and laid coughing and panting on the floor.  
"Talen!" Florella screamed.  
"Stay back!" he barked. "I can handle this!" The snake came towards him slowly and reared up to its full height above him. The mouth opened, revealing the opening to the snake's throat. An idea hit the boy and he heaved himself into a kneeling position. Summoning the remainder of his strength, Talen fashioned a set of long and incredibly concentrated rock claws. Just as the snake struck, he jumped towards it. Florella's hands covered her mouth as Talen shot into the statue's mouth and down its throat, spinning as he did so. Once in the mouth, Talen stuck the claws out on either side of himself and tore two great corkscrew rends down the body of the snake from the inside. The boy burst from the tip of the tail and landed on the floor on his back, breathing heavily. He looked up as the snake fell to the ground with a terrific metallic crash, its body reduced to ribbons with a head stuck on the end. It didn't move.  
"Put that in your pipe and smoke it," Talen laughed in spite of himself. The pattering of small feet reached his ears and Florella was suddenly at his side.  
"Talen, you had me so worried! Are you okay?" she asked, her face the very picture of concern.  
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Talen coughed. "But get me lots of ice for every single bone in my body." Florella smiled at him before her eyes flashed dangerously.  
"You!" she hissed at the Queen. "What is the meaning of this!? First you have us escorted at spear-point to your crummy palace, and then you set that horrid snake on my poor Talen! Give me one good reason why I shouldn't make you miserable for the rest of your life?" The Queen chuckled softly and stood up from where she had been seated on her throne.  
"Because," she began slowly. "I need the help of that fine male specimen lying on the floor there." She was pointing at Talen, who was too exhausted to even care what she was talking about.

To the extreme misfortune of Link, Fura and Zelda, a shaman was present on the slave-ship. The wizened old man took one look at Fura and promptly recognized her as the Gerudo Fire Witch. Fura was immediately taken from the cell and placed in one opposite with her arms and legs bound and her eyes blindfolded. Soon afterwards, the shaman brewed a kind of potion that temporarily sealed away Fura's flame power. She sat with her back to the wall of her cell with a sullen frown on what was visible of her face. Zelda and Link kept conversation up with the Gerudo so that she at least had some comfort; however, the two children had not quite worked through their problems. At half hourly intervals, a cell guard would amble into the room and take a brief look at the prisoners. Once discerning that the three children were secure, he would wander off with a jug of ale under his arm. Once Link managed to time his visits, he sent Navi over to pull up Fura's blindfold so that she could see. Whenever the guard came back, the fairy would simply pull it back down again and hide. That continued well throughout the day, accompanied by Fura pining over the fact that they were separated. It was that night, however, that things took a different turn. The three were dozing in their cells when the rattling of a key roused them. The door to Link and Zelda's cell was quickly opened and a figure entered and grabbed Zelda and began dragging her from the cell.  
"Hey! What do you think you're doing to her!?" Link demanded. "What'll the captain say?"  
"Kid, this ship's gonna be under some new management soon so I wouldn't worry about the "captain". As for your lady friend, the pretty little thing's going to entertain mister Malk in his cabin, hur hur hur!" Link was on the man in a second while Zelda shrieked and tried desperately to get free. The man, however, was a great deal stronger than Link and managed to floor him with a swift kick to the side of his face. The boy rolled to the back of the cell and slammed into the wall before getting to his hands and knees.  
"Link!" Zelda cried. "Don't let him take me! Don't let them do those horrible things to me!" A hand was quickly clamped over her mouth and she was dragged from the room.  
"Zelda!" Link shouted, running up to the closed cell door. He slammed his fists into it in frustration.  
"Link!" Fura called. "What's going on?"  
"Zelda's been taken," Link told her. "That Malk fellow's going to do all kinds of disgusting things to her…damn! I'll kill him! I'll make him suffer if he even does so much as touch her!" He smashed his fists into the cell door yet again and began looking around for a way out.  
"Rrrgh!" he grunted. "I need to open this door!" While he was puzzling over his latest predicament, the door to the cell room opened and two large men entered with the captain slung between them. They opened the door to Link's cell and tossed him in before quickly leaving, but not before Link made a mad dash for freedom. The men, however, were too quick for him and slammed the door in his face. Link swore and looked down at the captain who was groaning slightly as he sat up.  
"Treacherous dogs!" he shouted. He groaned again and rubbed his head.  
"You," Link barked. "What's happening?" The captain looked up at him.  
"Mutiny, that's what. That Malk seized control of the ship with the crew's support." Link scoffed at that.  
"Sounds like they didn't like you too much, "captain". Too harsh a master, huh?" The captain stood and glared at him.  
"For _your_ information it was because I refused to sell the three of you!" he snapped. Link blinked.  
"What?"  
"Listen, I may be a slaver, but I don't deal in kids…just isn't right. You three would have been worth a pretty penny, especially you with that gold collar thing on. The crew didn't take too kindly with my decision and under Malk's direction they locked me in here." Link paused for a while.  
"Is there a way out of here? Malk's got Zelda, and I will not let him touch her!" The captain looked at him thoughtfully.  
"Well there's a set of keys just outside the door. If there was some miracle by which we could get-"  
"Leave it to me," Link cut in. "Navi!" The fairy popped up from where Fura was.  
"I heard!" she replied. Navi zipped out of Fura's cell and out the door.  
"Listen, I don't care what you do when you're out of here," Link told the former-captain. "But don't try to interfere with us or I'll make you regret it." The former-captain looked at Link with an unreadable expression while Navi re-entered the room hauling the keys with her.  
"Deal," he said simply. "And kid…the name's Sirrus." Sirrus took the keys from Navi and quickly unlocked the cell.  
"Your weapons are two rooms down on the left-hand side. Get them and head to the other end of the ship, that's where the captain's cabin is. Your friend is most likely in there." He tossed the keys to Link and crept out of the room. Link shook his head and quickly unlocked Fura's cell and untied her.  
"Fura, I'm going to get Zelda. You and Navi follow me and get your weapons, then find a way off this ship; we can't be too far from the island." Fura nodded and tried an experimental burst of flame. All that happened, however, was a splutter of sparks from the tips of her fingers.  
"Shoot," she frowned, watching Link run off. "Oh well, let's go Navi!"

A single drunk sailor was all that guarded the confiscated weapons. Link entered the room and quickly slammed him into the wall with the Key as he tried an unsteady swing with his sword, knocking him out cold. Fura grabbed her scimitars and headed off with Navi while Link buckled his shield and sword into place, as well as loading himself up with all of his other items. He was out the door in an instant and up a flight of stairs that led to the main deck. He poked his head up cautiously and saw, to his relief, that the sailors on-deck were all drunk out of their minds. They staggered around, singing and laughing with barrels of ale scattered all around them.  
"Probably celebrating," Link muttered. Using the cover of night, Link stole along the rail of the ship as quickly as possible, ducking behind water barrels and coils of rope when necessary. He finally made it to the rear of the ship and crept up the small staircase to the upper deck, then, being as quiet as possible, slipped through a door that led into the interior. The two big men that had dragged Zelda away were standing inside the doorway and both lunged for the boy when they saw him. Link quickly sprung out of the way using the Key and rolled to his feet with his sword drawn. With a few quick slashes, the men were cut down to size and slumped to the floor.  
"Please! Don't!" came Zelda's scream from behind him. Link whirled around and looked at the large door that obviously led into the captain's cabin.  
"Zelda, I'm coming!" Link shouted. He ran to the door and tried to open it, but found it locked.  
"Argh!" Link growled. "Open, damn you!" The rings suddenly shot forward and smashed through the door before twisting around and splintering the wood into little fragments. Not wasting any time, Link charged through the open doorway with his sword drawn. He saw Zelda cowering in the far corner of the room with Malk, obviously drunk, advancing on her.  
"Now girlie, don't be scared…I'm not gunna hurt ya," he grinned whilst reaching for her.  
"Don't you touch her!" Link bellowed. Malk turned and scowled at him.  
"What are you doing here, kid?" He drew his cutlass and lunged at Link, but the boy was more than a match for him. He spun once, striking him solidly across the jaw with both metal rings. Then, bracing the straps underneath himself, Link surged upwards and headbutted Malk under his chin. The man stumbled back and dropped his weapon, giving Link a chance to finish him off. The twin straps arced up in the air and wound together before rushing down and collecting Malk in the chest. The man was taken off his feet and was sent crashing through the windows at the back of the cabin. A faint splash signaled his plunge into the ocean outside. Link sheathed his sword and hurried over to where Zelda cowered in the corner.  
"Zelda! Are you okay? Did he do anything to you at all?" Link asked her. She sobbed loudly and clung to the front of his tunic.  
"H-He was going t-to do all kinds or ho-horrible things to me!" she cried. "I'm so glad you're here!" Link put his arms around her and held her tight.  
"Zelda, we're getting off this ship. Fura's looking for a way off now, so I'll stay by your side for as long as you want. Nobody will ever get close to laying their filthy hands on you again!"

It had taken Impa a considerable amount of haggling to hire a boat to sail across Lake Ara, and even then it had required Saria to flaunt her look of adorableness that eventually got through to the hardheaded manager who was demanding a much higher price than normal. The boat they had managed to get their hands on was not the most sturdy-looking of all vessels, but Impa had looked it over and decided that it was adequate to make the voyage. But before they left, the two females had to stock up on supplies. Luckily for them, Impa's purse was still attached to the Sheikah woman's hip and had an ample number of rupees for their expenses. First on the list were traveling bags to carry everything, followed by food and bedding. Once those essentials had been purchased, Saria and Impa boarded their small craft and set sail towards the far shore of the lake.  
"Impa, how long will it take us to cross?" Saria asked, ducking down as Impa turned the spinnaker around.  
"If this wind keeps up," Impa said, referring to the stiff breeze blowing across the water. "We should get there by tonight."

With Zelda's hand gripping his own as tight as possible, Link led the girl out of the cabin. They entered the room outside where the two slain men lay and cautiously opened the outer door a crack to see if anyone was outside. Upon discerning that the coast was clear, the two children slipped out onto the deck whereupon a hissing sound off to their side caught their attention.  
"Psst! Over here you two!" came a whisper. A tiny flicker of light from a stack of barrels told them that it was Navi. Keeping low, they made their way over to the fairy and waited as she told them news of their escape plan.  
"Fura's waiting for us at the longboats; we're going to use them to get off this ship. Follow me and keep quiet!" she hissed. Zelda and Link did as they were told and followed the fairy, whom had ceased her glowing entirely so as not to attract attention. It wasn't too hard to do; the sailors were mostly drunk and totally incapable of anything resembling coherent thought, so it didn't take too long to get to where the Gerudo was waiting. The longboats hung from winches positioned towards the prow of the ship so that they could be lowered into the water in as little time as possible. Fura was hiding inside one of the boats and grinned broadly when Link appeared with Zelda.  
"Is she all right?" the Gerudo asked. Link nodded.  
"I got there just in time; she had quite a bad scare so let's get her out of here as quickly as possible." Link helped Zelda into the longboat and climbed in himself.  
"I managed to swipe some things from the galley so we won't starve or die of thirst," Fura stated proudly, gesturing to a pile of food and drink at the bottom of the boat.  
"Lie down," he told the two girls as he prepared to lower the small boat into the water. Just as he was about to, however, a shout was heard from towards the stern. It was Sirrus; fighting a pair of armed sailors. He hefted his big sword about effortlessly and cut the two men down in a short space of time. As soon as he had, the door to the interior of the ship burst open and a visibly wet and angry Malk stepped through with his cutlass drawn.  
"What the hell is he doing back on board!?" Link exclaimed.  
"Get him!" he barked. The deck immediately came alive with flashing blades and Sirrus began to fight them off one by one. He couldn't hold them off for long, however, and it was at that point that Link frowned and drew his own blade.  
"What are you doing!?" Fura demanded. "We're almost free!" Link looked at her seriously.  
"Like it or not, Sirrus helped us back in that cell. I couldn't call myself a man if I didn't help him out now. If things get too bad, lower the boat and escape," Link told her.  
"No!" Zelda cried suddenly, grabbing his arm. "I won't let you go!" Link uncurled her fingers with is own and held her hand between his.  
"Zelda, you have Fura here to look after you. Don't worry, I'll be back with nary a scratch…trust me." With that, he gave her a roguish grin and leaped back onto the ship's deck as Navi disappeared down the back of his tunic. He fastened his shield onto his forearm and gripped his sword tightly in his hand.  
"Let's go!" he shouted. With a slicing sound, his wings sprouted from his back and he shot forward with a burst of speed. A couple of the sailors noticed his approach, but were floored in seconds as the Key began to rotate around his neck with the twin straps sticking straight out on either side. The result was something akin to a propeller that effectively smacked everyone in his way to the ground with the heavy metal rings.  
"Sirrus!" Link shouted. "Over here!" The older man looked up with an expression of confusion showing on his face.  
"What the hell are you doing here, kid?" he asked. "I thought you'd be long gone by now, get outta here before you get yourself killed!" Link landed at his side and sent a man flying with the Key.  
"Well what a nice welcome for someone who just came along to save your butt. Follow me," he ordered. Sirrus looked uncertain. Link sighed and wrapped one of the straps around the man's forearm before taking flight again.  
"Don't let them get away, men!" Malk bellowed. "Go! Get moving! That's our shipment there!" The entire crew scrambled drunkenly after the fleeing Sirrus and Link.  
"Fura!" Link shouted. "Lower the boat!" The Gerudo waved and yanked on the rope that secured the longboat on the winch. The wooden craft shuddered before plunging down to the sea below where it landed with a loud splash. Link circled up high and prepared to zip down onto the small craft with Sirrus.  
"Kid!" Sirrus called over the rushing wind. "Why are you doing this? I locked you up!" Link looked over his shoulder and gave him a thumbs-up.  
"You said yourself that you were going to spare us, so I'm doing the same for you. You're not a bad person Sirrus, so think of this as a way for you to prove it. Besides…we men have to stick together!" At that point, Link dove straight down and deposited himself and Sirrus on the longboat. Then, with all his might, Link grabbed the rear of the vessel and pumped his wings madly and steered it away from the ship. Some sailors, too drunk to realize what they were doing, jumped over the side of the ship and into the water in an attempt to recapture their prisoners. They didn't have much luck, however, as Link and co were already too far away. Finally, too exhausted to go any further, Link collapsed into the longboat where he was quickly scooped up by both Fura and Zelda.  
"We're free!" Fura cheered, raising her fist at the vessel they had just escaped from.  
"Not quite," Sirrus frowned. "Look." The ship was turning slowly to bear down on them and, with its large sails, would catch them in no time at all.  
"You can't get away from me!" Malk roared over the railing. "You're my property!"  
"No!" Zelda cried. "Link, don't let that man get me!" Link, breathing heavily, got to his feet smiled at the two girls.  
"He won't get a chance." Link turned to the ship and raised his fist into the air.  
"Your hear that, Malk!?" he shouted across the water. "You will never get your hand on these two again!" Suddenly, the rings hanging from Link's neck began to glow as if his words had somehow activated them in some way. They spun momentarily and then angled up on the straps towards Fura. The Gerudo uttered something in shock as he hands, unbidden by herself, began to rise. The rings suddenly smacked into her hands as her fingers closed around them with a crackling of red energy. Link inhaled sharply and bunched himself up as if something was trying to escape from inside his body. He suddenly launched up high into the air and hung there with his wings whirring away. The red energy crackling around Fura's locked fingers suddenly raced up the twin straps and connected with the Key around Link's neck. The result was instantaneous; Link arched his back and opened his mouth in a silent scream as flames began to fill the air around him. His mouth opened even wider and white-hot fire spilled out with the strange red energy crackling all around him. He suddenly hunched forward, expelling a tremendous fireball towards the ship from his open mouth with a ferocious shout. Link was sent reeling back as Fura continued to hold the rings against her will, the resulting momentum dragging the longboat further away from the ship. Link's fireball rocketed through the air with a roar and connected with the ship. The result was a fantastic explosion that defied all sound, tearing at everyone's eardrums without mercy. The fireworks were even grander; with a massive pillar of fire reaching up into the heavens as a shockwave decimated the ship into charred splinters. The little longboat was sent skittering across the surface of the water, overtaking Link and dragging him along through the air. They eventually stopped a fair way off from what little remained of the ship, with Link plunging into the ocean near the longboat. Fura hauled him in, her fingers only just being allowed to let go of the rings. Link was soon back in the boat, looking thoroughly exhausted.  
"What the hell was that!?" Fura demanded. "And what about the other slaves on the ship!?"  
"There weren't any," Sirrus murmured. "We'd just made a shipment and were heading home when we found you. We were going to make a special trip just to sell you three."  
"How comforting," Navi snorted. Link, in the meantime, was being accosted by Zelda.  
"You did it!" Zelda sobbed happily. "You saved us all…and in such a spectacular fashion!" The boy was then subjected to being smothered in Zelda's clothes as she caught his feeble frame in a tight hug.  
"God…I don't think I've…ever felt so exhausted in…all my life," Link breathed, pulling his face away from the confines of Zelda's clothing. He staggered up and steadied himself as Fura and Zelda looked at him in a worried fashion.  
"I'm all right…I'm all right," Link assured them. "Just a…little…" He didn't finish as his eyes rolled shut and he toppled forwards and ended up with his face buried in Fura's cleavage. Sirrus' eyebrow quirked up and Zelda looked slightly outraged. Fura, on the other hand, looked down at the unconscious boy and blinked. Her look of surprise quickly faded into a wide grin.  
"Atta boy," she congratulated him, patting his head fondly.  
"Fura," Zelda snipped in a voice as controlled as she could manage. "Please remove Link from your breasts, I'm not impressed." Zelda reached over and pulled Link away from Fura and laid him across her own lap.  
"Oh you're just jealous," Fura laughed and then smiled at the Princess. "So I take it you two are over your little kafuffle?"  
"I can't stay angry at him now; he saved me from a horrible fate aboard that ship," she said, absently stroking Link's sleeping face. Zelda's look suddenly turned sly. "You know…they say that when two people have an argument and then work through it and become friends again, they become even closer than before." Fura narrowed her eyes at Zelda before both girls burst out laughing.  
"You…Sirrus was it?" Fura asked suddenly. "You're a sailor, what should we do now?" The man frowned at her and rubbed his jaw.  
"We don't have to worry about finding land, that's for sure. The currents here are fairly strong and they all lead to one place…however, it's exactly that we should be worried about."  
"What do you mean?" Fura asked suspiciously. Sirrus sighed and looked out to sea.  
"You'll see, Red, you'll see."


	12. Proximity

**Chapter 11 – Proximity**

Ark was having a very bad day. For someone who hated water, the forest he and Nyara were in was perhaps not the best place to be. The boy shook himself slightly and brought the Compass out of the folds of his cloak only to see that the pointer was still indicating in the direction it always had.  
"I wonder when we'll get out of this forest," Ark sighed, looking from the dead trees to the eternally-grey sky. "It's depressing."  
"Cheer up, Ark," Nyara giggled, springing along beside him. "When others get close, Nyara can smell them and find, no troubles!" Ark managed a smile before frowning slightly.  
"Miss Nyara, are you sure you're warm enough? I mean, you aren't wearing, well…anything," Ark asked. Nyara winked at him and ruffled the thicker fur around her shoulders.  
"Nyara plenty warm, probably warmer than Ark is right now. We need hurry and find dry spot before night so Ark no catch cold."  
"Well finding a dry spot in this place is easier said than done," Ark sighed, returning the Compass to its pocket. "Now wonder everything here's dead; it's too waterlogged for anything to survive." Nyara nodded in agreement and squidged her toes in the mud.  
"Nyara accidentally over water plant for mother. Killed it dead before long," she sighed. The animal girl suddenly laughed. "Maybe Gods bad gardeners like Nyara?" Ark couldn't help but laugh along with her. Nyara had certainly made a big impact on Ark, as well as endearing herself to practically everyone she'd met…except for Link, whom she'd threatened to eat on several occasions. Contrary to how she appeared, Nyara was by no means simple-minded. True, she was rather frivolous and her way of talking often gave the impression that she was somewhat uncivilized, but the animal girl boasted some extraordinary abilities that surpassed those of normal people. She had superior hearing, sense of smell, agility and she could even climb otherwise unscaleable surfaces. She knew how to fight as well as being able to take care of injuries, and it seemed that she picked things up rather quickly.  
"River!" Nyara shouted suddenly, bringing Ark out of his daze.  
"Pardon, Miss Nyara?" Ark asked, not entirely hearing what she had said.  
"There a river up ahead, Nyara can hear it. Come on!" she urged, grabbing Ark by the wrist and sprinting off with him on tow. Nyara bounded along as Ark stumbled and tripped behind her, all the while asking her to slow down. She did, but only once they'd reached the bank of the river.  
"Yuck river," Nyara frowned, wrinkling her nose up at it. "All muddy." The river wasn't particularly wide, but it flowed quite fast and was filled with muddy gray water. The startling thing about it, however, was the lushness of the far bank. Instead of being of the same colourless mud as that which Ark and Nyara stood on, the far bank was carpeted in moss and grass. In fact, the entirety of the other side of the river flourished with all kinds of vibrant vegetation and was bathed in sunlight.  
"Wow!" Ark exclaimed. "It's like the rain just suddenly stops at a certain point. Look; there aren't any clouds over that side…but how do we cross?" Ark frowned and looked up and down the river for some means of crossing.  
"Here!" Nyara chirped suddenly. "We can cross here!" Ark followed her voice and found her up the top of a tree hanging a good half way across the raging river; it didn't look too stable though.  
"Miss Nyara…that only goes half way across, how are we going to make the rest of the way over?" Ark asked her; almost afraid of the answer he'd receive.  
"Silly Ark, we jump!" she grinned, scampering down the tree. "Upsie-daisy!" Nyara bit into the back of Ark's cloak and dashed up the tree before balancing out to the farthest hanging branch. It swayed dangerously low with their combined weight; however it didn't seem to faze Nyara too much. She merely glanced down at the river and hoisted the protesting Ark into her arms.  
"Count to three!" she told him.  
"Wait! Miss Nyara, we'll fa-"  
"Three!" Nyara shouted, hurling Ark out over the water. He twisted in the air and hit the ground rolling on the opposite bank. Thankfully, due to the sudden lack of rain, his landing was a dry one.  
"Here I come!" Nyara shouted, leaping towards the boy. Ark barely had time to duck out of the way as the animal girl whumped onto the ground right where he had been standing. She brushed herself off and looked back at the overhanging tree.  
"See Ark? No problems at all," she smiled. Her smile, however, quickly changed to a very sheepish one as the tree they had used to cross suddenly toppled over and was swept away by the raging current. Ark went pale.  
"No problems, hmm?" Ark murmured. Nyara shrugged and patted him on the head.  
"At least we not being bashed to pieces in rapids," she grinned, pushing Ark away from the river. "Come on Ark, we keep going and find out where we are."

"Help?" Florella snorted. "You sure have a funny way of asking for it! You almost killed him! That's hardly the thing to do when you need assistance…what, are we supposed to feel indebted to you for providing him with something to fight?" Florella was livid and her face was growing redder and redder by the second.  
"What do you need help for?" Talen asked, sitting up. "And what makes you think that I can provide it?"  
"Why, from you spectacular display of defeating my statue, or course!" the Queen laughed huskily. "You're the first that's managed to do so. All the others…expired prematurely. Pity; they were all such very fine examples of masculinity." She gave Talen another one of her strange looks that the boy couldn't even begin to understand, it did, however, seem to infuriate Florella even further.  
"Now, now, keep a lid on that temper of yours. I am Queen after all, and the two of you are technically prisoners here in my palace," Sarissa chuckled. "You wouldn't want to get me angry now, would you?" Florella managed to curtail her rage and put on the most demure expression she could manage.  
"Heaven forbid," Florella said with a smile that was all dimples. Talen scratched his head and looked from one female to the other in confusion. He was certain that at least part of the argument concerned him in some way, but women argued in different ways than men; ways that Talen found to be completely perplexing. They'd say one thing, yet mean another; such as Florella's completely obvious fake smile. Talen frowned and gave the two women a bored look before standing slowly.  
"Hey," he said, getting their attention. "If you're going to lock us up, then get to it. All this time-wasting isn't getting you into my good books. If the help you need is for a good cause, then I'm more than happy enough to provide it." Silence pervaded the vast throne room for a little while whilst Talen stood eyeing the women with his arms crossed across his chest. Sarissa eventually got over her initial surprise and smiled.  
"Oh, but of course. You're absolutely right, dear boy," the Queen agreed. She stood from her divan in a sinuous manner. "I've been an absolutely despicable hostess. Please, allow my guards to show you to your rooms. You do, however, understand that while they may not look it, those rooms are effectively your cells. You may see each other whenever you wish, but guards will be present outside the doors at all times, does that sound fair?"  
"Perfectly," Talen said flatly. He turned to Florella and inclined his head towards the doors. "Coming, Florella?" The Great Fairy looked at him with slightly wide eyes before smiling demurely and grasping his hand in her own.  
"Of course, Talen. Lead the way."

A very big yawn was the first thing Link remembered doing when he woke. He blinked his eyes open and gradually got used to his surroundings. He was lying on the bottom of the longboat with Fura on one side of him and Zelda on the other. Sirrus was already awake and sitting up at the prow with a pensive look on his face. Link sat up and stretched before manoeuvring himself into one of the seats without waking the two girls.  
"So," Sirrus said in a quiet voice. "You're awake."  
"Yeah," Link mumbled. "Mustn't have been out for long though; it's still dark. What the hell happened?"  
"After you blew my old ship to kingdom come, you passed out on your friend there. By the way, it technically isn't night. The sky here is always like this; sunlight hasn't shown itself here for hundreds - maybe thousands of years." Link yawned again and looked out over the water and was surprised to see the faint outline of land off in the distance.  
"Hey! Land!" he said excitedly, pointing towards it. Sirrus merely grunted at the sight of it.  
"Don't get too excited. If anything, that place is bad news," Sirrus told him in his usual subdued tone.  
"Bad news? Have you been there before?" Link asked curiously. Sirrus nodded and furrowed his brow slightly.  
"It's where they were going to sell you, in fact; it's the place where all slaves that have ever been on that ship have been sold. You get a bad feeling just being near that place; it's like the land itself had been defiled by something…not surprising after hearing some of the strange rumours about that place." Link was listening intently as Sirrus talked in a low, spellbinding voice.  
"What kinds of rumours?" the boy asked.  
"Things like horrific sacrificial rites inside the many twisted catacombs underneath the ground. Not only that, but the ground spews fire as if bleeding from a thousand wounds. Look, you can see it." Link peered off into the distance and was rewarded by faint wisps of flame in the night sky.  
"Is it really as dangerous as you say?" Link queried, casting a quick glance at the girls sleeping at his feet.  
"Absolutely. Everything's dark red sand and rock, nothing much grows and the whole place is ruled by a Queen that you really don't want to meet," Sirrus told him. "She's the devil, kid, and she has some strange appetites that she believes only younger men can fulfil. If you're anything like those two say you are, then you really don't want to meet her." Sirrus went back to his silent brooding, leaving Link to mull over what he'd just told him.  
"Out of the frying pan and into the fire," he grumbled, looking down at Fura and Zelda with an expression of concern. It was just as he did so too, that the two girls woke up. Fura was the first to notice his absence from the spot in-between herself and Zelda, causing her to sit up quickly before she noticed him sitting behind her.  
"Well hello there," she smiled. "Got a little more energy?" Link nodded.  
"Yes, I won't be falling on you again anytime soon. What was that anyway?" Link asked. "The only other time fire's come out of me has been when I was unlucky enough to consume alcohol. As far as I know, there hasn't been any past my lips in about three years."  
"I don't know, but it looks as if that Key does more than just move around when you want it to," Fura mused.  
"I agree," Zelda continued. "From the looks of things it seems that the Key is able to magnify power through your body."  
"Come again?" Fura and Link asked in unison.  
"Remember what happened?" the Princess asked. "Fura grabbed the rings and what looked like a form of her power travelled along those straps and into the Key itself. A few seconds later we had Link the volcano."  
"I guess that makes a certain amount of sense," Link shrugged. "But I thought Fura's powers had been sealed away by that potion?"  
"Perhaps that's why you got so tired out. Your body must have had to expend a lot of its energy trying to amplify what little of Fura's power there was…speaking of which, has that potion worn off yet?" Zelda asked the Gerudo. Fura blinked and looked around briefly before opening her palm and shooting a ball of fire into the ocean.  
"Looks like it," she grinned. "Well how do you like that, Linkie-do? You and I get to share out strength and fight together." Link stared at her for a while and blinked.  
"Erm, yeah," he mumbled. "Speaking of combining…I could really go for combining my stomach with some food right about now." Zelda rolled her eyes and tossed him some dried meat from the food Fura had pilfered from the ship. Link instantly began to cram as much into his mouth as possible.  
"Um…Link?" Zelda asked. The boy stopped chewing and looked at her. "Again I'm really sorry about the way I acted towards you…"  
"Don't worry about it," he said, waving it off. "I was at fault too and I shouldn't have been such an idiot; you were only trying to help me after all. Here, have some meat." Link held out a rather large strip of the leathery substance.  
"It really doesn't look appetizing," Zelda said, wrinkling her nose up at it.  
"It'll put a bit of meat on your bones, Zelda. Look how skinny these arms of yours are," Link frowned, shaking her arm lightly.  
"They aren't skinny!" she protested. "They're feminine arms; perfectly rounded and milky-white. Most women would kill to have limbs as fine as these."  
"Whoa!" Link gasped, leaning away from her and shielding his eyes.  
"Is something wrong?" Fura asked curiously, blinking at him. Link got back to normal and shook his head.  
"No, I'm fine now. The waves of vanity coming off Zelda hit me a little too hard," he grinned. Fura smirked and tried to hide it with her hand while Zelda cast Link a withering gaze.  
"That's a real knee-slapper, Link," the Princess muttered.  
"Sorry Zelda. They're very nice arms and I'm honoured to be in their presence. Should I touch them I'll never wash my hands again," the boy told her before returning to the task of chowing through his "breakfast".  
"Are you going to eat all of that?" Fura asked with some distaste. Link swallowed a mouthful before looking from the meat to her.  
"Why? Do you want some?" he asked, offering it to her. Fura, like Zelda, wrinkled her nose up at it.  
"Dried meat isn't something I eat if I can help it. Tell you what, Zelda and I can have the edible looking stuff and you and Sirrus can have the rest." Sirrus looked over briefly at the mention of his name, but soon went back to watching to coast intently.  
"I'm not complaining," Link replied. "You eat whatever you want."  
"That's the way!" Fura laughed. "Exactly what every woman looks for in a man: obedience." Zelda nodded in agreement and the two girls were soon giggling at the boy as he looked at them with a very unamused expression.

Since the sun was shining on the other side of the river, Ark and Nyara took some time to dry themselves off. After depositing his pack on the grassy ground, Ark removed his cloak and hung it from a tree and sat against the trunk. Since Nyara didn't wear clothes, she was happy to simply sprawl herself on the ground a close distance from Ark. The sound of the river and the twittering of bird calls provided a very relaxing atmosphere, one in which Ark nearly drifted off to sleep in had it not been for Nyara's sudden conversation-starter.  
"Ark, how is nose?" she asked, rolling onto her stomach.  
"It's still a little sore, but otherwise fine. You really fixed it well, Miss Nyara," he thanked her. The animal girl proper herself up on her elbows and looked at him.  
"Not Nyara. Ark have cheat body; get well too quickly."  
"Sorry," Ark said truthfully. Nyara grinned broadly.  
"Nyara not serious, Ark need to practice not being so serious, mm?" Nyara told him. She barred her teeth at him in a cat-like grin, causing Ark to laugh slightly.  
"There, that not so hard for Ark, no? If Ark smile more, Ark will live longer. Nyara guarantee it!" she told him in a voice filled with sincerity.  
"Well if you say so, Miss Nyara, then I'll do my best," Ark said, smiling at her. The boy sighed and allowed the warm sun to dull his senses; so much so that he began to drift off to sleep again.  
"Poor Ark tired. Sleep well Ark, Nyara watch you until you wake up," Nyara crooned.

"All for naught…all for naught…all for naught…" Those words droned endlessly over and over as Ark floated in complete darkness. Sometimes it was barely above a whisper and sometimes it roared in his ears, but it was constantly there; drilling into his brain.  
"Please stop!" he begged for the umpteenth time. "What is this?"  
"Death awaits you!" A voice suddenly screeched, making Ark cover his ears. His eyes were suddenly subjected to a scene that chilled him to the bone. Link, Talen, Nyara, everyone…they were all dead, lying lifeless in front of him. Ark was terrified and he stepped away from the scene, but wherever he turned it followed him.  
"Stop it!" he cried, his voice breaking. "Stop it now! Anybody! Miss Nyara! Help me!" Ark awoke quite suddenly, gasping for air and sweating heavily. He stared blankly at the sky, unaware of Nyara shaking him by the shoulders.  
"Be calm, Ark," she told him soothingly. "Only having nightmare." Ark, however, didn't calm down and his breathing quickened in pace, sending his chest up and down in rapid succession.  
"Dead!" he gasped. "All dead!"  
"Ark calm down!" Nyara insisted as the boy repeated himself over and over. Unable to bear the scene any longer, Nyara reared her hand back and slapped him sharply across the face. Ark stopped babbling immediately and blinked several times before he slowly focused on Nyara.  
"M-Miss Nyara? You're alive!" he cried, gripping her arm. "Y-You were all dead! And there was a horrible voice!" Nyara quickly pulled him up and put her arms around him in a crushing embrace.  
"Ark okay now, just have bad dream. Nyara sorry for hitting Ark," she crooned, licking the spot where she had slapped him.  
"A dream? I…" Ark trailed off and went silent. Nyara paused with her tongue still in mid-lick across Ark's cheek. She withdrew it and leaned back slightly, but keeping her arms firmly encircling his shoulders.  
"What wrong?" she asked curiously. Ark frowned and looked uncomfortably at the ground.  
"I've never had a dream before," he said finally. "Never. I don't know what it means, but…something's changing."  
"Ark never have dream before?" Nyara blinked. "Very strange."  
"But…it seemed so real! I've never been so scared…I don't want to dream again."  
"Not all dreams are bad dreams. Good dreams happen more than bad, but they only dreams; Ark not hurt by them, no?" She squeezed him one last time before sitting back with her legs crossed.  
"Maybe Ark feel better if tell Nyara about dream?" she suggested. Ark bit his lip, not wanting to remember the horrible images his dream had showed him. He quickly dismissed his reluctance; Nyara had helped him many times before, so why not now?  
"Yes, Miss Nyara, thank you."

"The nerve of that…that witch!" Florella seethed, stamping around her room slash prison. "Has she no morals at all!? And my poor Talen! He doesn't know what's going on…and that harpy keeps eyeing him up like Link eyes a pie! Then she struts around in nothing but underwear!" The fairy girl stamped around some more, occasionally throwing something breakable against the wall. Though it didn't particularly accomplish much, it did make her feel better. The door suddenly opened and a guard stepped in with his spear held out upon hearing Florella's cursing and smashing. She whirled on him with fire in her eyes and a vase in one hand.  
"What!?" she demanded furiously. The guard's face blanched and he retreated just as the vase shattered against the doorframe.  
"Calm down, Florella," she told herself. "The witch is just toying with you; don't let her get to you, that's just what she wants! Talen isn't stupid; he wouldn't have anything to do with her…would he?" Florella paused in her tirade to think about what she'd just said.  
"Of course he wouldn't! Talen would never do anything like that; we're getting married! But…what if she takes advantage of him? My poor, unassuming, innocent Talen!" Thus began a fresh bout of swearing unbecoming someone of Florella's age, physically at least. Florella sulked around for a while before jumping onto her bed.  
"Why am I getting so jealous?" she sighed. "I've got nothing to worry about; I'm the Great Fairy of Spring! But…I can't compete with Sarissa in the body department." Florella looked down at herself and pulled her clothes against her body as tightly as possible.  
"A distinct lack of curvature," she sighed bitterly. "I need some cheering up." Florella hopped off the bed and went to the door, first of all making sure that a good amount of leg was visible for when she saw Talen. Florella's knuckles rapped sharply on the door, summoning the guard from outside.  
"I want to see Talen; that boy that was with me," she ordered. "Take me to his room." The guard looked at her for a moment before quickly leading her away under her withering gaze. She arrived at Talen's door only to receive news that he wasn't there, but rather bathing after his fight with the bronze snake statue.  
"Oh," Florella said flatly. "I'll wait for him inside then." Talen's guard made to say something, but Florella interrupted him.  
"Is that going to be a problem!?" she hissed menacingly. She waited and, upon getting no reply, swung open Talen's door and slammed it behind her. Talen's room was identical to Florella's, before she'd trashed it in any case. Almost everything seemed to have at least some red on it, from the bed to the carpeted floor. Florella dumped herself on top of Talen's blankets and pouted for a while before noticing a scrap of parchment on a small side table. She picked it up and, upon finding that it was addressed to her, read it quickly.  
"Florella," it read. She was slightly irked that he didn't use the term 'dear' but let it slide. "I thought I'd leave this in case you arrived while I was at the baths. Sarissa was nice enough to allow me to use her private baths, in fact she insisted since the others are under repairs. I offered to lend my assistance on them, but she seemed rather insistent that it was all being taken care of…she wouldn't even let me see them. Oh well, I won't be too long, so sit tight."  
Florella read it once, and then twice to make sure she'd read it properly the first time. She looked up from it and blinked.  
"AAAHHH!" she screamed suddenly, bolting for the door. She tore it open and fluttered her wings o that her face was level with the guard outside.  
"Take me to the Queen's private baths!" she screeched.  
"I am not permitted to-"  
"NOW!" Florella screamed in his face, grabbing a fistful of his ear and twisting as hard as possible. Deciding that his health was perhaps in jeopardy, the guard wasted no time in leading Florella quickly toward her destination.

Sirrus and Link dragged the longboat onto dry land in a place sheltered from a large city that was constructed nearby. Link had gone over what Sirrus had told him to the girls, basically outlining that where they were was bad news. The young Hylian helped the two girls out of the boat and onto the red sand before Sirrus spoke up.  
"If we're going to get out of here then I'll need to get into the city. I have some people in there that owe me a few favours; they'll be able to provide us with transportation across the desert." Link nodded.  
"You say that as if getting in will be difficult," Link winced. Sirrus nodded.  
"This place isn't like anywhere you've been, I'll wager. The entrances are guarded closely and only those with legitimate business are allowed inside."  
"So what are we going to do?" Fura asked. "Can we sneak in?"  
"Unfortunately, no. The city has a wall built all around it with guards patrolling the top, so flying over is out of the question. The kid here is our ticket in," Sirrus grunted, pointing to Link.  
"Me?" he asked. "How?"  
"The Queen here has some rather unusual tastes, as I've told you before. To her, you'd go down a real treat. Get that tunic off."  
"What!?" Link gasped. "No way!"  
"Do you want to get out of here?" Sirrus asked him, folding his arms across his chest. "What about your two women there? It's hardly safe for them to be hanging around in such a place." Link glanced at Fura and Zelda, both of whom were looking at him with indecipherable expressions.  
"You fight dirty," Link muttered. "Fine, I'll do it."  
"Don't worry, Link. I'll torch her if she gets too close," Fura grinned. "Now get the duds off."  
"Well gee, thanks for wording it so nicely!" he snapped, blushing furiously. "Just so you know; I really don't like this…"  
"Don't complain. Besides, it's not like you're getting naked. You've got things on underneath, you always do. Hell, you even wear stuff to take a bath," Fura laughed.  
"And there's a damn good reason for that too!" Link blared. "At least Zelda has the decency to not make fun of me, try learning a thing or two from her!" Fura looked casually at Zelda and the princess looked at Link with a small smile.  
"What?" he grunted.  
"Just hurry up and get the tunic off, Link dear," she told him. "The two of us want to see your manly torso…" Link's eyebrows snapped together and his face went red again.  
"Rrrgh! Damn you! Sirrus, have you ever had to put up with any of this rubbish?" Link ranted. Sirrus looked slightly amused.  
"No. I don't really care for it much." Link walked off past Sirrus towards a pile of rocks.  
"Where are you going?" Fura demanded.  
"I'm going to change," Link told her before pointing to Sirrus. "Then I'm going to go be his friend."

"What business do you have in the city?" a burly gate guard asked Sirrus as he approached.  
"I have a special order for Queen Sarissa," Sirrus told the man calmly, yanking on the two straps that were in his hand. Link stumbled out from behind him clad only in his underclothes with his tunic wrapped around his waist in such a way as to make it look like some kind of loincloth. He didn't look particularly comfortable about it. The guard looked shortly at Link before turning his attention to Fura and Zelda.  
"What about them?" he asked gruffly.  
"Ah yes, and unfortunate burden placed upon me by my sister," Sirrus lamented. "You see, when word got out of my trip here she more or less forced me to take them along to see her mother." Sirrus leaned in close and brought his hand up to his mouth.  
"Dear mother so does love the company of her granddaughters and I need to stay on her good side. Inheritance and so forth," Sirrus whispered. The guard nodded in an understanding way and opened the gate for them.  
"Then be on your way, good merchant. The Queen should be pleased with this one," the guard said, indicating at Link.  
"Many thanks," Sirrus bowed, tossing a few coins into the guard's hand. The party of four then moved through the gate and into the city. When they had found a place to hide, Link quickly put his tunic back on.  
"Unfortunate burden!?" Zelda said with indignation. "Couldn't you have come up with something a little less demeaning?"  
"Heh, it's funny because it's true," Link chuckled. Fura clipped him around the ear.  
"Sympathy is something all men share with each other when it comes to women," Sirrus said in his subdued tone. "It's a useful tool." Link was trying his best not to laugh at Fura and Zelda's outraged expressions.  
"In any case, we need to get to my associate's place. Follow me closely and don't drop behind."

"Go faster you dog!" Florella raged, smacking the guard on the back of his head. "Run!" Not wanting to be beaten any more, the man did as he was told and was soon racing through the corridors with Florella hovering behind him. He finally stopped outside a set of double doors.  
"I-In there!" the guard told her, pointing to the doors. Florella glared at him and he quickly opened them, allowing the fairy to race through. She had entered the throne-room and she quickly blazed up to the back where the door to Sarissa's room was located. Ignoring the people repairing the room, she wrenched the door open and bust into the Queen's private chamber. Florella didn't care much for the extravagance of it, more concerned with the fate of Talen's chastity.  
"Ta-len!" she shouted. "Where are you!?" The fairy spied another door and ran for it as fast as she could, throwing it open and racing inside. Steam blocked most of her vision, telling her instantly that she had found the Queen's bath. Talen was in there for certain; the ring on his finger was attracting her like a magnet.  
"Talen? Are you in here?" Florella called into the steam.  
"Florella?" came Talen's surprised reply. "What are you doing here?"  
"Talen! Keep your eyes closed as tight as you can and do not move. You hear me!?" Florella ordered.  
"But-"  
"Now!"  
"Yes ma'am!" Talen squeaked. Florella began to beat her wings as fast as possible; creating a current of air that sucked the steam from the bath and expelled it through the open door. As visibility in the room gradually cleared, Florella saw Talen huddled in the water with a towel around his waist and his hands over his eyes.  
"Hey…" Florella murmured. "It's only you in here."  
"Well what did you expect?" Talen asked her in confusion. "Did you read my letter? I said I was taking a bath."  
"But I…she…oh never mind," Florella huffed. "But I'm standing guard outside this room!"  
"Whatever you want, Florella," Talen sighed, rolling his eyes. Florella closed the door behind her and grumbled to herself before looking up to see Sarissa standing in front of her with a smirk plastered on her face.  
"You!" Florella hissed. "You aren't getting any closer to this door!"  
"Why, whatever do you mean?" Sarissa asked innocently. "I was simply allowing him to clean up after his test earlier, simple as that."  
"You're up to something," Florella muttered.  
"Oh don't be silly, little girl. You seem rather paranoid at the moment…afraid he's not looking at you in the way you'd want? That's the nature of men, little girl; always out for something better. But if you're so sure about him, then you've got nothing to worry about, do you?" Sarissa smirked. "I'll be seeing you, little girl." And with that she left the room. Florella stood in silence for a while, mulling over some of the things she had said.  
"Not looking…at me?" she whispered.


	13. Reaper

**Chapter 12 – Reaper**

The streets of the dark city were narrow and dimly lit with torches and lamps that spewed dirty black smoke into the eternally-dark sky. There were few people roaming about; not surprising since thieves stalked the city like a plague of rats. The four travellers were left unharmed, however, thanks mainly to the assortment of weapons carried by three of them. Sirrus led them through a series twisting alleyways rife with filth before stopping in front of a grimy little door. He knocked sharply three times and waited. A small eyehole clacked open and a pair of eyes appeared, narrowing slightly when they saw the man. The eyehole clacked closed and the door was opened by a fat little man a set of tiny glasses on the end of his nose.  
"Well look who it is," he said rather unenthusiastically. "What do you want, Sirrus?"  
"Now is that any way to greet an old friend?" Sirrus asked mildly. "We're coming in, Donta, don't try to stop us or I'll pop you in that fat stomach of yours again." The fat man grumbled something and stepped aside, allowing them all inside. Almost as run-down as the outside, the interior of the building was dimly lit and wreaked of smoke. A small table in the corner of the room was piled with neatly assorted stacks of rupees of varying value.  
"Sirrus, I don't want you here. Tell me what you want and get out," Donta grunted.  
"Well aren't we civil today? Fine, we need passage across the desert. Do this for us and I'll cancel all of your debts," Sirrus told him. Donta narrowed his eyes.  
"Well this is certainly unlike you, Sirrus. And who are your little friends? Merchandise perhaps? Come to think of it…I haven't seen any of your crew with you…"  
"That's over for good, Donta. I'm not a slaver anymore. Never really did like it that much anyway," Sirrus shrugged. "Too many moral hang-ups."  
"This change of heart is quite unbecoming of you, Sirrus," Donta sneered. "But I'm afraid I can't spare you anything. You'll just have to come back in a few months."  
"I'm afraid that wasn't the correct answer," Sirrus sighed. "Give me what I want or else."  
"Or else what?" Donta snorted.  
"Or else I'll fry your fat self like a toad on a stick!" Fura barked, forming a bright ball of fire in her hand. "What do you think, Mister Sirrus?"  
"I think the fat tub of goo hasn't grasped things yet. Give him a little demonstration," Sirrus murmured. Fura grinned and formed another ball of fire in her spare hand and begun to juggle them, adding a third.  
"Hey! Careful with those!" Donta gasped. "You'll start a fire!"  
"That's the idea," Fura giggled girlishly. "Whoops!" She "accidentally" tossed one of the fireballs across the room, igniting a section of the wall in a shower of sparks. Donta squealed and ran over to the flames and tried to smother them out with his cloak. Fura tossed another to the opposite side of the room, producing another squeal from the man.  
"Reconsidering yet?" Sirrus asked.  
"Stop this!" Donta demanded. "You can't do this to me!"  
"Red, if you please," Sirrus told Fura. The Gerudo hefted the last flaming package straight at Donta's money table, making the fat man's eyes bulge. Just before it hit, however, the fireball paused and hovered in place.  
"Listen here Donta, you fat pig, you owe me and if you don't pay your debt then you're broke as well as down on me. Get us what we want or you'll be the next one who's popping and crackling away."  
"All right! All right!" Donta squealed, his pudgy face white and sweaty. "I'll get everything you want! But if you want to leave, you'd best do it quickly!"  
"Why?" Sirrus asked, narrowing his eyes. "What's going on?"  
"Haven't you heard? Apparently some warrior and his woman got into the sacrificial chamber beneath the volcano and destroyed the place. The Queen has them both at the palace so that they can fight the Reaper."  
"What!?" Sirrus demanded. "You mean…the sacrifices have stopped? This is bad news indeed."  
"Sirrus, what is he talking about?" Link whispered.  
"I'll explain later, kid. Right now we need to get out of this hellhole on the double!"  
"Must have been some warrior if he smashed up an entire mob of men and chamber," Fura snorted.  
"Rumour has it that he commands the earth with his tremendous strength, and the girl with him has the voice of a harpy and the wings to match," Donta told her. "I know some people inside the palace, that's where-"  
"Wait, wait, wait…commands the earth?" Link interrupted suddenly.  
"That's what I was told; he passed the Queen's test with his stone weapons."  
"Great pie in the sky!" Link exclaimed suddenly.  
"What is it?" Sirrus asked.  
"It's Talen and Florella! They're here!" Link gasped. "What toadie here said has to be them!"  
"Stone weapons!" Zelda exclaimed. "Talen's fighting technique!"  
"And voice of a harpy; there's no better description," Link continued.  
"Link…" the Princess said disapprovingly.  
"Sirrus, two of our missing friends are inside that palace. We have to get them back. Until then, we cannot leave here," Link told the man. Sirrus looked conflicted, but sighed and nodded.  
"I've got a debt to pay to you, kid. Guess I can't leave you until I do."  
"Great!" Fura cheered. "We'll find a way into the palace and leave with the two of them!"  
"Good luck," Donta snorted.  
"Why?" Zelda asked.  
"The Reaper's going to emerge in a matter of hours. You won't have nearly enough time to get the palace before they arrive at the Circle."  
"The Circle?" Fura murmured. "What's that?"  
"The Reaper's lair," Sirrus said flatly. "A great depression in the ground where it nests. Your friend is obviously going to be put there to fight it."  
"And good luck to him too," Donta sneered. "The Reaper is death incarnate! There's no way he can win!" Fura scorched the fat man's robes slightly.  
"Then we'd better get there as fast as possible," she grimaced. "Tell us where to go, fat man!"  
"I know where it is," Sirrus told her. "I'll lead the way. Donta, you'd better have transport waiting for us at the regular place, or you won't live to see another day!"

Ark felt much more at ease after talking to Nyara about his nightmare. She told him over and over that dreams were incapable of harming someone and they were all inside the head. Soon after she had put his fears to rest, the pair began their trek once more through more appealing scenery. They went a little slower than expected, thanks to Nyara being unable to stop herself from going spare at the butterflies that bobbled about in the air. She jumped about and played while Ark walked steadily along always keeping an eye on her in case she decided that he himself was something to be batted around. He was rather proud of the fact that he hadn't accidentally shocked the exuberant girl as of late, which was surprising considering what had happened in the cave.  
"There you are, you little pest!" an angry female voice suddenly shouted. Ark jumped in surprise and Nyara's tail puffed up as she whirled around. Standing on an upper branch of a thick tree, was the black haired girl bent on killing Ark.  
"You again!" Ark gasped. "Don't you ever give up?"  
"Not until I get paid," she growled. "And my patience with you is nearing its limit."  
"Witch lady no get near Ark while Nyara around!" the animal girl hissed, her claws sharpening from the tips of her fingers.  
"Oh it's you," the girl sighed. "Stay out of the way or you're likely to get hurt."  
"If you want Ark, you go through Nyara first!" Nyara insisted. The girl smirked at her.  
"Well how noble of you, but I don't have time for this. You!" she barked suddenly, pointing at Ark. The boy flinched slightly at the tone of her voice. "Do you realize how much grief you've caused me!?"  
"I-"  
"You're a coward! Look at you! All you do is run away! But still you're able to best me in a fight! And to make matters worse, you insult my honour by refusing to kill me!"  
"Ark no wimp!" Nyara said, leaping to his defence. "Ark brave, that why he can beat you!"  
"I don't care!" the girl raged. "I'm going to put an end to him right now!" She levelled her palm at the boy and began to draw in her purple energy. Nyara, however, stepped between the girl and Ark to protect him.  
"Miss Nyara!" Ark shouted. "Get away from her! You'll get hurt!"  
"But Nyara-"  
"I can block her attacks, you can't! Please, Miss Nyara, run!" The animal girl hesitated, but dove out of the way as the girl attacked with a ball of energy. Ark's staff was suddenly whirling in has hands and he struck the attack, sending it bouncing off into the sky where it detonated harmlessly.  
"That's what I'm talking about!" the girl fumed. "You don't attack! You only defend until you can find some way to escape!"  
"I told you I will not intentionally hurt a lady," Ark said firmly, holding his staff in a defensive manner.  
"There you go again with the "lady" rubbish. I'm no lady! Now hurry up and die!" she roared, building up another huge blast. This attack, however, was by far much bigger than any of the others she had hurled at him.  
"Uh-oh!" Ark gulped, turning on his heel. "Miss Nyara, run!" The two of them took off at full sprint as the girl lobbed the massive attack at the spot they had been standing at. A tremendous explosion rocked the ground, jarring both Ark and Nyara off their feet. Another soon followed as the girl began to chase them.  
"Miss Nyara!" Ark called. "Split up! She'll follow me, not you!" Nyara nodded uncertainly and did as Ark had suggested, veering off into the undergrowth.  
"You won't get away again!" the girl shouted, launching another huge attack as she flew after Ark. "I'm going to enjoy this!" Ark kept running, occasionally jumping to the side as an attack threatened to extinguish his life. He entered a clump of thick bushes and ran blindly through them until he was forced to screech to a halt. He had blundered out onto the top of a cliff that looked out over an incredibly lush valley. Ark didn't have time to admire the scenery, however, as the girl strode out of the undergrowth and looked at him with satisfaction all over her face.  
"Oh glorious day," she grinned wickedly. "Trapped like a rat!"  
"Oh dear," Ark murmured, looking at the huge drop over his shoulder. "I don't suppose we could talk about this peacefully?"  
"I'm afraid not!" the girl laughed, charging up another tremendous blast. Just as she hurled it though, Ark twirled his staff before locking it both hands.  
"Static Shield!" he shouted, concentrating all of his energy into creating the crackling electricity shield that encompassed his whole body. The attack struck the shield and shattered it in an instant, yet instead of killing him, the attack ricocheted up into the air. Both Ark and the girl watched as it rose, peaked lazily high in the air and dropped back down towards them.  
"Ack!" the girl yelped and dove out of the way as the energy ball hit the ground where she had been standing. The resulting explosion knocked her out cold and threw her forwards, sending her reeling into Ark's stomach. She struck solidly, knocking the air out of his lungs and sending him off-balance. He swung his arms and dropped his staff in a vain attempt to keep himself from falling, but the weight of the girl sent them both over the edge of the cliff. Ark cried out as he fell, but luckily for him the face of the cliff had a fair number of roots sticking out of it. His arm hand shot out and ensnared one of the protruding roots while he grabbed the back of the unconscious girl's clothing to prevent her from falling. He hung there, thinking about what he had just done by saving the life of the person who was so determined to see him dead. He almost let her go out of fear of what would happen if she woke up while they were hanging there. She could fly, he could not and she would have the perfect opportunity to kill him then and there.  
"What am I going to do?" Ark whispered to himself as he looked down to the ground far below. Climbing was out of the question; he only had one hand free and he didn't want to risk waking the girl up. His last thought seemed to be a waste of time, however, as the girl groaned slightly and fluttered her eyelids open. She blinked groggily and looked around while Ark held his breath and bit his lip. The girl suddenly realized where she was and gasped before noticing that she was snagged on something. Her head snapped back and Ark found himself looking directly into her eyes.  
"Uh-oh," he groaned.  
"You!" she exclaimed, writhing around.  
"Hey stop! I'll lose my grip!" he yelped, straining his knuckles. Oddly enough, she did stop and merely hung in his grip, staring holes into his face. Ark was soon unnerved by it and looked up to the edge of the cliff as if attempting to find a means of getting to safety. The girl suddenly wrenched out of his grasp and tried to fly away, but she clasped her head and faltered, dropping slightly. Ark caught her again, but to the increasing strain on the hand clasping the root.  
"Let me go!" she demanded.  
"Are you crazy? You can't fly at the moment! I don't want your death on my head- even if you are trying to kill me." She blinked and stared at him once again. "If anything, climb up the roots," Ark said rather sternly. She looked like she was about to retort, but thought better of it and grabbed Ark's leg and began to climb up his body.  
"Don't even think about trying to cop a feel," she hissed when her face neared his. He blinked at her, shaking his head and she kept climbing. Once she was able to get hold of the roots, she clambered up the cliff-face quite quickly while Ark swung his other hand up to get a firmer purchase. He was then able to haul himself back up to the edge of the cliff. Grunting with effort, he dragged himself back onto flat ground where he lay flay on his back, panting. A shadow suddenly crept up over his face and he opened his eyes to see the girl standing over him with her arms crossed over her chest. Ark gulped and propped himself up. Instead of obliterating him on the spot, however, she merely stared at him with a slight look of irritation visible on her face.  
"You, Ark…that's your name isn't it!? Why did…why did you do that!?" she demanded. "Answer me or I'll break your little neck!" She cracked her knuckles as she said it to him. Ark gulped and looked around for possible means of escape, finding none he turned back to her.  
"I did it because…you were helpless. Even though you want to kill me, I couldn't bring myself to let you die. If I had then…I'd be no better than a murderer. I was told by Aarden that a man should always help a lady in trouble, no matter who she may be. Like it or not, you're a lady in my books and…even though I am a coward, even though I run away…I'm a man nonetheless and I'll never attack you, I'll never intentionally hurt you and I'll never kill you. I cannot. I can only run away," Ark told her truthfully, looking at his feet the entire time. When he finally did look up at the girl, she had her fists clenched and her face showed anger.  
"Why!? Why did you have to say that!?" she demanded furiously. "I won't fail! I never have and I won't start now! I'll find a way, I will! Just you wait and see!" And then she was gone, a slight warping in the air signalling her departure. Ark let out an explosive breath and slumped back onto the ground. The peace didn't last very long, however, as he heard something pounding against the ground. The undergrowth suddenly exploded and Nyara landed smack on top of him.  
"Ark!" she wailed. "Are you all right? Is Ark hurt?"  
"No, Miss Nyara. I'm not hurt; she left without managing to do anything," Ark told her. Great tears welled up in Nyara's eyes and her bottom lip quivered.  
"Nyara was worried about Ark," she mewed, before licking his face frantically as if he were going to disappear then and there. "Ark Nyara's pet! Nyara have to look after Ark!"  
"Don't worry about me, Miss Nyara. You do a good job of looking after me."

Florella had, for the time being, Talen under her protective custody. She shuddered at the thought of what would have happened had she not happened upon Talen's letter.  
"Talen, you're going to choke if you eat that fast," she chided him mildly as he wolfed down the meal given to them.  
"But I'm hungry," he almost whined. "And I haven't eaten anything since arriving in this place."  
"Well the same goes for me and you don't you don't see my dainty self stuffing my face," Florella told him curtly.  
"But you've had two helpings already; you started before I did," Talen reminded her.  
"That's beside the point!" she snapped.  
"Whatever you say, Florella," Talen smirked. His face suddenly took on a questioning expression. "Was the Queen really in that bath?"  
"Huh? Of course she was! That woman has no morals! She's the devil, Talen, and you cannot be alone with her ever! She'll take advantage of you for sure!" Florella almost shouted, slamming her hands into the table and standing up. She suddenly blinked as the sound of snoring reached her ears; Talen was asleep.  
"What the…?" Florella murmured as she suddenly found her eyelids increasingly heavy. "No! That witch! She drugged our food, I should have known better!" She slumped forwards and staggered over to Talen, who lay back in his chair.  
"Talen…you have to…wake up…witch lady…advantage…" Florella trailed off and collapsed onto the boy, knocking the chair over backwards and sending them both to the ground where they lay sprawled until two guards entered and carried them both away.

"Mnngh," Talen groaned, rolling over on something hard. His eyes opened a crack as a faint rumble rippled through the ground. He sat up and rubbed the side of his head, dislodging sand and pebbles.  
"What…where am I?" he muttered, looking around himself. He was sitting in the middle of what looked like a huge crater with sheer walls. The ground was what seemed to be dried mud with scatterings of pebbles everywhere. Way off in the distance appeared to be a jagged opening in the wall of the crater and Talen seemed to feel something emanating from it. There was another rumble, followed by another, as if something big was moving towards him. He looked around to see if it was so, but the only thing in the crater besides him was the limp form of Florella.  
"Florella!" he called, jumping to his feet and dashing over to her. "Florella! Are you all right?" He shook her gently as the rumbling got more and more frequent.  
"It-It's coming!" Florella gasped, clutching her head. "Un...bearable!"  
"Florella, what's the matter, what's coming!?" Talen demanded, lifting her head of the ground. She lifted a frail hand and pointed behind him.  
"Death!" she gasped, before passing out. Talen turned his head slowly as his eyes widened. Standing in the mouth of the jagged opening was the most hideous beast he had ever seen. It was insect-like in nature, with the same head as those in the sacrificial chamber he had destroyed. It looked almost like a mantis, with bulbous eyes on stalks on either side of its head. Huge pincers adorned each side of its jaws and they snapped in sideways with a loud crack. Its body was separated into the thorax and abdomen; each covered with a tough-looking green and black exoskeleton. Also like a mantis, its front legs were like huge serrated blades. The insect made a continuous clicking noise with its mouth and its eyes swivelled around eerily, sizing up both Talen and Florella.  
"What in the hell is this!?" Talen gasped.  
"The reason I brought you here!" a familiar voice rang out. Talen looked up to the edge of the crater behind him to see the Queen.  
"Why have you done this!?" Talen demanded. "What is that thing?"  
"It is the Reaper! It feeds on the death of those in this kingdom, specifically, those sacrificed in the chamber you destroyed!" she laughed.  
"Then why throw us in here?"  
"If you defeat it; we're free of it forever! If you lose; it is appeased by your deaths and we have enough time to rebuild the chamber! Either way we win!" Talen growled and looked back at the Reaper as it began to move towards them. Summoning his strength, he thrust his hand towards it and sent a shockwave through the ground towards it. The earth cracked underneath the Reaper and a massive stone spike burst up towards its underside. But instead of piercing the monster, the spike shattered as it came into contact with its hard armour. Enraged, the Reaper gave a loud shriek and began to move even faster towards Talen and Florella.  
"This doesn't look good," Talen grimaced.

Link, Fura, Zelda and Sirrus had broken into a run after discovering that Talen's battle with the Reaper had already begun. Unlike earlier, people massed in the streets, eager to watch the battle from afar and thus, the four trying to get there to aid Talen were slowed considerably.  
"Sirrus!" Link said suddenly. "Which way is the Circle from here?" Sirrus frowned.  
"That way," he replied, pointing to a huge circular wall that towered in the distance.  
"Okay, you three get there as fast as you can. I'll go on ahead and help Talen! Sirrus, look after them."  
"Hey wait!" Fura demanded, but her words fell of deaf ears. Link launched high into the air with the Key and landed on the roof of one of the houses. Then, using the twin straps like a pair of long legs, he sprung from building to building at and extremely high speed. He moved rapidly above the crowd, springing off walls and, in some places where buildings were scarce, the ground. He finally arrived at what appeared to be a large gate that prevented people from getting to a paved pathway that led to the circular enclosure. It was locked tight and, from what he could see, the Circle itself was too as a similar gate at the huge construction was closed with a score of guards in front of it. Just then, he noticed that a row of flagpoles sat atop the gate he was on and an idea suddenly came to mind. He wrapped the straps around two of the poles and jumped back to the ground, much to the surprise of the people massed around it. He started back, bending the two poles so that they strained for release like a big, makeshift slingshot.  
"Ready, Navi?" he asked the fairy.  
"Let's go!" she chimed from under his cap. Link jumped forwards, allowing the poles to snap back into position while pushing off of them with the Key as forcefully as possible. As a result, he was rocketed high into the air at breakneck speed. He cleared the wall of the Circle and saw a huge crater far below and ringed with people. Then, smack in the middle, he noticed two tiny forms being stalked by a giant insect. He saw one of the tiny figures thrust out his hand, causing the ground to crack and burst up at the monster, but it seemed to fail.  
"That must be Talen!" Link drew his sword in midair as he began to arc back down.

The creature stopped in front of Talen and looked down at him with its swivelling eyes. It raised one of its big, sickle-like arms in prepared to swipe, when something caught its attention. Talen looked up in time to see a figure, bellowing a fierce battle-cry, descend from the sky. It flashed past the Reaper and the beast suddenly screeched in pain as one of its eyes burst off the side of its head, cleaved in a single blow. The figure landed solidly on the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust that slowly dissipated. Talen squinted his eyes as the person slowly came into view.  
"Wha…? Link!?" Talen exclaimed, his face agog.  
"Long time no see, Talen!" Link grinned, leaning his sword on his shoulder. "Thought you could use a little bit of help."  
"All right!" Talen cheered. "But first we have to get Florella to a safe place; she's passed out because of that thing!" The Reaper was still writhing about as the stalk that once held its eye spewed out green blood. Link nodded and let Navi out from under his cap. The little fairy spiralled around before sprouting Link's wings.  
"Hop aboard!" Link instructed Talen, Jumping off his feet and hovering just above the ground. Talen scooped up Florella and dove as Link grabbed the back of Talen's clothing and flew up into the air. Just as they were about to leave the Reaper behind, however, Link suddenly reeled back as if he had hit an invisible barrier. In truth, he had indeed done so and was unable to get away.  
"Fools!" the Queen laughed. "The Reaper does not let tasty morsels such as you get away!"  
"Damn her!" Talen growled. "I guess we have no choice but to fight." Link nodded in agreement and flew back to the ground near the wall of the crater where Talen deposited Florella and formed a small rock wall around her body.  
"She should be safe there until we take care of this thing," he muttered, turning to face the recovered Reaper.  
"Right," Link nodded. "Now let's squash this bug!"

Link shot along the ground at high speed, keeping low as Talen fired off volleys of rock needles at the Reaper. Most bounced off the surface of the beast, but some managed to embed themselves in its thick exoskeleton. While it was distracted with Talen's attacks, Link flew underneath it and spun upside-down, raking his sword across its underside before spinning out and slashing at its hind legs. Though it didn't do much damage, he managed to crack through in some places and draw blood, eliciting a screech from the insect. It whirled around as Link skidded to a halt on the ground behind it, lunging with its blade-like forearms. Link yelped and rolled to one side as one of them crunched into the ground, spraying pebbles and dry mud everywhere. The other follower suite, smashing down in the next spot Link landed. It too missed, but threw Link off his feet as the ground shook and buckled. Luckily, the boy managed to sidestep out of the way as the first claw ripped trough the ground in a forward motion. The creature suddenly screeched and sprayed Link with spittle as a large rock slammed into the back of its head, courtesy of Talen. The Reaper's head turned one-eighty degrees so that it was facing Talen before it let out a screech so powerful that the sound waves struck Talen and slammed him into the wall of the crater. Link had to cover his ears to protect himself from the deafening attack and when he opened them he found the Reaper looking back at him.  
"Uh-oh!" Link yelped, pivoting on his heel and breaking into a dead run in the opposite direction. The insect made a coughing sound and spewed out a large glob of translucent green slime that Link only just managed to dodge. It hissed and bubbled when it hit the ground.  
"Acid!" Link hissed, springing to one side as another glob splattered onto the ground. Link suddenly screeched to a halt and did a huge back flip using the straps to push off from the ground. He twisted in the air so that he faced the Reaper and landed square on top of its head. Just as it tried to swipe him off, the straps spun down and he pushed straight up into the air above the insectoid beast. Quickly, Link pulled a bomb from his bomb bag, ripped off the fuse cap and hurled it down below him. The bomb spun straight down and exploded as it struck the Reaper, sending flame and bomb fragments every which way. Link spun in the air, the twin straps corkscrewing in the air behind him as he fell back to the ground. He landed on the metal rings with his legs tucked in before uncurling them and running over towards Talen.  
"Ow," the smith groaned, extracting himself from the wall. "That thing hits hard."  
"But look," Link frowned. "That bomb barely did anything to it." Link was right. The Reaper merely shook off the blast and turned towards them, the clicking noise coming from its pincers getting louder and more frequent.  
"Damn! Can't anything hurt that stupid bug!?" Talen growled. "Wait! I've got it! Link; try to take out its other eye! It won't be able to see anything then."  
"Will do! Talen, grab hold," Link grinned, raising the rings. Talen grabbed them both and began to swing Link around like someone performing the hammer-throw. He suddenly let go, sending Link flying towards their opponent. He held his sword at the ready and whipped it out at the instant he passed by. Unfortunately, the reaper jerked away and Link missed completely, forcing him to quickly slay his wings to slow himself down. He did, however, already have another course of action to take. He twisted before he landed and pulled out his bow and an arrow before notching it and taking aim. The arrowhead suddenly burst into flame as Link powered it up before letting it fly. The arrow left the bowstring just before Link skidded onto his feet and it raced towards the unsuspecting Reaper as it turned its attention to Talen, who was showering it with more rock needles. The arrow embedded itself into the Reaper's eye with a brilliant flash of fire. The beast squealed in pain before its eye exploded, sending superheated fiery eyeball juice in all directions. Now that their foe was blind, Link and Talen had a better chance of winning. The Reaper screeched and writhed around, slashing its scythes through the air and into the ground in blind fury. It may have been blind, but it was still very dangerous. Talen took the offensive and dashed towards it, leaping high into the air before slamming his fist into the top of its head as he came down again. The exoskeleton cracked with a sickening noise and green slime began to ooze out. Talen swore as the creature screeched and bucked him off before spraying acid all over the place. Link, luckily, was already flying towards the boy and grabbed his arm, swooping around the monster and away from the deadly acid shower. Their brief elation at their escape was short-lived, however, as the Reaper suddenly lashed out and struck the two boys out of the air. Talen was sent tumbling along the ground while Link crashed straight down.  
"Oww," Link groaned, getting to his hands and knees. He froze suddenly and looked up to see the Reaper standing over him, clicking its jaws hungrily.  
"This doesn't look good," Link squeaked, backing away. He wasn't fast enough though, and the Reaper scooped him up through scent and held him up it the air.  
"Link! Get out of there!" Talen bellowed, but to no avail. The Reaper's jaws opened wide and swallowed Link whole before letting out a triumphant screech. Talen saw red.  
"You'll pay!" he roared, vaulting forwards and running head on at the beast. As he neared it, he jumped into the air and began to rain consecutive blows against its front.  
"Spit him out you damn insect! Give him back!" The Reaper screeched again, but for a different reason. Talen's hands quivered and suddenly snapped up as he landed on the ground. Then, suddenly, the twin straps of the Key burst from the Reaper's mouth and smacked into Talen's palms. His fingers locked around the rings and crackled with brown energy.  
"What the…?" Talen murmured as the Reaper began to shake its head to and fro as the energy travelled up the straps and disappeared into its mouth. The bug's head suddenly tilted back and its jaws quivered open, forced apart by a sight that made Talen's eyes practically pop out of his head. Link was there, holding the Reaper's jaws apart with his stone-covered arms. He suddenly jumped up and allowed its mouth to snap shut and it was then that he made his move. Link grabbed the Reaper's pincers and forced its head towards the ground. He hit the dry mud first, bellowing in effort before bringing the Reaper over his shoulder and throwing it across the crater. It landed with a crash and lay on its back, kicking its legs wildly in an attempt to right itself. Talen's fingers suddenly let go of the rings and the straps reeled themselves in until they hung at their regular length, causing the stone over Link's arms to crumble away.  
"What in the Hell was that!?" Talen exclaimed. "How? You made skin like mine!"  
"I'll explain…later," Link panted. "But we have to…finish it off."  
"You're right, but…are you okay?" Talen asked in concern. Link nodded and held his sword steady.  
"Wait…" a feeble voice called faintly. "Don't!"  
"Huh? Florella?" Talen murmured. He and Link dashed over to where she lay hidden. The fairy had woken up, obviously roused by all the fighting.  
"That thing…" she groaned.  
"Easy now," Talen told her. "You're weak again."  
"You can't kill it! Death…makes it stronger…" she wheezed.  
"What!? Then what can we do? As long as it's alive, we can't escape," Talen muttered. A rumbling from behind them turned their heads in time to see the Reaper rushing blindly towards them, screeching and waving its claws about.  
"It's going to get us!" Florella wailed, her little hands clutching at Talen. "I don't want you to die, Talen!" Link suddenly felt something click in his mind.  
"He isn't, and you aren't either," Link grated, clenching the handle of his sword even tighter. He took off at a slow jog that gradually increased to a run.  
"Link! You'll be killed! Don't do it!" Talen yelled, starting after him. But Link didn't listen. Instead, he reversed the Ragnarok so that it pointed towards the ground and the blade began to glow with dark energy.  
"Haaaa!" Link shouted at the top of his lungs before leaping into the air with the sword held above his head. "Shadow Hoard Slash!" He plunged the Ragnarok into the ground as he landed on one knee. The effect wasn't felt at first, but the Reaper slowed to a stop and cocked its head as the ground began to tremble ever so slightly. That's when it happened: the ground erupted with dark power that formed in a huge circular pattern around where Link knelt with the sword still in the ground. An eerie looking dark light emanated from the pattern and caused the Reaper to screech in agony. It flailed its arms about as shadow began to consume its body, roaring upwards from the ground and disintegrating the insectoid monster into particles of darkness. The Reaper was soon no more than a screeching smoky wisp that was quickly lost in the roaring pillar of shadow. It finally subsided and the dark pattern on the ground seemed to regress back into Link's sword.

The world seemed to stand still with only the sound of the wind blowing across the harsh landscape. Link stood shakily, leaning on his sword briefly before yanking it from the ground. He almost toppled over in the process, but managed to stay upright.  
"Wow," he mumbled in a dazed tone before staggering back over to Talen and Florella. The pair of them were staring at him in undisguised shock and it took them a little while to register that he was totally exhausted.  
"What…was that?" Talen asked.  
"I'm not…exactly sure, but…I think it's gone…" Link panted. He dropped onto his backside as Navi popped out of his back and circled around his head.  
"Are you okay?" she asked. Link nodded and wiped his brow.  
"Just totally drained. I need a rest," he breathed.  
"It's gone…" Florella murmured, colour returning to her skin. "I feel…better…stronger!" She got to her feet and did a little dance.  
"Florella…should you be moving around like that?" Talen asked in a concerned tone. The fairy winked at him and clapped her hands.  
"Don't worry yourself, Talen. It seems that the presence of that Reaper in this land was the strange force draining me of my power. Now that Link's dealt with it, I have my strength back again!"  
"But I thought…killing it only made it stronger," Link said breathlessly. "What happened?"  
"I'll have to look into that, but it's gone either way," the fairy shrugged. "And speaking of gone, that's what we should be." Link stood and leaned heavily on Talen.  
"Fura and Zelda are on their way…we've got a way out of here…across the desert…God I need a rest," Link chuckled. Florella smiled at him and turned to Talen.  
"Talen, you carry him out of here. We'll meet up with those two and get away from this horrible place." Talen nodded and slung Link over his shoulder as Florella's wing whirred to life and lifted her into the air.  
"We'd better hurry," she told the boys. "Sarissa's sent her soldiers to recapture us." Link looked up and saw a rather large crowd of armed men descending wooden ramps slung down into the crater.  
"We'll probably have to fight to get through them; they're blocking the only exit," Link frowned. It was at that point when the wall of the Circle on the opposite side of the entrance burst inwards with a fiery explosion. The three in the crater whirled around to see Fura waving madly at them.  
"I think our way out of here just got a whole lot easier," Talen grinned. "Let's go!"


	14. Escape

**Chapter 13 – Escape**

Ark had to admit that he felt a lot safer climbing down the cliff with Nyara. For starters; her claws enabled her to climb even the most vertical of drops with ease. But Ark did feel just a little uncomfortable being carried by the back of his clothes as Nyara tended to do sometimes.  
"Miss Nyara, I really can climb by myself…there are a fair few roots and creepers I can use as purchase," Ark told her as she clambered down. "And you've got both packs on your shoulders…isn't this tiring?"  
"Ark too shlow at clining," she informed him through her clenched teeth. "Haster this ray." Ark sighed and simply allowed himself to hang from her teeth. The climb wasn't particularly long, but it did give Ark time to think about things; his dream in particular. He found it odd that he'd never had one before and, perhaps, even odder that he'd never asked himself why that was. If all dreams were like that, then he'd be happier never having one again, but…Nyara had told him that good dreams far outweighed the bad in terms of frequency. Then there was that girl. She hadn't finished him off like he had expected and seemed rather conflicted over his action of saving her. She told him that she'd "find a way"…whatever that meant. Find another way to get rid of him no doubt.  
"It's all so confusing," Ark sighed, scratching his head.  
"Nn?" Nyara sounded in a questioning way.  
"Oh it's nothing, Miss Nyara. Don't concern yourself with it; you've got your hands full at the moment," Ark assured her. The remainder of the descent passed in relative silence. Nyara occasionally uttered something unintelligible and Ark did his best to go along with it.  
Nyara finally touched down and let Ark go, dusting herself off and retracting her claws.  
"Easy done!" she grinned, holding her arms straight out on either side of herself in a kind of self-congratulatory pose.  
"Yes, thank you Miss Nyara," Ark smiled, pulling out the Compass to find it pointing in the same direction. "Still the same way."  
"Boring ball have no variety," Nyara pouted. "Nyara want to go different way." They were both standing on in a grassy clearing around the base of the cliff. Groves of trees lay clumped in sporadic patches in the valley, creating a sense of unnaturalness to the place.  
"Strange," Ark murmured, looking around as he and Nyara walked. "I wonder what made the trees grow like that. It doesn't feel right." Nyara nodded in agreement and sniffed at the air.  
"Not smell right either," she frowned. "Like…not enough smells."  
"And the trees are all of uniform height, Miss Nyara. Perhaps they were planted by people for some reason, a harvest maybe?" Nyara shrugged.  
"Maybe. But Nyara no see any people or village around," she frowned. Ark nodded in agreement and shrugged.  
"Oh well, I suppose it doesn't concern us. All we need to worry about is following the Compass to wherever, or whatever, it's pointing to."

Talen took off at a dead run with Link slung over his should like a sack of flour while Florella flew alongside him. Soldiers swarmed out over the dry ground and thundered after them as the Queen shouted out orders, most of which consisted of "Get the boy!" and other such similar demands. Talen grinned to himself and thrust his hand out behind him, creating a wave of earth that swept back and knocked a good deal of the soldiers off their feet.  
"Don't hog 'em all!" Fura shouted from the hole she had made. Talen looked up in time to see several balls of fire whistling through the air. He followed them with his gaze and watched in satisfaction as they impacted within the ranks of soldiers and exploded, scattering them like toothpicks. The Gerudo laughed madly and began to lob more of the explosive payloads as cover for Talen, Link and Florella to make their escape. They reached the crater wall and Talen tossed Link up like a rag doll, whereupon Fura leaned out over the edge and pulled him onto solid ground. Talen jumped at the wall and dug his hands into it, climbing with ease and leaving hand-sized depressions in his wake. He arrived at the top as Florella settled herself down and looked back to see that Sarissa herself was being carried across the ground on her divan by a handful of soldiers.  
"Wait," Talen smirked as the others turned to escape. "This should be good." The Queen finally arrived as the soldiers massed about the crater wall parted and allowed her through.  
"I must congratulate you, Talen, as well as your friend who dropped out of nowhere," she said almost smugly. "Perhaps the two of you would like to accompany me back to the palace for a reward?" Florella looked like she was about to reply when Talen stopped her. He stepped up to the edge of the crater and looked down at the Queen, who looked up at him with a look of smug victory on her face.  
"No, I don't think so," he told her in his most matter-of-fact voice. "Finding these guys again is better than anything you could come up with." Indignation crossed the Queen's face for a split second.  
"Are you sure?" she purred. "I could show you many amazing things…or would you rather stay with that little fairy girl. Look at her; why have something like that when you could have a real woman as good as me?" Talen quirked an eyebrow and look from Florella to Sarissa as if considering it. Florella was taken aback and her mouth hung open in shock as her eyes began to water.  
"Talen…" she squeaked, sniffling slightly. Fura looked surprised too and stared at Talen.  
"I'll tell you why; good's one thing," Talen snorted. He reached out and clasped Florella to his side with one arm. "But why settle for good when you can have perfect?"  
"What!?" Sarissa demanded.  
"And being with a fairy is a whole lot better than being with a witch," Talen sniffed. "Besides; you're much too old for me  
"How dare you!" Sarissa screeched. "No man can resist me! Not one! My body is perfect; without flaw! What do you say to that!?"  
"If I may," Link murmured to Talen as he stepped up beside him. He cleared his throat and look down at the Queen. "When's the baby due?" Sarissa's eyes bugged out of her head and she suddenly began screeching orders in blind fury. Talen and Link slapped their hands together.  
"Good bye, Sarissa. Thank you for your hospitality," Talen waved before grasping Florella's hand in his own and turning away. "Let's go, Florella." The fairy girl looked up at Talen with wide, watery eyes before jumping up and wrapping her arms around his neck.  
"Waah! Talen, you're so wonderful!" she bawled loudly as he carried her off.  
"There, there," he smiled awkwardly, patting her back. Fura watched the two of them with a satisfied smile on her face.  
"Beautiful, isn't it?" she murmured to Link as they jogged through Fura's "door".  
"His brain's turned to mush," Link snorted. "And I think it would be prudent to get out of here before what's-her-name down there sends every available soldier in the land after us."  
"You're an idiot," Fura sighed, rapping him across the skull with her knuckles.

Link, Talen, Fura and Florella met up with Zelda and Sirrus in a hiding place not far from the Circle.  
"Florella! Talen!" Zelda squealed. "It's so good to see you again!" she hugged the pair of them in turn before turning to Link. "Link…just what was that magic you used? We saw from the main gate before coming around the back. Whatever it is, it's very powerful."  
"We can talk about that later," Sirrus grunted. "We need to get to the rendezvous point so we can escape across the desert. Now let's go!" The group began moving fairly quickly towards the city and, thankfully, managed to get back around the Circle before Sarissa's soldiers realized what they had done. But it didn't take them very long to find out and the six-strong group was soon dashing through the streets with a platoon of angry spear-wielding soldiers snapping at their heels. While Link was being carried over Talen's shoulder, he got an idea. Reaching into his tunic with some difficulty, he managed to get hold of his bomb bag.  
"Okay everyone, there's going to be a little bit of noise," he warned them before ripping off the fuse cap to one of the bombs and tossing it towards the pursuing soldiers. The black ball bounced a few times before detonating in front of the soldiers in a flash of light. The first rank was thrown back, but they were merely replaced by more of the persistent followers. Link frowned and began lobbing the rest of his bomb supply, successfully putting a good deal of men out of commission with shrapnel and burns.  
"Down this street!" Sirrus barked suddenly, veering off as the others followed him.  
"I'm all out of bombs," Link informed them, returning the bag to his tunic. "We need to slow them down."  
"Leave that to me," Talen grinned. As they ran past a particularly tall building, Talen aimed his palm at the ground and buckled the ground underneath the building's corner. The building toppled ponderously as they passed underneath it before it collapsed across the street with a vast rumble, sending dust and debris in all directions.  
"Hey! Warn someone the next time you think of doing that, Talen!" Fura snapped.  
"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "But they aren't coming that way anymore, see? They'll have to go around a whole block."  
"Well that buys us a little time," Sirrus grunted. "But it'll still be a close call. Hurry, we're almost there!" The group ran into a wide street that led up to a set of large wooden gates. A handful of guards patrolled it lazily, unaware of the chaos deeper in the city.  
"We have to get past those gates," Sirrus told them. Fura cracked her knuckles and chuckled to herself.  
"No problem," she grinned. The Gerudo smacked both of her wrists together and cupped her hands behind her. Then, after summoning up a ball of flame, threw the volatile sphere at the gates. The guards gave startled cries before the two large doors were ripped apart by a fiery explosion.  
"Let it never be said that I don't have a knack for opening doors," Fura sniffed, tossing her head. Once through the gates Talen ground to a halt and created a rock wall to prevent the guards and soldiers from following them out of the city.  
"Over here," Sirrus said, making for a rocky embankment. Behind it was a good sized caravan wagon with several desert horses tethered to it. Donta stood holding the reins with a sour look on his face.  
"About time you showed up!" the fat man snapped. "I don't want to be here when the guards arrive!"  
"Oh cool your hog-jowls, Donta. You can go after I've checked things first," Sirrus grumbled at the fat man before giving the wagon a quick once-over. Once satisfied with it, he motioned for everyone to jump on.  
"Let's hurry and put as much distance between us and this place as soon as possible," he frowned, looking beck at the city. "I'm never coming back here again." With that, he flicked the reins and moved the wagon off at a brisk pace.  
"We did it!" Florella almost cried. "I'm so happy to be out of that place."  
"You're right there," Talen breathed, collapsing onto his back under the wagon roof. "That city is like a canker on the land. I really wouldn't be all that concerned if it was invaded or something."  
"Goes double for me," Link muttered. "I mean, I was only there for less than a day and I was sick of it. Sirrus, where are we headed?"  
"The desert gives way to grasslands in a few days. We have plenty of provisions to last us the way before we get there. After that, it's Agora Town and it'll be there that I part ways with you," he told them.  
"What? Part ways…but why?" Link asked.  
"Kid, you gave me a chance to get out of the life I was stuck in and now I have to start making a new one. Agora is probably the best place for me to do that…you know I've always wanted to be a farmer?" he chuckled. "But enough of that. You kids get some sleep while I put some distance between us and the city, you've definitely earned it."

The crossing of the red desert was largely uneventful. No soldiers came after them across the burning sands and so excitement was at a minimum. As soon as they passed the boundary of the dark clouds, the hot air and sun hit them like a punch to the face. Sirrus didn't speak all that much and simply sat at the reins wearing a rather ridiculous sombrero to protect himself from the sun. The children, in the meantime, merely lay in the back of the wagon as the scorching hot air sapped them of strength.  
"At least it isn't humid," Link groaned from where he lay. "And thank God we've left those lava vents behind."  
"Oh it isn't so bad," Fura shrugged. "At least we have our health."  
"Easy for you to say; you've lived in a desert for your entire life," Link muttered. Fura grinned at him.  
"I know."  
"Someone please brush my hair," Zelda pouted. "Link, can you do it? The heat's making it go frizzy." Link opened his eyes and reached his hand up from where he lay.  
"Can't reach," he grunted, making grabbing motions. "Looks like you go without." Talen snickered slightly, but a quick glance from Zelda silenced him.  
"Well heat or not; this is the first time in a while that we've had a chance to relax. I, for one, don't care if it's hot or not. What matters is that we're starting to become our full number again," Florella said, folding her arms.  
"I'll have to agree with you on that one," Link yawned. "I even found myself missing your chunky little self."  
"And I even missed your snide little mouth. So tell us, where did you three end up?" They traded stories of what had happened to them after the Compass had scattered them. Zelda and Fura nattered on and on about the beautiful island and the flower-field were while Link whispered to Talen that all the girls did was lie around while he worked at building a raft. They told of how they were captured by the slavers and then how Link rescued Zelda before blowing the ship up by magnifying Fura's powers.  
"So the Key can magnify the magic of another by channelling it through your body?" Talen asked. "So that's why you were able to throw the Reaper like that! But…what about the power you used afterwards? Where did that come from?"  
"Don't look at me," Link said with a shrug. "I've got no idea."  
"Well then how did you know how to do it?" Zelda asked. Link scratched his head.  
"I dunno. The way to do it was just kinda…there- in the back of my mind. When I suddenly needed it; there it was. I knew what to do and how to do it," Link explained as best he could.  
"Sure was powerful though; you were able to kill that Reaper insect," Zelda said. "We saw it all happen and thought that it was actually attacking you…that is, until it started falling apart and you were left behind."  
"Maybe it was the Key," Link shrugged. "I mean, it has been doing weird things lately, like making me blow fire and grow rock over my arms."  
"I don't think so, Link," Florella said with a shake of her head. "That power definitely came from you. The Key didn't react to any outside influence during that battle; you defeated the Reaper with your own power."  
"Well I still don't understand it," the boy sighed, frowning.  
"I'll tell you what," Florella grinned. "I'll keep an eye on you and figure out what's happening. How does that sound?"  
"Yeah, whatever you think is best," Link shrugged, flopping onto his back yet again.  
"What's this? No complaints or arguments?" Florella asked in amazement.  
"It's too hot to fight with you at the moment. Maybe when it cools down I can start making fun of you some more, but right now I just want to lie here as quietly as possible and hope the heat forgets about me."

Nyara and Ark had been walking all day and the sky had begun to take on a pinkish hue, signalling the approach of sunset. Ark glanced at the Compass again for what he felt was the fiftieth time that day and, as always, it was still pointing in the same direction.  
"What a day," the boy groaned, rubbing the side of his face. "I feel like I'm going to fall apart."  
"Nyara tired too," the animal girl mumbled, walking along beside him. "We stop soon, yes?" Her tone was hopeful and Ark couldn't help but smile.  
"The next group of trees, Miss Nyara; there's bound to be wood for a fire there and it'll give us a bit of shelter." Nyara grinned broadly at the news and grabbed Ark's wrist before taking off at a full run towards the next clump of trees. Naturally, Ark stumbled along barely able to keep upright at the sudden movement.  
"Oh dear," he panted, collapsing onto his backside when they arrived at their destination. "Please warn me if you're going to do that again, Miss Nyara."  
"Nyara Sorry," she grinned sheepishly. "I get kindling for fire and Ark set up house-things."  
"House…? Oh, you mean the tents. Of course," Ark agreed as Nyara dumped both packs on the ground. She had been quite adamant in making sure that Ark wasn't carrying either pack, citing that he needed to look at the Compass. The boy had felt quite bad for letting Nyara do all the work, and even attempted to take one of the packs away from her. She merely looked at him and allowed her pupils to grow to their largest size, causing Ark to back away from her. He knew what that look meant; playtime for Nyara and much suffering for his ears.  
"Miss Nyara?" Ark called into the trees. "Do you want the bigger tent?" Nyara suddenly bounded out of the undergrowth with a bundle of sticks under her arm. She dropped them in a pile and quirked an eyebrow at him.  
"Why not use one tent only? Save time and effort," she told him. She watched as redness began to spread from his cheeks up to the tips of his ears.  
"I…Erm…" Ark stammered. Nyara laughed at him before slapping her hand against his back.  
"Nyara joking with Ark," she chuckled. "Nyara know Ark strange, so I sleep in small tent, Ark have big." The boy breathed a sigh of relief; he had not accidentally shocked the girl in some time and he didn't want to do it again any time soon. He got to work on pitching the tents as Nyara built the fire up and lit it with some flint found in one of the packs. Once the fire was burning merrily away, Ark dished out some food for dinner and was promptly set upon by Nyara, who proceeded to feed him with great delight. She released him before downing her own meal in a matter of seconds and sat cleaning her hands while Ark recovered from his ordeal. As uncomfortable as he found it, Ark couldn't bring himself to stop Nyara from feeding him. She took that job very seriously and the boy suspected she might get upset if he told her and besides; in the grand scheme of things it wasn't all that bad. It was even quite comforting to know that there was someone willing to fuss over him so much. He frowned and looked up at the stars in the night sky.  
"I must say I'm glad that we got out of that dead forest; I really don't like lots of water," Ark said absently. Nyara paused midway through licking at the pompom fur around her wrists.  
"Why does Ark not like water?" she asked curiously. "Water fun; can swim and play in it."  
"I don't know, Miss Nyara," he sighed. "I just don't. There are many things I'm afraid of or don't like. Water's something I really don't like."  
"And what is Ark afraid of?" she asked intently. The boy shifted a little uneasily.  
"Well…" he started apprehensively. "I'm afraid of…you can't tell anyone about this, but I'm afraid of…the dark." Nyara blinked.  
"Ark afraid of dark?"  
"Yes, Ark afraid of dark," he sighed bitterly. "I've always been afraid of it. Sometimes I find it had to breathe like…it's going to swallow me up; wipe my existence away…leave me all alone."  
"Ark shouldn't be scared of dark," Nyara told him. "Dark is just when light not around. Dark no can hurt Ark."  
"I suppose…" Ark frowned. "But I just can't…shake off bad feelings I get when it's dark."  
"And Ark no worry about being alone 'cause that never happen; Ark so nice that Nyara always stay with Ark. If Ark ever lost, just call to Nyara. Nyara hear Ark and smell Ark wherever he is and come find. Nyara done it before and Nyara do it again." She grinned at him, showing off her pointed incisors. Ark gave her a tired smile and yawned as the heat of the fire dulled his senses.  
"Mm," Ark mumbled sleepily. The two continued conversing until they each retired to their respective tents as, unbeknownst to the both of them, a young black-haired girl sat in the upper branches of the tree, watching.

"Ow! That hurts!" Link shouted as Fura poked him in the ribs. She gave him an irritated look.  
"Oh hush, you big baby. And no wonder you're so sensitive; look at this bruising!" she told him pointing at the dark brown mark across his side.  
"Stop telling me off and hurry up and finish," Link grumbled. "This is probably stretching out the neckhole on my tunic."  
"Stop making up weak excuses," Fura told him. "It was made with this in mind." She was referring to the way Link's tunic neck had been opened up as far as it could go so that it would slide down his torso to leave it bare. The boy flinched away as Fura poked him again.  
"Stop hitting me!" Link wailed.  
"What!?" Fura exclaimed. "How can you call that a hit!? You're being a baby, sit still so I can take a look at you."  
"Why don't you just get Florella to do this instead? She's a lot gentler than you are!" Link snapped.  
"Oh for the love of…she was doing this until you accused her of physically abusing you!"  
"She was trying to maim me!" Link said defensively.  
"She had to look at you in order to know what to heal, nimrod! Now you're just going to have to make do with me while she looks at Talen." Link grumbled a few choice oaths under his breath. Florella told him that he could suffer through getting better the old fashioned way instead of through her magic after he had kicked up such a huge stink.  
"Really, Link," Fura sighed, smearing ointment over his bruises. "I pity what Saria's had to put up with whenever you got sick."  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Link asked indignantly.  
"Your bedside manner stinks!" she told him, pulling his tunic back up. "That's why Zelda and I drew straws to see who'd do this for you."  
"You could have just left it alone," he muttered. Fura snorted and cuffed the back of his head.  
"You would have just left it until it had gotten worse. We didn't have a choice." Link frowned and squirmed slightly.  
"My tunic's sticking to my skin," he mumbled.  
"Oh poor you," Fura sighed. "Just be thankful I didn't roast you for being so obnoxious." Link made a face at her as she turned around to put the ointment back inside its case.  
"You know," Zelda said from across the wagon. "Aside from the bumping and Link's complaining…this isn't so bad. Though it would be better if we had everyone here."  
"I'm sure they're fine," Talen said as Florella finished fussing over him. "Nyara, Impa and even Ark can fend for themselves. Since we ended up with at least one other person, I'm sure Saria did too; she's in very capable hands."  
"I guess you're right, but still…I miss them."  
"I do too," Florella smiled. "Ark's such a dear…unlike someone." She glanced at Link as he scratched at his sore ribs and got ointment stuck to his fingers. He wrinkled his nose before wiping his fingers clean on the front of his tunic.  
"Oh…Link," Zelda groaned.  
"What?" he asked. His companions sighed collectively.

"_Though his faults spread far and wide,  
__A caring heart he cannot hide,"_

Florella rhymed off. Link rolled his eyes and then grinned.

"_Our escape went off with minor hitches,  
__But now I'm stuck with three old witches."_

Talen snorted through his nose, causing Link to do the same and the two were soon chuckling inanely.  
"Bruises or not; you're a dead man!" Fura growled, bowling him over. The two of them began wrestling around the floor of the wagon, knocking over supply boxes and making an all-round mess. Zelda rubbed her temples and groaned.  
"Just like the good old days," Florella sighed as she held Talen by the ear.

Saria and Impa had finally crossed Lake Ara and were journeying on foot along a dusty road towards a small town that Impa knew of.  
"It's a quiet little place called Dall. The people there are mostly farmers and such, but they're very hospitable and friendly," Impa told the Kokiri. "From there we can think about where we can head next."  
"I wonder if Link's looking after himself?" Saria sighed. "Well probably find him covered in filth and dirt and he…won't have brushed his hair!" Impa smiled to herself.  
"I'm sure that he's fine, wherever he is. If any of the others are with him I'm sure he'll stay in line."  
"He'll answer to me if he doesn't," Saria grumbled. "Oh I just hope all of them are all right!"  
"Calm yourself, Saria," Impa told the girl, resting a hand on top of her head as they walked. "I'm worried about Zelda just as you are worried about Link. But I have confidence that wherever she may be, she's looking after herself." Saria sighed and slumped her shoulders.  
"You're right. Link may be an idiot sometimes, but he knows how to look after himself."  
"That he does, Saria. Now let's pick up the pace a little, we can reach Dall by nightfall if we hurry."  
Saria and Impa arrived at Dall Village with aching legs. Dall was fairly small and had pastures surrounding it, bar the road the led straight through the middle. The houses were small thatched-roof cottages and a single inn was situated in the middle of the village. The sun was just dipping over the horizon as Impa and Saria stumbled through the door of the homey looking building.  
"Oh! Visitors," smiled the innkeeper as she glanced up from a book she was reading. The woman was wearing a plain dress, much the same as the one Malon wore back at Lon-Lon Ranch. "Would you like a room?"  
"Yes thanks," Impa said. "Just one for me and the girl."  
"And how many nights will you be staying?"  
"We aren't sure just now, is that all right?" Impa asked her.  
"No problem at all," the woman smiled. "You can pay when it comes time to leave." Impa nodded and followed the woman up a flight of stairs to the guest floor. She opened the door and showed them in.  
"Here's your room and there's a communal bathhouse across the street that you can use. If you have any problems just come downstairs and tell me about it and either my husband or myself can take care of it."  
"Thank you," Impa said with a nod. "You are most kind." The woman gave her a dimpled smile before leaving the Sheikah and Saria alone in the room.  
"It's quite a nice place," Saria mused.  
"That it is. I like this place." They stood in silence for a while, not really saying anything.  
"Bath?" Saria asked suddenly.  
"Absolutely."

"Bath."  
"Absolutely not!" Link snorted, folding his arms across his chest.  
"Link, when was the last time you had a proper wash?" Zelda asked him pointedly. The boy swiveled his eyes up, then to the right before looking back at the Princess.  
"I can't remember," he mumbled.  
"It was on that island, you had a bit of a splash around in the water. Now go bathe, now," she said rather firmly. Link rolled his eyes. It was their second night in the desert and they had camped out by an oasis. Sirrus had already gone to sleep leaning up against a date palm even though it was still late afternoon.  
"We'll toss you in if you don't go willingly," Zelda said with slightly more edge to her voice.  
"If I go down I'm taking you with me," he told her. "I'll go in my own time."  
"No, you'll go before it gets dark," Zelda said, rubbing her temples. "Fura!" The Gerudo stood from where she was sitting with Talen and Florella and walked over.  
"He being difficult?" she asked.  
"Was there ever any doubt?" Zelda sighed. "Toss him in."  
"Hey! I'm going!" Link told the pair indignantly. "Just let me get accustomed to the water first." He stood at the edge of the rock and looked down. The oasis had a rather large rock sticking out over it at an angle and looked to be perfect for jumping in.  
"Ooh," he frowned. "This'll take a while. Mental preparations and all."  
"Fura," Zelda muttered.  
"Already there," the redhead grinned, lining up for an almighty shove. Just as she lunged forwards, Link suddenly zipped up above her head with the Key and, unfortunately for the Gerudo, she went right inbetween the straps that kept the boy in the air. She stopped at the water's edge and swung her arms to stay upright as she overcommitted herself to the push she thought Link would receive. The boy lowered himself down behind her and tucked his feet into the small of her back while still balancing with the Key.  
"Don't you dare!" she hissed. "I'm serious! I'll kill you!" Link shrugged.  
"Meh, I've died once, what's one more time?" With that he pushed his feet out and sent Fura face-first into the water with a grin on his face. Zelda snuck up behind him and went the shove, but he bounced over her head and landed behind her before picking her up under her arms.  
"No! Don't you dare! Link! Stop, please I…eeeeek!" Zelda squealed as the boy tossed her rather unceremoniously into the water where Fura was splashing angrily about.  
"Funny," Link frowned, looking at the pair. "I thought that water dissolved witche- hey!" He was cut off as Talen picked him up by the Key around his neck.  
"Sorry Link, but Florella insists and I'm, well, kinda obliged to do what she says," he said apologetically.  
"No! Traitor! She's a woman; an enemy! They'll tear me apart!" Link wailed, thrashing around wildly. Talen held him out over the water as Fura and Zelda waited below like hungry crocodiles.  
"Remember Zelda," Fura laughed wickedly. "The killing must last as long as possible." Talen let go and Link screamed.


	15. Something Big

**Chapter 14 – Something Big**

Ark had a pleasant, dreamless sleep and woke quite early in the morning. He yawned and begun pulling his clothes on and opening the tent-flap.  
"Ark get up!" Nyara shouted at the same instant as the boy poked his head out of the tent. He gave a startled yelp and fell over backwards as Nyara winced and looked down at him with a frown.  
"Oogh," he groaned, not quite ready for such a boisterous wake-up call that came a little too late. Nyara blinked and stood over him.  
"Ark all right?" she asked, holding out her hand. He took it and she hauled him to his feet.  
"Yes, I'm all right Miss Nyara. You just startled me is all," he told her, stepping out of the tent after her. The sun had not yet risen over the cliffs they had descended the previous day and the valley was shrouded in a ghostly mist. Aside from that, the sky was clear and it looked like being quite a nice day.  
"Let's get something to eat before heading off," Ark said, pulling some bread from his pack. Nyara wolfed her share down and Ark did his best to do the same, lest she feed it to him like the previous night. Once breakfast was out of the way, the two of them packed the tents away and shouldered their packs for another day of walking. Ark checked the Compass and, after seeing that it was still pointing in the same direction, they set off across the misty valley floor. Nyara began to whistle a jaunty little tune as she went along, interspersing it with humming and trilling in her usual upbeat way. To Ark it seemed that Nyara was always jubilant; humming along when she walked with a smile etched almost permanently on her face. Ark, for the life of him, couldn't figure out why she seemed so attached to him. He wasn't the bravest of people by far and not particularly athletic; in fact by most standards he was fairly skinny. Plus his fringe, since being cut, stuck up in long and feathery tufts half way along the front of his head. It seemed that nothing he or anyone else did could make it go down; even Nyara's licking it had no effect.  
"What Ark thinking about?" Nyara asked suddenly, breaking out of her song.  
"Huh? Pardon?" Ark blinked.  
"What Ark thinking about? You frown like this when thinking," Nyara told him, imitating his expression in a slightly exaggerated way.  
"Nothing in particular, Miss Nyara. Just thinking about things," Ark replied. "A lot has happened to us." Nyara nodded and seemed to drop the matter, returning to her trilly little song that Ark found strangely comforting.

"Well I think things turned out rather well," Link said to Talen as he dried himself off. "Even though your true colours have shown, you treacherous worm."  
"What would you have done in my situation? If I hadn't have done what Florella told me to, we'd both be suffering," Talen objected. Link sighed.  
"You're right, Talen. You're forgiven for your misdeeds under the circumstances," Link told his friend, patting him on the shoulder before yanking his still-damp tunic back on.  
"You do realize that they're going to be royally ticked off with you when the three of them get out of there," Talen reminded him.  
"I've got pleeenty of time; they'll be getting sand out of their hair for a good while yet." The two of them shared a laugh before sitting down inside the wagon.  
"You're really getting the hang of that Key," Talen told his friend. "I've never seen the girls so surprised before."  
"Hah! It was the power of justice that smote those witches down into the churning water below! Maybe it'll melt them if we're lucky," Link snickered, folding the straps behind him in such a way that he could lean back on them. He grinned to himself as he recalled what had happened: Talen had dropped him down into the water of the oasis where Fura and Zelda lurked ready to pounce. Since the oasis was quite deep underneath him, Link pin-dropped into the surface and shot down underneath the two girls. As they looked down below to find him, he suddenly burst out of the water using the Key as stilts. Fura growled something and tried to climb one of the straps, but sending a ripple through it knocked her off and back into the water. He had then lengthened the straps even further, angling himself back onto the rock before withdrawing the straps back to their regular lengths. He waved to Zelda and Fura while the two of them shouted challenges at him to face them, but he thought better of it and walked over to where Florella was frowning at him. Just as she was about to magic him back into the water, he bound her up with the straps before sending her into a high arc into the air and straight down into the water. Then, getting an even better idea, Link walked back to the rock and looked down at the three cursing females before sending the rings into the water and spiraling them around furiously. The water churned and clouded with sand, washing the girls this way and that, mixing sand into their clothes and hair. Deciding that enough was enough, Link gave them a cocky wave before bounding away. Many cursings and threats followed his retreat.  
"Hey Link," Talen asked suddenly.  
"Mm?" Link murmured.  
"After you get dismembered, can I have all of your stuff?"

"Ark look!" Nyara told him suddenly, grabbing his face and pointing it towards what she had seen. "Houses way over there!" Ark allowed his vision to be directed by the excited Nyara. He squinted and saw the vague outline of a small settlement on the horizon.  
"Oh thank goodness," Ark sighed in relief. "We can find out where in the world we are now!"  
"And it be good for Ark to sleep in warm bed; Nyara no want Ark to catch cold," she told him, rubbing her finger underneath her own.  
"If we hurry I bet we can make it by afternoon…without running all the way, Miss Nyara," Ark said a little fearfully as the animal girl's ears twitched at the word "hurry". Her ears drooped and she pouted.  
"Ark no fun," she mumbled, kicking up some turf. "Ark need to play more if Ark want to live right." Ark blinked. Live right?  
"Miss Nyara, what do you mean?" Ark asked as they continued walking. Nyara put on a look of smug superiority.  
"If Ark listen good, then he learn lots from Nyara," she told him, tapping the side of her nose. "If Ark stay serious all the time, he only half-alive."  
"Half alive?" he asked.  
"Is Ark happy?" she asked him intently. "That what I mean. Ark need to be happy to be fully alive."  
"Well…I guess I'm happy. Do I not seem happy to you? I know I may seem a little…reserved but-"  
"No, no, no," Nyara told him. "Nothing to do with way Ark is polite-quiet boy; Nyara like Ark very much like that and he shouldn't change."  
"Then what are you trying to tell me?" Ark asked, confused.  
"Ark need to find what make him most happy; happy more than letting other people eat his food. When Ark find what make him most happy, then he be very alive." Ark furrowed his brow at what Nyara had said.  
"You're remarkably philosophical, Miss Nyara," he told her. "Has anyone ever told you that?"  
"Ark is first," she grinned. "Nyara's people take pride in looking after soul. Nyara help Ark with his because he struggle a bit." She grinned at him again, wider this time with the full teeth treatment. Nyara's personality was certainly unlike any other he had come across and her near-perpetual good mood was contagious. Ark grinned back at her, feeling somewhat foolish. Ark had always assumed that he knew everything there was to know about himself; he was him after all. But Nyara's words had struck an odd note; alive? Ark knew that he was alive, his beating heart and the very fact that he was moving about confirmed that…but Nyara spoke of something else; a different meaning to the term "alive". There was always an odd feeling of incompleteness present in the back of Ark's mind…perhaps finding what Nyara spoke of would fill that incompleteness. He certainly felt more confident that it was the case when he was around her. As Ark continued to mull things over in his mind, he unconsciously stepped a little closer to the girl as she whistled a spirited little tune.

Link yawned tiredly and closed his eyes, the shadow creeping along the canvas wall of the wagon going unnoticed by him. Fura poked her head into view and, after assuring Talen's silence by drawing her finger across her neck like a dagger, pounced on Link and proceeded to tie him up with a length of rope. Anticipating his attempted escape with the Key, she grabbed the twin straps and used them to bind his hands behind his back. He thrashed around for a while as Fura stood back to admire her handiwork.  
"Hey! This isn't fair!" Link protested, the two metal rings of the Key flapping uselessly near his wrists.  
"What do you know about fair?" Fura snorted. "The Key gives you an unfair advantage. I'm merely evening things out." Link barred his teeth and tried to break free of the ropes, much to Fura's amusement. He quickly turned to Talen.  
"You betrayed me again! You coward! How can you call yourself a man!?" Link demanded.  
"Hey, I'm not stupid," Talen laughed.  
"So the world shows its fangs, huh?" Link grumbled. "Who would ever have thought that one of my most trusted friends would leave me to rot? A pox on you, Talen!"  
"Oh stop being so overdramatic you little weasel," Fura sighed. "You soaked us through and got us all sandy. If you were any other boy…with the exception of Talen maybe…you'd be a cinder by now." Link didn't look too relieved and neither did Talen.  
"You two can come in now. The subject has been subdued!" Fura called. Zelda and Florella came stalking into the wagon with smirks on their faces.  
"And so they've come to finish me off. What a way to go," Link moped. The three girls were still in their clothes which had obviously been dried by Florella. The three of them looked slightly ominous standing with their backs to the fading light, especially Fura, whose odd horn-like headdress and choice of clothing made her look oddly demonic. She cracked her knuckles and grinned at him.  
"What are you planning to do?" Link asked a little fearfully.  
"We're going to have some fun while Florella has a look at you," Zelda told him haughtily.  
"What do you mean by "fun"?" Link asked suspiciously. Zelda and Fura both produced two little bottles which they held out for Link to see. He blinked at the labels.  
"N-no! You can't do that to meeeeeeee!"  
"You're going to look very pretty," Florella chuckled darkly.  
"Stop thinking so much," Florella told Link in a slightly irritated tone as she probed into his mind. "It's getting hard to move around."  
"Well maybe I should take some lessons from you then!" Link snapped, receiving a knuckle across the back of his head. "You still haven't told me what you're doing back there." Florella sighed and let go of either side of his face and rubbed her temples.  
"I'm looking for any clue as to what that power was that you used. From the looks of things it seems that it was a type of dark energy; perhaps a side effect from using the Fierce Deity's power to fight Gedinia. Whatever it is, it's very powerful and I want to find out as much as possible." Link muttered something of a grudging agreement; he too was curious as to how he was able to use such a strong type of magic.  
"Fine," he grumbled. "But is that really necessary!?" He glared at Fura and Zelda, causing the two to look up and grin at him.  
"But you look so pretty like this," Fura giggled, holding up his foot. Link's face nearly slid off the front of his head. The contents of the little bottles that Fura and Zelda had shown him before was, in fact, nail polish. Pink nail polish. Pink nail polish which was being liberally used on every nail on both of his feet with his fingers soon to follow.  
"Good God I'll never live this down…grrr, Talen! You'll pay for this, you coward!" Link shouted, his bindings preventing him from running over to exact some sweet justice upon his friend. Talen yawned and rolled over having since decided to turn in for the night.  
"Whatever you say, Link," he mumbled, chuckling slightly. "Try not to break a nail."  
"Damn you all! Four against one is hardly fair!" Link blared, shaking his head.  
"Oh keep still!" Florella tutted, grasping his head again and closing her eyes. "Just relax and try not to think about how attractive you're going to be."  
"Ergh! Be quiet you impudent shrew!" Link snapped. "I never did anything as bad as this! You're all a bunch of conniving cheats!"  
"Well I'm starting to think that the magic you used was actually your mood, Link," Zelda said, rolling her eyes.  
"Well I'm done here," Fura announced, admiring Link's cherry-pink toenails.  
"Me too," Zelda said, admiring her own handiwork. They looked at each other and then Link before grinning like cats.  
"No! Leave my fingers alone! Somebody help meeeeeeee!"

Ark and Nyara arrived in the small town just as night was falling. The two were quite tired and practically staggered into the first inn they found. Ark fumbled briefly inside his cloak and brought out his wallet to pay for a room for himself and Nyara. Once the transaction was complete, the two tired travelers loped up a flight of stairs and entered their room. It was a comfortable looking room; practically bare, but with a picture on the wall and a nice view of the rolling fields covered in waist-length grass. Nyara poked around inside the only piece of furniture in the room; a cupboard, and brought out two bedrolls before rolling them out on the floor.  
"Oh dear," Ark groaned, dumping his pack and collapsing onto his bedroll. "I'm exhausted."  
"Nyara's feet getting worn out and I don't even wear shoes," Nyara mewed, following Ark's example.  
"We'll find out where to go…in the morning…sleep now…so tired," Ark mumbled, his eyes closing steadily. By the time he drifted off, Nyara was already snoring away, sprawled on top of her blanket instead of under it like Ark was with his. And so it was that neither of them noticed the figure floating outside the window with a devilish grin on its face and a look of malevolence in its piercing red eyes.

Morning arrived in the desert and Link found that the wagon was already moving. He had an odd feeling that something big was going to happen before the day was through. Nothing big, big; more…important big. He found that, once again, he was sandwiched between Fura and Zelda, though their contrasting body temperatures were not quite as bad as the other times he had woken between them. He sat up in the gently rocking wagon and looked around to see Talen sprawled on his bedroll with Florella lying propped against his back. The two of them were sleeping fitfully, blissfully unaware of anything going on around them. Link sighed and looked down at his feet and hands, more specifically, at the cherry pink fingernails and toenails that were currently his.  
"Stinky witches," he grumbled, rising carefully. He lifted his cap momentarily to find Navi snoring away inside of it. He pulled it back over his head and poked his head out to where Sirrus was at the reins.  
"I see you've woken up," Sirrus said in his usual quiet manner. "You sure do look pretty today."  
"Oh shut up," Link muttered darkly, hiding his hands. "How long have we been moving for?"  
"A few hours at least. I wanted to cover some distance before the sun came up." Link looked over at the orange horizon to where the sun was about to rise. He grunted something and went back to where the others were sleeping. He nudged Zelda and Fura awake with his foot, the two of them mumbling and groaning tiredly.  
"Wake up, you two," Link told them. "You'll miss the sunrise." As if it were some magic word, the two of them became fully awake and excitedly popped their heads out of the wagon.  
"Ooh!" Zelda breathed. "It's almost as pretty as Link!"  
"Oh God, shut up!" Link grumbled irritably. "You'll get yours, all of you. Then we'll see who's laughing!"  
"Of course, Link," Fura said, patting him on the cheek. Link grit his teeth and threw his arms in the air, stalking back inside as the two girls sat and watched the sunrise. He sighed and sat down with his legs crossed so that he could scratch the nail polish off with the head of an arrow.  
"Oh, you'll wreck your nails doing that," Florella said disapprovingly, having woken to find Link scratching away. He looked over at her and frowned.  
"I'd rather have busted nails than pink ones. Feel free to wiggle your fingers to make it go away, but if not, let me get back to my scratching." Florella giggled slightly and looked at Talen as the boy continued to sleep on through the noise of Link's grumbling and cursing as he accidentally pricked himself with the arrow. Florella rolled her eyes and then looked thoughtfully at him.  
"What?" he asked, putting the arrow down.  
"You know, it was strange last night. I wasn't able to get any good idea of how you were able to use that magic. I couldn't even sense anything much out of the ordinary," Florella frowned.  
"What was out of the ordinary?" Link asked.  
"Oh there's something there all right, I just don't know what it is yet. It feels oddly, well, odd I suppose. Oh well, I'll work it out eventually," she shrugged, stretching her legs out and wiggling her toes. "What are Fura and Zelda doing?"  
"Huh? Oh, they're watching the sunrise," Link shrugged, resuming his scratching.  
"Heeh!" Florella squeaked. "You should be watching it with them…and I should be watching it with Talen!" She turned around and began to shake Talen gently, asking him to wake as she did so.  
"Oogh," the boy groaned. "Oh…leave me alone. The sun isn't even up yet."  
"I know!" Florella said almost desperately. "Please watch it with me Talen! It'll be so nice!" Talen whimpered something and sat up, rubbing at his eyes.  
"Aww, jeez," he mumbled. "Okay, come on then." Florella whooped in delight and skipped over to where Zelda and Fura were watching the sunrise.  
"You come over here too, Link," Florella told him. "Watch the sunrise."  
"But I'm busy!" Link protested.  
"You can de-beautify yourself later, you can only see sunrises once a day!" Florella insisted.  
"Yeah, come on! It'll be nice!" Fura wheedled.  
"Euh!" Link grumbled, dropping the arrow. "Give me strength!" He muttered himself over and squeezed in between the Gerudo and the Hylian Princess to watch the much-hyped sunrise.  
"I should have just let all of you sleep through it," Link muttered, squinting as the sun popped over the distant hills. The girls ignored him, oohing and aahing in delight. Link and Talen exchanged looks and shook their heads while the former made retching motions.  
"You're ruining the atmosphere!" Fura snapped suddenly, noticing Link's little pantomime. She rapped him smartly across the head with her thick golden wristbands.  
"Ow! That hurts!" Link yelped, rubbing his head.  
"Oh don't such a baby," Fura snorted. "Sit and be still." She put an arm around his neck and crushed him close, eliciting choking noises from the boy.  
"Honestly you two! You're like a pair of bickering children!" Zelda sighed exasperatedly. She pinched Fura's arm and made her release her hold on Link. "You need to be gentle and caring." She hugged him lightly and patted his hair like she would a little animal. Fura rolled her eyes as Zelda continued to pet a disgruntled looking Link as he half-lay against her in a rather uncomfortable looking position. Florella smiled in a satisfied kind of way.  
"What a lucky guy. And to think; you get to be my patient after this!" she laughed.  
"What! Why?" Link demanded.  
"I haven't finished trying to figure out what's happened to you yet. Oh it'll be just like playing doctor!" Link's expression became a pained one.  
"Haven't I suffered enough?" he asked. Florella put on a nauseatingly cute expression.  
"Oh you silly-billy! If you're a good patient then I'll get rid of your trendy nail polish so you don't scratch your nails away completely." Link narrowed his eyes and looked from his hands to Florella.  
"Deal."

The wagon and its occupants trundled along until Sirrus pointed out a ridge in the distance.  
"Look," he told them. "That's Agora Ridge. Once we cut through the pass we'll be in the grasslands outside Agora Town. From there you can get to Alujah City; a place I recommend you visit if you want to find your friends again."  
"Hmm, I've heard of that place," Zelda frowned thoughtfully. "It's a big place, isn't it?"  
"Very big. They hold a big festival there every year to celebrate the start of summer,' Sirrus told her.  
"All this talk of festivals is getting me homesick," Florella moaned. "As soon as we get the chance, we're all going to Windhill in time for the Spring Festival. I will not miss it; it won't even happen without me!"  
"Eat a stick of butter and calm down, Florella. We'll make it in plenty of time I'm sure," Link told her offhand. "We're on a different part of the planet right now and back home the surrounding regions are still in winter. By the time spring rolls along we'll be back in Windhill with me in a shield and Talen hiding in the dirt."  
"Hey," Talen said, a trifle hurt. Florella looked darkly at the pair of them.  
"You're such a pair of toads every year at that festival. The person I'm marrying should be very excited about it!"  
"I am excited about it, Florella," Talen told her. "I just don't show it very well."  
"You've got that right," the fairy grumbled. It took them a good couple of hours to reach the pass; a narrow gap that went straight through the middle of the ridge to the grasslands on the other side. Sirrus slowed the wagon and approached it steadily.  
"Be on your guard; bandits sometimes rob people as they come through here. They shouldn't be too much trouble for us, but stay alert all the same," he cautioned them. Zelda went into the interior of the wagon with Florella while the other readied their weapons.  
"Everyone ready?" Sirrus asked over his shoulder. "Let's go!" He flicked the reins and the wagon accelerated, thundering through the pass. From behind a boulder ahead of them came half a dozen scruffy-looking men armed with rusted weapons ranging from short swords to daggers. Another twelve men lined the top of the pass on either side with the same assortment of weapons. A handful jumped down on top of the wagon and brandished their weapons menacingly.  
"I'll take those ones," Fura grinned, cracking her knuckles. "Time for a barbeque!" She began shooting liberal amounts of flame up at the bandits, either setting them on fire or forcing them to leap from the moving wagon.  
"Talen and I will take care of the ones up ahead. They could injure the horses if we try to go through them," Link told Sirrus. "Navi, come on!" The fairy zipped out from under his cap and quickly formed his wings. He grabbed Talen by the back of his clothing and took off towards the bandits in front of them. Flying high, he dropped Talen into the midst of them, the smith landing with a thump and scattering the rowdy mob. Link landed next to him and drew his sword, quickly meeting with the weapon of one of the assailants. He parried the initial thrust of the short sword before cleaving it neatly in two with a sword-spin, leaving the man without any means of fighting. He fled. Another tried to sneak up behind him, but the straps came to life and the rings struck the man in the chest, forcing him through the air and into the wall of the pass with a dull thud, knocking him out cold. As Link withdrew the straps, a third bandit came at him with an axe. He swung it twice, with Link barely managing to duck out of the way each time. The third stroke banged off the hard surface of his highly polished shield, throwing the man off balance. Link took the opportunity to gash the man's arm, prompting him to drop his weapon in pain before being sent flying courtesy of the Key. Talen took care of the other three very easily. He grabbed two of them by their necks and cracked their heads together before tossing them aside, while the third man received a jaw-breaking blow, courtesy of Talen's stone-covered fist. The wagon rumbled past and Link quickly Took to the air with Talen and landed back on the slightly scorched roof. They climbed down and ducked inside to where Fura, Zelda and Florella were waiting.  
"Everybody all right?" Link asked. He received an affirmative from the three girls. "Good. Well that wasn't too much trouble now, was it?"  
"Nice little fight," Talen agreed. They looked out of the back of the wagon as the battered bandits picked themselves up and limped away. Link frowned suddenly. While the event that had just occurred was by no means run of the mill, he still felt that something was still going to happed before the day was out. He tried to shake the feeling off without much success and could all but frown as they left the red desert behind.

An eerie melody drifted through the night air, penetrating the closed window of the inn and whispering about the room. It was rather simple and played by some kind of flute with three ascending noted followed by three descending ones, the pitch changing afterwards and repeating. Ark's eyes opened slowly and he stared blankly at the ceiling, his pupils nonexistent in his green eyes. He stood slowly, his mouth open slightly, and walked over to the door, opened it, stepped through and closed it quietly behind him so as not to wake Nyara. The music continued to play, tugging at his ears and drawing him along the corridor, down the stairs and out the front door of the inn. He moved in a kind of shuffle, as if he were in a trance, out into the long grass of the field. He kept going straight until he reached a single, solitary tree in the middle of the field. The music seemed to be coming from somewhere around the tree, but where exactly was unknown to Ark in his zombified state. The music paused on a lonely, almost sorrowful note before fading out. A figure materialized in the air next to the tree.  
"Well, well, well. Ark, you do look really rather helpless like this, don't you?" the figure chuckled in a feminine voice. A ball of light appeared in the palm of the mysterious female, illuminating the area. Had anyone else been watching, it would have been plain to see that she was some kind of demon. She wore something resembling a tunic with red trimming around the edges of its dark green material. The shoulders flared out into spikes that flopped partly down her arms, as it did from the hips; forming a skirt out of the jagged material. Under the tunic she wore a black hose that appeared thicker around her thighs with yellow cuffs around her wrists. She wore a pair of soft looking shoes made out of the same material as her tunic, the tops of which flared out in the same spiky fashion as her sleeves and skirt. Her hair was not unlike Nyara's; more like a coarse, longer fur than actual hair. It was a bluish-silver colour and was rather short and spiky on top of her head and long and drawn into a jagged ponytail that ran halfway down her back. Her ears were quite large, a little wider than a Hylian's, but longer and covered with the same blue-silver fur of her hair. They were almost like Nyara's, though longer, sharper and at an angle that stuck out a little more on either side of her face. Her skin was a light green colour and her fingernails were pointed like claws. She grinned at him with pointed incisors not unlike Nyara's, her red eyes flashing in their pearl-white surroundings.  
"It's good to finally see you with my own eyes," she told him, landing softly on the ground. She sauntered up to him, an odd jingling sound coming from a pair of bell earrings hanging from her ears.  
"Not in the mood for talkin' eh? Oh, well I guess you can't," she said before breaking out in a boisterous laugh. She tapped her finger to the side of his head before folding her arms across her chest.  
"I've got a little favor to ask of you, Ark," she told him, grinning eerily. "You interested?" Ark nodded mutely.  
"Great! Well, I guess you can't do anything but what I say, since you're under my control." She laughed again and jumped into the air, floating beside Ark's head. She made a little show of checking to see if anyone was watching before cupping a hand to her mouth and whispering something to the boy. He stood there with the same blank expression on his face as the demon's instructions settled into his subconscious. She finished and floated back with another look of malevolence on her face.  
"Now toddle off to bed, Ark. That cat'll probably wake up before too long and raise one helluva stink in you aren't there. Toodle-oo! And remember, I'll be watching you…always!" The demon's body disintegrated into darkness that swirled away like a thick smoke, her laughter hanging in the air as Ark turned and walked obediently back to the inn.


	16. The Change

**Chapter 15 – The Change**

The wagon rolled along through the rippling fields of grass like a boat on a lake. In the distance lay Agora town; a small collection of buildings with the odd farmhouse sitting in the middle of a field. As they drew closer, smoke could be seen rising from the town and people were milling about all over the place.  
"Could they have come under attack?" Talen asked nervously.  
"Maybe they're burning off?" Fura shrugged.  
"No!" Florella squealed excitedly. "It's a fair! It'll have stalls and games and…! We're going!"  
"…To be bored out of our skulls," Link whispered to Talen. The pair shared a chuckle.  
"Well you can't avoid a fair in little towns like this," Sirrus murmured. "Me, I prefer to relax in a tavern with a nice cup of ale."  
"Can I sit and watch you drink said cup of ale?" Link asked hopefully.  
"You'll have to ask their permission first," Sirrus told him, indicating to the girls. Link looked over and saw the three of them watching the town as it drew closer, their eyes almost shining. He and Talen groaned and hung their heads.  
"I don't think we'll be allowed," Talen sighed. "Oh well, at least there should be some nice food there. What's a fair without some good old fashioned spit roasts and barbeques?"  
"An Agora fair, that's what," Sirrus chuckled.  
"Huh…what?" Talen grunted.  
"The whole place doesn't eat a thing that comes from an animal. No milk, no cheese," Link and Talen looked horrified as Sirrus leaned right in close. "And definitely no meat."  
"Now that sounds rather nic-"  
"Oh my God!" Link cried hoarsely. "It's some kind of…freak zombie town!"  
"There's nothing strange about eating only vegetable products, Link," Florella said reprovingly. "It can be very healthy and quite delicious."  
"W-wha-what about fruit? They got any fruit here?" he asked.  
"Fruit won't be ripe for a little while yet. Summer's only just arrived here, the fruit'll be ripe in a week or two…unless you count tomatoes as fruit, which they technically are," Sirrus shrugged.  
"Any plant that isn't sweet is a vegetable!" Link said firmly. "We have to avoid this town! Why do they only eat agricultural stuff? Have they been cursed?"  
"It isn't a curse, Link," Zelda sighed, rubbing her temples. "It's their way of life; just as yours is being the biggest pill you can be."  
"It's a full-time job, but this…this is…evil. Their zombie mind powers may have affected all of you, but Talen and I shall remain strong."  
"I dunno," Talen said. "Perhaps it won't be so bad…" Link slapped him across the face.  
"Get a hold of yourself man!" he barked.  
"S-Sorry," Talen stuttered. "I don't know what came over me."  
"Good God," Florella sighed. "I give up."

Ark awoke with a start with sweat pouring off his brow. He sat up and shook his head, holding it in his hand before looking around the room. Sun was streaming in through the curtained window and Nyara lay sprawled on her bedroll clacking her teeth and snapping at things in her sleep. Her tail flicked around and she twitched her foot, obviously chasing something in a dream.  
"Did I dream something last night?" Ark murmured out loud. He looked sharply out the window as if remembering something, but dismissed it as his imagination. He looked down at his sweat-drenched sheets and frowned.  
"As much as I hate to admit it; I need a bath," he sighed drearily. He gathered up his clothes and pulled them on before getting ready to go downstairs and ask the innkeeper about a bath. He stepped gingerly over Nyara, but wasn't quite able to make it as she suddenly woke up, saw Ark and promptly fought him to the ground.  
"Morning Ark!" she greeted him happily. "Did Ark sleep well?" Ark fought valiantly to free himself from the exuberant Nyara, but gave up since her grip was far too strong.  
"Yes, I had a good sleep Miss Nyara…I think. What about you?"  
"Nyara sleep very well. What Ark doing now?" she asked curiously.  
"I was on my way to ask about a bath, Miss Nyara. I think I need a wash."  
"Much easier if Ark lick clean. That how Nyara wash most of time," she frowned. Ark's look became slightly troubled.  
"I don't think I should do that, Miss Nyara," Ark winced. "I'll head off now. I won't be long."

The wagon rolled into Agora Town in the early afternoon to be greeted by a rather plump woman in an apron.  
"Ooh, visitors!" she said in a rather excited tone. Link hid behind Fura and the Gerudo rolled her eyes. "You've come in time for the county fair! You can leave your wagon at one of the inns and then come and join in the fun!"  
"Oh this is so nice!" Florella squealed. "Look at all the stalls! Look at all the games! Look at…everything!"  
"Hey," a little voice sneered. "Who are you?"  
"Mind your manner, Digley!" the plump woman scolded a rather chunky little boy. "They're guests in this town, so behave!" The boy had greasy black hair that was matted down over his head. He held a rope in one pudgy hand that was tied to a pig at the other end.  
"This is my pig," he sneered at them, Link and Talen in particular. "I'm gunna sell 'im the next time we go to Alujah!" Link opened his mouth to deliver, what was probably expected of him, a smart little response. Zelda, however, stamped on his foot and put on the sweetest smile she could muster.  
"Well it's a very nice pig, Digley," she said in a voice that was all honey. "I'm sure it'll sell very well."  
"Of course it will, what did you expect?" he sneered back at her.  
"Little br-" Zelda was silenced as Link pinched her in the arm. She whirled around and glared at him as Link grinned back at her.  
"Digley! What have I told you about being rude to visitors!? Come with me!" the woman snapped, grabbing the boy by the ear and hauling him off. He dropped the rope in pain and the pig wobbled off into the crowd.  
"Well aside from the fat kid, this place looks very nice," Fura said. "Let's go to the inn first and get a place to stay. Then we can have a look around the fair, right Li- Hey! Where'd he go?" The girls looked around and grew slightly irritated at the distinct lack of a male presence aside from Sirrus.  
"Oh, they've run off!" Florella huffed. "But Talen's forgotten about the ring! I'll find them."  
"And I'll go to that inn over there," Sirrus told them, pointing to a triple-storey building. "If you feel like resting, the rooms will be there."  
"Thank you Sirrus," Zelda said sweetly. Sirrus mumbled something in response and steered the wagon away.  
"Come on," Fura sighed. "Let's find them."

Ark had a very quick bath as he wanted to spend the least amount of time in the water as possible. He dressed quickly and hurried back to where Nyara was waiting for him, finding her running around the room chasing a fly that had buzzed in through the open window.  
"Ark back! Smell lots nicer too," she grinned. She sat on the floor and looked at him. "What we do now?"  
"I guess we just keep following the Compass," he shrugged, bringing the blue sphere out of his clothing. "Come on; let's get some more supplies and be on our way." The two of them bought things such as food and water from a small store before setting out on the road once more. As it had turned out; the odd trees they had wandered through in order to get to the village were, in fact, for harvesting. The townspeople's main source of trade was the timber collected from the small groves. They were harvested in a specific order so that the stock was always kept up and not used all at once. Nyara had in fact been right about there not being enough smells about in the trees; a solution devised by some of the townspeople seemed to blot out most scents, unnerving most animals and insects, keeping them away. Ark smiled to himself as he walked along beside Nyara; he was in high spirits, which was surprising considering their circumstances. Their journey had gotten somewhat easier since the Compass seemed to be pointing in the same direction as the road they were traveling along. Nyara moved in a sort of comical march, her tail swishing from side to side and her arms swinging backwards and forwards. And chuckled slightly at her and she responded by chasing him along the road, gnashing her teeth at him. She stopped eventually and laughed heartily at him before putting a friendly arm over his shoulder and half-dragged him along beside her.

"I'm starving," Link told Talen in an almost panicked voice. "If I don't eat something that hasn't come from a bean soon…I won't make it!"  
"Hang in there soldier," Talen said gravely. "We'll find something palatable in this sorry excuse for a fair." The two boys kept walking through the crowd with Link looking around in horror at the distinct lack of meat.  
"What the hell is wrong with these people!? Have they not heard of sausages? Chops? Steak? It's like I'm on another planet!" Link despaired. He filched a plate from a stall and sniffed at the contents. "Ugh! Carrot sticks? Celery? Augh! Is there anything here that didn't come out of the ground!?"  
"Can I interest you in some bean pudding, young lad?" an elderly woman asked Link as he bumped into her stall. Link jumped a foot in the air with a squawk. He turned as the woman thrust the bowl under his nose, going cross eyed as he looked down at the rather distasteful looking muck.  
"I think I'll pass thank you," He wheezed. He fled quickly with Talen trailing along behind him. "This is madness! I'm going to have to kill something and eat it! Possibly even a person…cannibalism is looking quite good right now." Talen seemed to be looking at something.  
"Hey…" he said slowly. "Isn't that the brat's pig?" Link peered over to what Talen was looking at; the rotund little pig that belonged to the rather rude boy that had bumped into them as they had arrived.  
"Can't be," Link said, shaking his head. "'Cause it looks an awful lot like a roast to me. Ready to eat, Talen?"  
"Get me a carving knife."

Ark and Nyara traveled for two more days, stopping to camp by the side of the road when it got dark and resuming their journey when morning came. As always, Nyara was in high spirits and took it upon herself to liven things up by singing and chattering away. Ark didn't mind at all, in fact; he welcomed it. Though Nyara's voice could sometimes take on a slightly catty lilt, it sounded really rather nice when she sung. Her songs didn't really have any words to them, but instead were just alterations in the pitch of her voice. All in all, Ark couldn't think of someone better to be paired with on a long journey. The boy sighed and flapped his hand in front of his face to try and cool himself down. The sun was directly overhead, blasting them with heat. Nyara didn't seem too affected, though the usual skip she held in her step was gone.  
"Hot," she croaked. "Nyara and Ark should probably rest and wait for afternoon before walking more."  
"I think you're right," Ark mumbled. "Over there, Miss Nyara. There's some shade." The two made their way off to the side of the road where a large boulder lay, providing them with a small patch of shade. They dropped their packs and slumped down against the boulder, letting out sighs of relief.

A group of men sat in the local tavern drinking mead along with Sirrus. The ex-slaver had made a few friends since arriving and was busy enquiring about setting up a farm. It was at that point that the door swung open and two figures stepped in.  
"Hey," the barman grunted. "Kids aren't supposed to be in here." Sirrus turned around, mildly interested and saw to his surprise that it was Link and Talen. The pair of them were holding a crate between them.  
"Just hear us out for one second," Talen said quickly. "We've got a rather nice offer here." The barman stayed quiet, but narrowed his eyes.  
"Now what have you men been eating lately?" Link asked, walking slowly around while Talen held the crate. The names of certain vegetable products were grunted off by the men. "And what have you eaten so far at this fair?"  
"Cooked tofu," one man said.  
"Bean curd," muttered another. Link's grin widened.  
"Well I can treat all of you to what no fair should be without…provided, of course, that all of you pitch in to help make a nice barbeque." By this time, all the men in the tavern were looking rather interested.  
"There's a rather interestin' smell comin' from that there crate," somebody said.  
"Talen," Link said. "Show them the goods." Talen stepped forward and opened the crate up to reveal pork chops, bacon and a few other pig-products. The men all leaned in, their eyes taking on an almost glazed appearance.  
"Is that…meat?" the barman asked, licking his lips. Link and Talen grinned at each other.

"Now Fura's wandered off!" Florella grumbled as she and Zelda walked through the crowd. They had decided not to chase the boys down straight away, but instead enjoy the fair without constant complaining in their ears at first. Florella and Zelda had stopped to play a game where the objective was to throw balls at a stack of milk bottles filled with sand. If all were knocked down then a prize was won. Unfortunately, neither one of them had good enough aim. When they had turned around to ask Fura to try, the Gerudo was nowhere to be seen.  
"I'm sure she's looking for Link and Talen," Zelda assured Florella. "They'll turn up sooner or later, probably filthy dirty." Florella murmured something in response before stopping. The rude boy, Digley, was wandering around calling out for his pig. It was also at that point that Florella noticed a faint scent on the breeze.  
"Do you smell that?" she asked Zelda.  
"Smell what?" the Princess asked. Florella narrowed her eyes.  
"My keen fairy-smell has detected the faint waft of…of…fat in the air."  
"Fat? Then that means…"  
"Somebody is cooking meat."  
"Three guesses where Link and Talen are and the first two don't count," Zelda snorted. Florella led the way through the crowd until they arrived at the front door to a tavern. Not bothering to care about what it would look like if two young girls entered, Zelda and Florella barged in to find it empty.  
"There's a door in the back," Florella said, pointing behind the bar. "Let's go." The two of them snuck up to it and peeked through.  
"Oh my God I don't believe it," the fairy said, shaking her head. Outside the door was a small, fenced-in yard. Link and Talen were standing in front of a sheet of metal that was positioned over the top of a fireplace in the middle of the little yard, surrounded by men. They were all eating away at what looked to be pork.  
"Don't be shy," Link grinned. "There's enough for all!"  
"Those cheeky little whelps!" Zelda huffed. "I'm going to have words with Link!" The door banged open and everyone froze. Zelda and Florella stood menacingly in the doorway, both staring daggers at Link and Talen.  
"Oh dear," Link gulped.  
"Busted," Talen grimaced.  
"Well I am very disappointed with the two of you!" Florella's voice rang out. She saw Sirrus trying to make himself look very small in the corner.  
"You too, Sirrus!" Zelda told him reprovingly. The man winced.  
"Well hey," a familiar voice said. "It's not as if they're doing anything bad." Zelda and Florella looked over to see Fura with very greasy fingers holding a plate of roasted pork.  
"Fura!" Florella gasped. "You too? I'm surprised at you!" The Gerudo looked slightly guilty, but then shrugged and continued eating.  
"You boys are in very big trouble!" Zelda said sternly. Link and Talen look at the two angry girls, then at the sizzling pork and then at the fence.  
"Run for it!" Link shouted. He and Talen bolted for the high fence and jumped over it with their respective abilities.  
"Hey! Come back here you cowards!" Florella raged.  
"Aww, give them a break," Fura told the irate girls as she licked her fingers. "It's not like they did anything terrible." Florella curled her lip as if she were going to say something, but settled into a grumpy silence.  
"Where'd they get the pig from anyway?" Zelda asked. Fura coughed uncomfortably.  
"Aah, erm…wait for me you two!" she called, scrambling over the fence.  
"Something tells me I don't want to know the answer to that question," Florella muttered. "Come on; let's try to enjoy ourselves before the day is through."

"Ark seem happy today. More than usual lately," Nyara observed.  
"Really?" he asked her in mild surprise. She tapped the side of her nose.  
"Nyara watching Ark. Always." Ark's eyes widened and his mind raced. Why was it that Nyara's words had struck him in such an odd way? He wracked his brain as if trying to remember some distant memory, but soon shook it off.  
"It's probably nothing," he sighed out loud. Nyara's ears twitched and she gave him a sidelong glance.  
"What nothing?" she asked.  
"Huh!?" He realized he'd said it out loud. "Oh, nothing's nothing, Miss Nyara." He hoped she'd drop it and, luckily, she did.

Link sighed and plonked himself down in the room he shared with Talen and Sirrus. It was late afternoon and he'd retreated to the relative safety of the inn after Zelda and Florella had tracked him and Talen down to give them one of the greatest ear-bashings they'd had in a long time. Their voices had rung like holy vengeance raining down from heaven high, instilling fear or perhaps just guilt into the boys. Talen, as some way of either groveling or making up with her, offered to take Florella around the fair in the twilight. She readily agreed and was soon skipping off, her anger since forgotten. Link wasn't so lucky. Zelda practically berated him into the ground and, when Link had said that Fura actually encouraged them to cook the pig, which she had; Zelda merely ignored it and said that it was him who was on trial. Link frowned as he recalled it all.  
"I guess I was kinda naughty," he admitted. He scratched absently at his sword arm and face as Fura came bustling into the room.  
"You're looking a little tired there, Link," she told him. "Perhaps you should go to bed early; a lot's happened in the past few days." Link yawned.  
"You're right there," he agreed. "I'm just glad Zelda didn't find out where we got the pig from." The door suddenly swung open and Zelda stepped in, her eyebrow arching.  
"My ears are burning; what were you just saying about me?" she asked with a smirk. Link jumped slightly.  
"Nothing!" he said a little too quickly. Zelda smiled warmly and sat down on his other side.  
"I just popped in to say sorry about being such an ogre before. You didn't do anything that bad; eating meat in an all-vegetarian village isn't a crime, right?"  
"I guess not," Link said carefully. "Are you up to something? Sorry to sound suspicious, but when any of you are like this you usually want something…"  
"Of course not!" Zelda said indignantly. She paused and looked at his face. "You're looking a bit drawn, Link. Maybe you should go to bed."  
"Come to think of it; you do look a bit run down," Fura told him with a frown.  
"I actually do feel a little bit off-colour. In fact I've been feeling a little strange ever since I woke up today. Maybe it's over-exertion," Link sighed. He yawned again.  
"Well goodnight then, we'll see you in the morning," Zelda told him. It was at that point that both of them leaned in and kissed his on the cheek at the same time. Link lurched slightly, an odd sensation passing through him. The itching in his arm and face increased. Fura and Zelda both left the room with little smiles playing about their lips. Link got up to move into his bed when a sharp pain suddenly replaced the itching.  
"What the-!" he started as his body began to shake. The pain was increasing exponentially until he began to shout and scream. The door slammed open and a very concerned looking Fura and Zelda appeared, the former holding her scimitars at the ready in case somebody was attacking.  
"Link! What's the matter?" Zelda asked, her voice thick with worry. "What's wrong?"  
"M-My arm! It's-!" he didn't finish as he let loose with another pain-filled wail. He clutched his hands to his head and threw it back. Fura and Zelda tried to calm him down, but he continued to scream. Suddenly, the two girls saw something that made their blood run cold. Link's arm was changing, and so was a part of his face. It was as if some strange black liquid was bleeding down his arm under the skin. His whole arm quivered as it gradually turned an impossibly deep, inky black colour that spread all the way to his fingertips. The same thing seemed to be happening up around the right side his face. From beneath his tunic, the same blackness was creeping up his neck and onto his face. It spread up and turned his ear completely black and made a great wedge-like triangular mark that ran across from just below his ear, over his jaw until the tip reached just under his eye. Navi was going ballistic. Link's screaming and shouting had woken her up and she was buzzing around him like she didn't know what to do. Link's pain seemed to be subsiding and he was starting to calm down. With a whimper, he dropped to his hands and knees and breathed heavily, sweat pouring off his face. Zelda and Fura were holding onto him like he was made of glass and they actually had tears in their eyes.  
"Oww…" Link groaned. He stood slowly with the help of the girls and held his face in his hand. He jerked it away suddenly when he saw what it had become. His whole arm was the blackest black he had ever seen; it didn't even look like it was made of flesh and bone anymore. The same went for the large mark across his face; it was as if they were both made of another substance. Fura and Zelda looked positively terrified, though they did not recoil at his appearance.  
"Wha-?" he breathed. "What is this?" He stared at his arm in terror.  
"I'll find Florella!" Fura told him. "Stay calm!" She shot out of the room as Zelda clutched his good arm tightly to keep him upright.  
"Oh Link," Zelda said in a voice thick with concern. "What's happened to you?"

Ark and Nyara sat for a good hour in front of the boulder, trying to keep out of the sun.  
"Nyara like sunny weather, but get too hot with lots of fur," she groaned, ruffling up her shoulders to get some air circulating through her coat. Ark pulled his cloak off and tugged at the neck of his top.  
"These clothes are a little hot too," he sighed. "Are you thirsty, Miss Nyara?" He held a water canteen out towards her. She took it gratefully and gulped down some of the cool liquid before handing it back to Ark.  
"You drink now. Nyara no want Ark to pass out from heat exhaustion." Ark smiled and drank his fill before putting the canteen back in his pack. He shielded his eyes and looked up into the sky. By his guess it was early afternoon and they could continue once the sun got a little lower in the sky. He absently kicked off his boots and removed his socks to let his feet cool down. He looked at them and winced; they were rather soft-looking after boiling away inside his boots all day. Nyara noticed them and chuckled.  
"Ark feet hot, yes?"  
"Very hot, Miss Nyara," he said with a slight smile.  
"Ark should wear bare feet like Nyara," she told him.  
"I don't think I could manage that, Miss Nyara. I'm not used to it; I'd slow you down." She gave a sort of shrug-nod and decided to take a quick nap before they set out again. It didn't last too long though, as her eyes snapped open suddenly and she dove at Ark, knocking him away from the boulder.  
"Miss Nyara!" he exclaimed, bringing his head up off the ground. "What are you doing?"  
"Bad person!" she hissed, grabbing Ark's arm and leaping away as something thudded into the ground where they had been seconds ago. Ark looked up and saw something that vaguely resembled a person, but with scales instead of skin and two slits instead of a nose. Its eyes were large and yellow and it had a large mouth. Two rows of needle-like spikes ran down each arm from its shoulders and it was firing them off like arrows. Nyara just managed to pull herself and Ark behind the boulder as four of the needles sank into the ground.  
"What is that thing?" Ark asked nobody in particular. He snuck a peek at the creature. "It's coming closer, Miss Nyara. It looks like we have to fight." Nyara's fingernails sharpened into claws.  
"Ark stay here!" she told him firmly. "Nyara take care of lizard man." Before Ark could protest, she had darted out from behind the rock. Ark stuck his head out and watched, his face creased in concern. Nyara was extremely fast; leaping and bounding from side to side as the monster shot spine after spine at her. She suddenly sprung high into the air and came down on top of the monster, slashing at it with her claws. It gave a guttural hiss, probably one of pain, and with great difficulty managed to shake her off. Nyara landed on all-fours and crouched low in readiness to spring away from the monster's next attack. It came suddenly in the form of a volley of spikes as the lizard man whipped his arm at the animal girl. Nyara dodged to the side, but stumbled and fell. Ark's breath caught in his throat; she hadn't noticed one of the spikes in the ground and had trodden on it. The monster snarled and prepared to gouge Nyara as she picked herself up, but a sizzling bolt of electricity slammed into its chest, knocking it away.  
"Leave her alone!" Ark said fiercely. The monster rose as Ark crossed his arms over his chest. He suddenly thrust them down diagonally, releasing two great tendrils of lightning that lashed across the ground. The lizard man was stuck again with a crackling of energy and was thrown into the air. He landed with a thud and picked himself up in a dazed manner.  
"Miss Nyara! Now!" Ark called sharply. Nyara didn't need any further prompting. She leaped up and grabbed the monster by its head as she passed over the top of it. Then, with a swift twist, broke its neck with a sharp cracking sound. She landed on the ground behind her foe as the lizard man toppled over dead, its tongue lolling out of its mouth.  
"Whew," Ark breathed, wiping his brow. "I wonder where he came from? He didn't say so much as a word. Maybe it was just a monster that saw us and thought we'd make a good meal. What do you think, Miss Nya-" Nyara yowled gleefully and slammed into Ark's chest, knocking him over backwards and onto the ground.  
"Ark save Nyara! Ark very brave!" she babbled, licking his face mercilessly.  
"M-Miss Nyara! P- augh! Please!" Ark spluttered. "Are you- are you all right?" It took Ark several minutes to get Nyara to stop rolling around on the ground with him.  
"Nyara got bit of sore foot," she said, pausing in her licking spree. "But it get better." Ark frowned and put his finger to her forehead, pushing her back slowly.  
"Sit down, Miss Nyara. I'll clean and dress it for you," he told her.  
"But it fine," she insisted.  
"It could get infected," he told her with a frown. "You walk around without anything on your feet. It won't take me long and it won't affect you much." Nyara pouted, but Ark was adamant. She caved in and sat against the boulder, watching intently as Ark washed out the puncture on her foot with some water before rubbing some potion into the wound and wrapping a bandage around it. Nyara wiggled her toes at him when he was done.  
"Can you walk okay?" he asked her. Nyara stood up and walked in a circle before nodding.  
"Nyara can walk fine."  
"Good," said Ark, obviously relieved. "Let's get moving. I don't want to see if that guy has any friends." They shouldered their packs and, after seeing if Nyara could bear the load with her foot, set off along the road once more.

"What's the problem?" Florella asked upon entering the room. "Fura said you bruised your arm or something." Link was sitting glumly against the wall with Zelda sitting worriedly beside him.  
"This look like a bruise?" he asked, holding his ark out and raising his face. Florella jumped back in surprise.  
"Wha- what happened?" she asked, rushing over. "The side of your face and your arm are completely black!"  
"Oh, I hadn't noticed!" Link snapped. Florella, looking skeptical, grabbed his arm and squeezed it.  
"You dip it in ink or something?" she asked.  
"Florella!" Zelda said in an urgent voice. "It turned black while we were standing here! He was screaming and his arm and face started changing like someone was pouring ink under his skin. It was horrible!" Link looked slightly downcast at Zelda's description.  
"That doesn't sound ordinary," Talen murmured. "Do you think he's in danger?"  
"I don't know," Florella said, suddenly deadly serious. Her look softened as she looked at the visibly upset Link. "I'll take a look at you and see what's wrong. You'll be all right, Link." He smiled wanly at her and sat in a more easily accessible spot. She began to look at his arm closely.  
"Is there anything you can do…? Is he in any danger?" Fura asked worriedly.  
"Hush, dear," Florella said, going into mother mode. "Let me take a proper look at him first." She squeezed his arm in various places, examining each of his inky-black fingers in turn, as well as the mark covering his cheek and ear. Link sat perfectly still the whole time, his expression grim. She examined him for a full half-hour, poking, prodding and holding her hands to his head and closing her eyes to look inside him for any clues. She stopped, finally, as Link flexed his fingers in front of his eyes. It was strange. Light didn't seem to catch on it at all and all the tiny bumps and contours of his previous regular skin were gone. Only the shape of his arm and the side of his face remained and, or so it seemed, so did their functionality. His arm seemed to work fine and his hearing was just as good as always.  
"Oh dear," Florella sighed, looking slightly concerned.  
"What!? What is it!?" Fura demanded. "He isn't dying…is he?"  
"No, he isn't dying," Florella told her calmly. "But…I figured out what I could feel inside him before."  
"Oh no! It isn't some kind of poison…is it? The Reaper…that didn't affect him in some way?" Florella held up her hands for silence.  
"What's happening to him, Florella?" Talen asked calmly.  
"Please," Link said quietly. "I'd like to know." Florella sighed and pursed her lips.  
"Well dear, I don't know how to tell you this, but…" Florella started. "You've got some demon in you."


	17. Learning

**Chapter 16 – Learning**

"Y-You mean…there's a demon living inside him?" Zelda asked fearfully, tears brimming in her eyes. Florella shook her head.  
"No, no, no. I didn't mean that there's a demon actually living inside of him. I mean it's in his blood. He is part demon, as if his mother was Hylian and his father was a demon…or vice versa. Understand now?" Florella asked. There mute nods of agreement.  
"But how come it's never come up before? You've poked around inside his mind and things on several occasions, why didn't you notice it then?" Fura asked.  
"Well…I'm not sure really. Perhaps it lay dormant until now, I mean, he is in the awkward years. But you needn't worry about it for now; he's still the same old Link only…black in some spots." Everyone looked at Link as he ran his hand along his arm.  
"It's smooth," he murmured. "But it still feels like my arm."  
"That's because it is," Florella told him. "It's my theory that your arm and part of your face has, well, merged par say with a far more concentrated form of that dark magic you used to defeat the Reaper. Yet I still cannot be certain." Link frowned. He stood up, waving off Zelda and Fura's attempts to help him.  
"I'm fine, you two. I can stand up all right." He looked at his black hand which still showed the Triforce mark, though it seemed a lot brighter against its dark background.  
"Hey!" he said sharply to it. "I want to speak with you, now!" The others looked at him as if he had gone slightly insane.~  
"You owe me an explanation for this!" he snarled at the mark again. Then, to everyone's surprise, the Triforce mark glowed softly. The window suddenly flew open and a ball of darkness floated in though it before materializing into a person in the middle of the room.  
"It's the Fierce Deity!" Zelda squeaked, backing away slightly. The others looked similarly surprised. Link, however, didn't and he stood with a slightly irritated frown on his face.  
"So…any more bombs you want to drop on me today?" Link asked archly.  
"It is good to see you too," the Fierce Deity said in his deep, metallic voice. "I must admit that all of you are doing exceptionally well in your journey."  
"Don't change the subject," Link snapped. "What is this!?" He pointed to his face and held out his black arm. The Fierce Deity looked at him calmly before sighing.  
"That," he said. "Is partly my fault."  
"What do you mean by that? Are you saying what Florella said is true!?"  
"Well it is true that you are now part demon…but neither one of your parents was a demon. The truth is that the Compass changed you when it scattered you about the globe."  
"What!?" Link blared. "Why!?"  
"When you defeated Gedinia all those years ago, I left within you a power similar to my own; the power of shadow or, if you wish, dark magic. The Compass changed you because a normal person is unable to cope with that type of magic."  
"I get it!" Florella said almost excitedly. "There are various types of elemental magic; fire, water, earth and such…but shadow is one of the unknown types of magic because people can't use it! The part of Link that is demon is able to use the power properly, but…why has he only changed now? Why not before when he beat the Reaper?"  
"Because the change hadn't been triggered then. He was actually very lucky that he didn't kill himself too. No, something happened in this room that brought about his metamorphosis."  
"What was it?" Fura asked curiously.  
"That I do not know," the Fierce Deity answered. "And I must depart, for it is the rule of the universe that the realm of men is not for the Gods."  
"You just don't want to get told off," Link muttered under his breath.  
"That too," the Fierce Deity said with the faintest hint of a smile. "Do not hate your new appearance, for you will find that it is far more useful than first thought." And with that, he was gone. There was silence for a while as everyone got a chance to absorb everything.  
"Well," Talen said finally. "I guess that clears things up a bit."  
"But it still leaves things unanswered. We don't know what new abilities Link has, and we most certainly do not know what the trigger was," Florella grumbled.  
"Well why don't we sleep on it. I'm feeling pretty tired right now," Link said. "We can talk about it in the morning. There were murmurs of agreement and, after making sure that Link was all right, the girls left the room while the two boys bunked down for the night.  
"Sirrus will probably turn up when he finishes drinking," Link mumbled sleepily. "Things are getting very complicated."

After the brief excitement of the fight with the lizard man, things quickly settled back into mediocrity for Nyara and Ark. They passed the time by playing games such as eye spy, though the interest in that soon wore thin for the both of them. Ark soon asked Nyara, in a kind of embarrassed halting way, if she could sing. She had looked absolutely ecstatic, with her eyes lighting up and a great smile spreading across her face. Nyara launched into her upbeat little tune and Ark listened along, tapping his fingers on his pack straps in time to Nyara's singing. They continued on in that manner for some hours before following the road into a wooded area.  
"This road should merge into another one a little further up ahead," Ark told Nyara as he peered closely at the map he had bought in the fading light. "There should also be a spot of clear land where we can camp for the night." The map was correct, for up ahead the point at which the two roads met was visible in the dim light. Just as they neared it, however, the sound of a snapping twig in the trees caught their attention. Ark and Nyara stood stock still, their ears pricked for any more noises.  
"Can you hear anything, Miss Nyara?" Ark whispered. Nyara's ears were twitching this way and that as she listened for noise.  
"Something in there," she said, pointing to the line of trees by the roadside. "It watching us."  
"Do you think it could be another one of those lizard monster things?" Ark asked a little fearfully.  
"Not sure. We stand upwind, cannot smell from here." Ark frowned and fingered his staff.  
"Miss Nyara, I'm going to illuminate the area with my staff. We'll have a short time to see whatever it is and attack if necessary, right?"  
"Ark have good plan," Nyara grinned. "Ok, go now!" Ark twirled his staff once before holding it up in the air. There was a blinding flash from the jewel situated at the tip and the whole area became awash with light. But to Ark and Nyara's surprise, it wasn't a monster or threat of any kind that awaited them in the trees.  
"Who is that? What's making all that light?" somebody demanded.  
"Wha…? Miss Impa?" Ark gasped, gobsmacked. Impa stood shielding her eyes from the light of Ark's staff, which he quickly lessened.  
"Miss Impa! It's me, Ark!" he called excitedly. Impa peered at him as he lowered the staff to his face.  
"Ark, it is you! Oh what a relief! Who's that with you, is it Zelda?" the tall woman asked hopefully.  
"No, it's Miss Nyara," Ark told her. "Are you with the others?"  
"Saria's with me. I haven't seen hide nor hair of Zelda, Link or anyone," Impa sighed, coming closer. Saria popped out of the bushes behind her and scurried over quickly.  
"Ark, Nyara, it's so good to see you both…are you all right?" she asked in a concerned voice.  
"Nyara hurt foot, but Ark fix up so not sore much," Nyara said proudly, pointing to her bandaged foot.  
"There's a place a little farther up ahead that we can camp," Ark told them. "We can talk better there instead of in the middle of the road here."  
"Good idea. Just let me get out things; they're just back in the trees."

"After we crossed the lake, we stopped at an inn for the night," Impa recalled. "We traveled for about two days before arriving here. We heard the two of you coming and thought you may be thieves or monsters, so we hid in the trees to get a look at you."  
"I don't know why all of this happened, but it seems as if something happened to the Compass that shouldn't have," Ark murmured, holding the blue sphere up for them to see.  
"So that's what it looks like now?" Saria asked, leaning over and looking at it. "Sure got small." The group of four were sitting around a small fire in a clearing a little way into the woods. Three tents had been set up; one for Impa, one for Saria and Nyara and the last one for Ark. They had already eaten dinner and were busily recounting all the events leading up to their meeting.  
"Nyara and I ended up in a dead forest where it didn't stop raining," Ark said. "We had a few run-ins with that black-haired girl. Remember? The one that keeps trying to…kill me."  
"And you beat her? Good going Ark! She looked like a nasty piece of work," Saria cheered.  
"Oh, she's not gone," Ark said sheepishly.  
"Pardon?" Impa asked.  
"Well, the last time I saw her she was pretty angry before she left…I don't think she took too kindly to me not attacking her."  
"You mean…you didn't attack? How in the world did you survive?" Saria asked in shock.  
"Well I defended and hoped for the best. I was lucky when one of her attacks bounced off my barrier and blew her over the cliff," Ark mumbled. "I can't attack a lady, no matter what she's trying to do."  
"So she's gone then? I mean, the fall probably killed her, right?" Saria queried.  
"Um, well…she didn't actually fall," Ark mumbled, fidgeting guiltily. "I kinda, well…pulled her back up." The three of them stared as Ark tried to look as tiny as possible.  
"Ark never told me that," Nyara frowned. "Why Ark save person that trying to kill him? Nyara doesn't understand Ark." She shook her head and sighed.  
"If I had let her die, then it would have been the same as if I had tossed her over the edge myself. I could never kill a lady, ever. I'm sorry." Impa sighed before giving a wry smile.  
"You don't need to apologize, Ark," she told him. "What you did was very noble, and who knows? Perhaps it may come back to you in the end. She does owe you a debt after all, and people like that are sometimes inclined to pay debts back." They decided to drop that topic. After putting Ark's protests aside, Impa got to making dinner over the fire.  
"I sure hope Link's okay," Saria sighed. "Have you heard any word at all from him or the others?"  
"Not at all," Ark told her. "But, I expect that wherever they are, they're doing fine. The four of us, after all, ended up with another of our number. Logic denotes that they were sent somewhere with a partner or two. If the other five members ended up with at least one other person, then they're in good hands."  
"That's true," Impa murmured. "Focusing on finding them again is out top priority right now.  
"Speaking of which…where should we head?" Saria asked. "We have no idea where they could be." Ark pulled out his map and the Compass.  
"There's a big city up ahead and the Compass seems to be pointing in the direction it lies in. We should head there and ask around to see if anyone has seen them. They'd probably stand out a fair bit, right?" the boy suggested.  
"Right," Impa said. "We head there tomorrow, unless anyone else has a better idea?" Nobody answered.  
"It's settled then," Saria smiled. "It finally feels like things are going our way."

The twittering song of a bird rang in the early morning as the sun began to creep over the hills that looked down upon the grasslands of Agora. The three males sharing a room, however, were not particularly in the mood for such a wakeup and grumbled to themselves in a surly manner, digging themselves deeper into their respective beds before the inevitable entrance of the three women. Link opened his eyes and rolled onto his back before holding his arm up in front of his eyes. In the darkness of the room it looked even blacker than he had remembered it being the previous day. He turned it so he could see the Triforce mark showing clearly on the back of his hand before clenching and unclenching his fist a few times. He yawned and rolled onto the floor before pulling his boots on, buckling his shield and sword in place and creeping from the room. The corridor was empty; just as well too. He didn't really want anybody pointing out his face and arm for the time being. He made his way outside, not particularly having anywhere in mind, and wandered about in the crisp morning air. Since he had been focusing the majority of his attention on his arm, when Link finally looked up he found himself to be out in one of the pastures behind the inn.  
"Let's see how this arm of mine works now," Link murmured, drawing his sword with his shadowy arm. He swung it a few times, finding that there was a slight difference to it. He frowned and lashed his sword out in a series of three quick slices that ended in a powerful horizontal stroke.  
"Odd," Link muttered. It seemed somehow easier to use. Link narrowed his eyes and suddenly flicked the blade around in his hand, spinning it like a propeller at an impossible speed. It whirred in front of him before stopping as he clenched his fist. Link quirked his eyebrows; he was able to use the magic he possessed safely, now that his demon side had come to the surface. The trouble, though, was that Link didn't really know how to use it. The attack he had used on the Reaper had been almost like a reflex, a defense mechanism that had sprung when he felt he was in dire trouble. In fact; he couldn't even remember how he had performed the technique.  
"Okay, perhaps I should aim at something a little bit lower," he told himself. He focused all of his willpower into the palm of his hand, so much so that sweat began to form on his brow. Unfortunately, for all his effort the only thing he had to show for it was a slightly increased heartbeat. He let out an explosive breath and leaned on his knees.  
"What are you doing?" Fura's voice suddenly asked from behind him. Link gave a start and he swung his arms out. The tips of his fingers on his black arm suddenly sharpened into points before a burst of dark energy shot out of his palm and punched a hole in the ground some yards away.  
"Whoa! Be careful there!" Fura warned him. "You could have hit me!"  
"Sorry," Link squeaked. "You surprised me and it just sort of…happened." He looked at his hand and saw that, aside from being totally black, was back to normal.  
"Don't worry about it," Fura grinned. "There's a bit of a learning curve when it comes to magic; it took me some time to get the hang of fire. There were many times I blew holes in the walls quite by accident." Link nodded and turned to fully face her.  
"Why are you out here?" he asked her curiously. "It's early."  
"Well, I happened to glance out my window. I saw you out here and decided to see what you were doing."  
"I was trying to see if I could, well, you know…use some dark magic, as silly as that sounds," Link told her. Fura chuckled slightly.  
"It sounds funny coming from you. I always used to think dark magic was bad…but it all depends on who uses it. A fire can keep you warm, but it also burns and kills anything that touches it." Link nodded. "Besides…I think you look kinda cool like that." Fura streaked her finger across the mark on his face. Link blushed awkwardly.  
"Come on, let's go have breakfast. We have lots of ground to cover today."  
"That's if we can get Florella away from the fair," Link snorted. "I don't see what she's so excited about."  
"Well I suppose it reminded her of home. Even Great Fairies must get homesick, though Florella's the only one I've ever heard of that's actually left her home. She is a young girl too, remember."  
"Well anyway, I don't want to hang around this place longer than necessary," Link muttered. "No meat? It just isn't right."  
"Does Florella and Zelda know it was the fat kid's pig we ate?" Fura asked suddenly.  
"No, and it would be in the best interest of my health and Talen's if that was kept a secret."  
"My lips are sealed," Fura grinned. "But…there's a small fee involved."  
"Fee?" Link asked dryly.  
"Gimme a kiss," she told him. Link's heart gave a little jolt.  
"I think a race will do me fine," he told her, breaking into a run. "I'll think about it if you beat me!"  
"No fair cheating! You got a head-start!" she protested, taking off after him. Link merely laughed at her and waved over his shoulder. Fura grinned and sped up, chasing him all the way back to the inn.

"Well folks," Sirrus said as the group stood just outside of the town. "It's been fun, but this is where I say goodbye."  
"Good luck with everything, Mister Sirrus," Zelda told him.  
"And stay out of trouble," Fura added. "Don't drink too much." Sirrus gave a wry smile.  
"Are you sure you don't want to keep the wagon?" he asked them. "I'm sure it would be useful."  
"No, we're fine with packs," Florella told him. "A wagon would stand out too much and it a little harder to move around easily." Talen shook his hand firmly before Sirrus finally turned to Link.  
"Good luck, kid," he grinned. "And thanks…for everything."  
"We'll call it even," Link told him. "It was good knowing you, Sirrus." They shook hands.  
"We'll see each other again someday," Sirrus smiled. "Count on that. I won't forget the people that got me out of my old life. Good luck on your journey." He gave one final wave before turning around and walking back to the village. The group watched him go before heading off along the road.  
"He was a bit gruff…but really rather nice," Florella sniffed, little tears welling in her eyes.  
"There, there," Talen murmured. "He isn't dying or anything. We can still come visit him."  
"I know, it's just that…goodbyes always get to me," she sniffled. Talen shook his head and gave her a rough pat on the head.  
"How long will it take us to get to Alujah City?" Fura asked. Link shrugged.  
"From what Sirrus said, it shouldn't be more than a couple of days. We've got plenty of supplies and so forth, so it shouldn't be too strenuous."  
"Well in that few days I can teach you how to use your magic," Fura stated proudly. "After all, you seemed to be having a little trouble with it before."  
"Yes, Fura," Link sighed.  
"I can help out too," Zelda said. "I know magic as well and it's always tough when you first start out."  
"Yes, Zelda," Link said in the same tone.  
"Me too," Talen murmured.  
"I was hoping you would," Link grinned. Zelda and Fura shot him frosty glares.  
"Be nice unless you want crabby teachers, Link," Fura grumbled. "I still haven't quite forgiven you for beating me this morning." Link grinned impudently at her.  
"Come on children; be nice. I want a minimum of bickering on the way to Alujah and we've only just started," Florella told them. Talen snorted through his nose. "Something funny, dear?"  
"Absolutely. Florella, I hate to break it to you…but you're one of the most vocal when it comes to bickering. You and Link put on entertaining performances on a regular basis," Talen laughed. Florella grumbled some more and lapsed into silence, refusing to speak with Talen in the hopes that he'd miss the melodious sound of her voice so much that he'd come simpering back.  
"If only the others were here to make everything complete," Zelda sighed.  
"Yeah," Link agreed. "I feel sorry for Ark. He could be stuck with Impa, Saria or Nyara. She's probably eaten him by now."

Ark's day started quite strenuously. He had awoken to find Nyara peering into his eyes, at which point he cried out in surprise and accidentally shocked her. After a flood of apologies, he staggered out to find breakfast already prepared, but before he could sit down to enjoy it, Nyara had tackled him down whereupon she fed every last mouthful to him.  
"There! Now Ark all ready! We can start walking even quicker now!" she had chirped excitedly before bounding off to pack up the tents with Impa.  
"Poor Ark," Saria chuckled. "It must be hard to be angry with a person that misses you while you're asleep." The campsite was then cleared and the packs packed before the group of four were once again on their way. Nyara was in an exceptionally good mood, even by Nyara standards. She chattered happily with Saria and twittered around Ark as the road led them through woodland and prairie. They passed numerous people as they went, all of which had come from Alujah after trading and selling various goods. Impa would occasionally stop to ask about conditions up ahead; things such as monsters and how the road went. As it turned out, things were pretty well ordinary. The only monsters sighted had been the odd Deku Scrub; hardly anything to worry about. Ark continually checked the compass too, making sure that they didn't stray off course and. Fortunately, it appeared that the compass was following the road. Wherever the first Lock was located, it was either on the way to Alujah, in, or somewhere on the other side. The day passed quickly and the group once again found a place to camp for the night. Impa had selected a spot near a small clump of trees, citing that they would make a good windbreak.  
"This is nice," Saria sighed, sitting down in front of the crackling fire that Impa had lit. "Even though the others aren't here." Impa nodded in agreement.  
"Even though I've sworn to stay by Zelda's side, the peace and quiet is nice. She can be quite vocal about things sometimes," the tall woman chuckled.  
"I can imagine," Saria smiled. "Link can be a bit noisy too, usually complaining about something. He's a good boy most of the time though; usually keeps quiet and does as he's told." Ark suddenly stood up.  
"I will go and find some more firewood. We seem to be running out," he told them before lighting up his staff and strolling off towards the trees. Nyara watched him go, obviously debating with herself whether to leave the warmth of the fire or not.  
"Ark strange boy," she mused out loud, turning her attention back to the other two.  
"Strange?" Saria asked.  
"He not like other people Nyara know. Always call people "Miss" and he go red lots of the time," she frowned. Impa and Saria laughed.  
"Well I'm sure that you seem strange to him. Ark has impeccable manners, he's just showing you respect when he calls you "Miss Nyara". You probably make him feel embarrassed too because you're so unlike him," Saria giggled. Nyara looked a little deflated.  
"But you know what they say," Impa murmured. "Opposites attract." Nyara's ears pricked up at that.  
"Ark may not seem like strong person," Nyara smiled. "But Ark very brave. Nyara and Ark fight well together. Ark help Nyara when Nyara hurt self, and Nyara help Ark when he hurt. Nyara fixed Ark's broken nose." Nyara looked very proud.  
"He broke his nose?" Saria asked curiously. "But…it doesn't even look swollen!"  
"Ark say he bash it on tree when angry girl attack him. Nyara find Ark after he beat her and bring him to cave that Nyara find. Ark bleed lots when Nyara reset nose, but next morning it already look lots better. Ark only have tiny bruise now because he has cheat body that heals fast."  
"That's strange," Impa mused. "A broken nose usually leaves a much bigger mark on a person's face than a bruise. Did he say how he did it?" Nyara shook her head.  
"Ark keep shouting, "I don't know, I don't know!" while Nyara interrogate." There was a moment of silence as each of them mulled over Nyara's words. "Ark also have first dream while we had rest."  
"First dream?"  
"Mm-hmm. Ark have nightmare and Nyara wake him up. Ark very scared, say he never have dream before. Nyara thinks that Ark doesn't like to sleep now because he scared to have dreams." Suddenly, from back in the trees, came a startled cry.  
"That's Ark!" Saria gasped. Nyara was on her feet in an instant. She raced over to where the light from his staff could be seen, her claws at the ready. She found him standing in front of a tree with a bundle of wood at his feet.  
"What wrong?" Nyara demanded. "Is Ark okay?" He pointed to the tree in front of him.  
"What's happening here?" Impa asked, arriving on the scene. "Ark, are you injured?"  
"N-No!" he gasped. "Just look!" He illuminated the side of the tree with his staff as Nyara and Impa leaned in for a closer look. Scratched roughly into the bark was a scrawled message, obviously carved by a knife or dagger.  
"I will get you Ark," it read. "I will find a way." Nyara blinked and looked at the visibly distressed Ark.  
"What does that mean?" Impa queried.  
"It's her!" Ark squeaked. "That black-haired girl! She left that message!"  
"Then she knows we're here," Impa growled. "Let's get back to the tents. Ark, you aren't sleeping on your own tonight; Nyara and you will share a tent while I share with Saria. She's after you and she may get you in your sleep; Nyara's hearing should forewarn us if anyone comes close."

Link, under the guidance of each of his traveling companions, practiced trying to use his newly-acquired magic. Fura and Zelda both seemed sickeningly-sweet with him as they tutored him while they walked. Results were a little difficult to come across, but he was gradually improving. However; the odd patch of pasture sometimes got on the wrong end of the proverbial stick when Link would sometimes accidentally launch off a burst of energy, blowing holes in the ground. He seemed more adept at using his power in conjunction with his sword, probably because he was more comfortable in using an actual weapon to attack. He wowed the rest of his party with the speed at which he was able to manipulate the Ragnarok, especially since it wasn't the lightest of blades. By the end of the day though, he could summon up and release magic energy from his palms and focus it down his sword for some rather powerful attacks. All in all, he was quite pleased with himself and decided to take a break at the end of the day in order to muck around with Talen. Zelda and Fura seemed slightly miffed about Link abandoning their important lessons in favor of running around and bashing weapons together with Talen, but were really rather happy that he'd paid so much attention to the two of them. Their camp was quite open since they were in the middle of a grassland environment, but it was some way from the road and gave them a degree of privacy. There were two tents erected opposite each other; one for the boys and one for the girls and a fireplace in the middle. Of course, Talen and Link were the ones who were forced to go out looking for whatever wood they could find. A single, solitary dead tree lying a good distance from the tents was the only source of fuel available, but it didn't pose too much of a problem as Talen merely uprooted the entire thing and dragged it back.  
"We brought it here, you can cut it up," Talen told the girls smugly. Link eventually ended up doing it after a couple of doe-eyed looks courtesy of Zelda. It wasn't too bad, surprisingly, as his increased speed and power with his sword reduced the tree to sizeable chunks in no time at all. Fura was quite impressed and gave him a hug for his efforts.  
"You've come quite far in just one day," Florella congratulated him as they all sat around the fire after the sun had gone down. Link looked rather proud and then glanced at a rather expectant-looking Fura and Zelda.  
"Well I couldn't have done it without the teachings of those two," he grinned. Fura and Zelda beamed. Florella rolled her eyes before pulling off Talen's headband which was barely visible underneath his spiky fringe.  
"When was the last time this was cut?" she asked him, running her fingers through the boy's hair. Talen shrugged.  
"Can't remember." Florella suddenly looked very happy.  
"Mind if I shorten it a little?" she asked girlishly.  
"Go right ahead, but don't cut it too short, okay?" he asked. She nodded and produced a pair of scissors out of nowhere before getting to work.  
"Your hair doesn't need cutting," Zelda said to Link in an almost disappointed tone.  
"Nope," Link said smugly. "Saria always takes care of that." Fura frowned at him.  
"I want a shoulder rub," she pouted. "Pleeease?" Link cringed at her tone and was about to refuse in a smart-ass kind of way, but he stopped himself.  
"I'll go as far as brushing your hair," he said flatly. Fura considered it before nodding enthusiastically in agreement. Link was soon pulling a brush through her red hair, secretly wondering exactly why he'd agreed to brush such a voluminous mass.  
"Why do I have to brush all of it, Fura?" he asked. "You didn't have to let all of it out."  
"I most certainly did," she told him in a superior kind of way. "You don't brush hair unless you're going to brush the whole lot. It's like you only eating half of what's on your plate." Link didn't say anything, but happened to catch a glance of Zelda looking very pouty indeed. He looked from what he was doing over to her and back again.  
"Oh all right," he grumbled at her. "You can have a turn afterwards." Zelda smiled sweetly at him and Link shook his head.  
"God," he groaned. "What have I become?"  
"Domesticated," Florella murmured as she finished up with Talen's hair. "Not quite enough, but you're getting there." Link made a face at her and returned his attention back to Fura's hair.  
"This is going to take me all night!" he exclaimed suddenly. Fura suddenly whipped her hands up and grabbed Link's wrists, pulling on them so that his face ended up next to hers over her shoulder.  
"Well you'd better stay awake, Linkie-do," she giggled girlishly before giving him a quick smooch on the cheek. Link sighed and looked up at the sky.  
"I hope the others are doing okay…wherever they are."


	18. Can't Lose

**Chapter 17 – Can't Lose**

Ark hadn't slept particularly well. It had taken him until after midnight to get to sleep, and even then it was a restless one. He tossed and turned a great deal and sometimes lay on his back or stomach, staring off into space. The presence of Nyara next to him made him feel slightly at ease, though she jumped at the slightest sound and often dashed to the door of the tent, setting Ark's nerves on edge. It was a false alarm every single time, and Nyara would sometimes return licking her fingers, stating that it had only been a mouse or bird scratching around. He didn't bother asking what she'd done with them. When morning finally did arrive, Ark's eyes were puffy and he looked quite disheveled and tired. His head drooped tiredly over breakfast and the others were quite concerned about him.  
"I take it you didn't sleep very well," Impa stated with a frown. Ark shook his head.  
"I couldn't," he mumbled. "She's out there somewhere; watching and waiting."  
"I think you have the waiting part right," Impa told him. "If she was going to kill you she probably would have when you went off to get more firewood. "No…she's waiting for something all right; the right time."  
"Forgive me, Miss Impa…but you aren't doing a very good job of making me feel better," Ark winced. Impa laughed out loud.  
"Hah! No, I guess I'm not. Don't worry Ark; you're in good hands with Nyara. She's very devoted to you for some reason." Ark blushed terribly, prompting another laugh. "I'll mix you up something to help you sleep tonight." She patted his shoulder and got up to take the tents down. Once on the road, however, Ark felt much better and walked along quite happily with Nyara trilling away next to him. The land started to become slightly hillier as they progressed throughout the day, and Nyara managed to catch a whiff of the faint scent of salt in the air.  
"So we're getting near the coast," Impa said. "The city must have a port. Ark, what does it say the city is called on your map?" Ark took a quick look.  
"It's called Alujah City. Have you ever heard of it, Miss Impa?" he asked.  
"Yes, I have. Never been there myself, but it's apparently one of the biggest cities in the world. There'll be lots of people around so be careful." They crested yet another hill and were suddenly greeted with the sight of the ocean off in the distance.  
"Oh! Look, it's the sea!" Saria exclaimed, pointing off to the sparkling blue water. Ark shuddered slightly, not particularly wanting to be near that much water. As if reading his thoughts, Nyara gripped him around the neck roughly with one arm.  
"Ark no worry. Nyara won't let Ark fall in water," she grinned. "Probably no much sharks out there." Ark went a little bit white.  
"Sharks?"  
"Yup. Big fish that eat people, Nyara just saying that they probably be further out in water."  
"I think you should stop trying to make Ark feel better, Nyara," Saria told her upon seeing Ark's slightly panicked expression. Impa laughed quietly and adjusted her pack.  
"Come on you three," she said heartily. "Let's go."

Link absently swished his sword about and beheaded yet another clump of tall, spindly grass on the side of the road. Looking back, a rather long trail of felled plants lay in his wake.  
"That's really not particularly nice, you know," Florella told him reprovingly as he hacked at a bush in passing.  
"Well all this walking is boring, and your suggestion of playing, "Carry Florella's Stuff" wasn't a particularly exciting alternative," Link responded dryly. Florella grinned and let the matter drop.  
"Well I certainly hope this road takes a very wide detour," Zelda said suddenly. She had been looking rather wary of a mountain that rose off in the distance and the road seemed to head straight for it. Her fears turned out to be well-founded, as it was discovered upon asking someone in passing that the road went some way up before going around and down the other side.  
"Cheer up," Fura told her. "At least we don't have to go all the way up." They reached the mountain by midday, with Talen looking rather enthusiastic about the climb.  
"Oh it isn't so bad," he said in response to Florella's plea that he carry her. "At least we have a road to walk on." He started up the slope with Link while the girls moped on behind them. There was a stark contrast in foliage once they reached a little way up. Trees provided a thick canopy and were a welcome change to the endless stretches of open grassland. The two boys didn't mind the climb at all and happily trotted up the trail at a steady pace. The girls, however, grizzled and complained almost all the way. It even got to the point where Talen and Link kept a good distance between themselves and the girls so that they were out of earshot. Link had since gotten used to his black arm and he wasn't particularly conscious about his face and ear because he couldn't see them himself. The only time he even remembered it was when they passed someone and they looked at him strangely.  
"They don't have to stare," Link muttered, tweaking his ear.  
"Ah who cares if they do," Talen shrugged. "At least it's only the colour that's changed and not the shape. You could have ended up with a bony claw instead." Link held up his hand and stuck out his fingers.  
"That would look pretty foul," he admitted. Late afternoon rolled by and it was decided that the tents should be pitched rather than risk being caught trying to find somewhere when it was too dark to see. The complaining girls caught up as Link and Talen were looking around for a place to sleep.  
"We're stopping for the night, so you can stop moaning," Link told the girls as they traipsed over to them. "God, and you say I complain."  
"Careful they don't freeze you with those stares," Talen murmured as he unbuckled his pack on a patch of grassy ground.  
"Very funny," Florella said flatly. "It's cold up here; can we get a fire going?"  
"We can…but will we?" Link asked her. Silence followed as the girls stared at him in a rather unfriendly manner. "I guess that means yes. Tough crowd." He walked off shaking his head while Florella tried to wheedle some body heat out of Talen through a few hugs. Since he was putting the tents up, and since Talen also went into semi-trances when doing anything remotely resembling building, he was none too responsive. Link set the fire up and Fura quickly lit it, almost burning Link in the process. A hot meal later and they were all huddled quite contented around the crackling fire. The sun had since gone down and the stars had come out, creating quite a nice atmosphere. The boys would have been able to enjoy it had they not continually dropped of to sleep.  
"Sorry," Link yawned tiredly, drooping his head onto Zelda's shoulder. "I'm tired after walking so far."  
"I'm warmer," Fura said, pulling him over. "You said so yourself." Zelda narrowed her eyes at Fura as she grinned. Link was already snoring again.  
"My clothes are more comfortable than yours," Zelda snorted, pulling him back. Link moaned pathetically as he was jerked back and forth. Florella's eyes were alight as she watched it.  
"This is by far the most entertaining thing to watch people do," she told Talen, who was trying very hard to stay awake as Florella finished up with his hair.  
"I feel sorry for him," Talen murmured. "Poor guy's just trying to get some shut-eye."  
"Talen, you have to look past that and see the beauty behind it," Florella told him in a strained voice, spiriting her scissors away.  
"You mean you get to see Link not having a very good time?" Talen asked flatly.  
"Bingo!" Florella laughed. She looked meaningfully at Talen. "You know, if you are feeling tired I don't mind if you…" She left it hanging. Talen's eyes brightened.  
"Really? Thanks Florella." He stood and walked over to his tent.  
"Where are you going!?" Florella demanded.  
"I'm going to bed; you said you didn't mind. Goodnight everyone, and thanks for the haircut, Florella." He disappeared inside the tent. Florella blinked as Link started laughing uncontrollably at her.  
"I didn't mean that! This isn't fair!" she complained rather vocally. "Why do men have to be so dense!? I was going to let you lean on me!" Talen had already gone, however, leaving Florella to grumble and mutter curses under her breath.  
"One more laugh out of you and you're dead!" she hissed at Link, who was trying very hard to hold it in.  
"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied, his voice almost cracking. Fura and Zelda both gave him solid thumps on both his arms before sending him packing.  
"You can go to bed too," Zelda told him sternly.  
"Yes, quite a disappointing performance tonight. I expect better of you," Fura growled. Link saluted smartly before ducking inside the tent as Fura hurled a stick at him.  
"What are we going to do with them?" Florella groaned, tears of frustration brimming in her eyes.

Ark, Impa, Saria and Nyara arrived at the gates of Alujah City the day after they had first spotted the ocean. To say it was big was an understatement. Alujah was built on the edge of the sea and had a large wharf stretching for almost the entire length of the seaward side of the city. Buildings rose high into the sky like towers; the biggest off all being what looked to be some kind of palace or citadel. People milled around in the streets, obviously excited about something, as banners, buntings and flags were being put up everywhere. They were strung between buildings, hanging from the oil-lit lamps that lined the streets and people waved their little flags about.  
"Have we arrived in time for some kind of festival?" Ark pondered out loud.  
"That means there'll be even more people than usual. Stay close and we'll find a place to stay."  
It took some time and a whole lot of walking before Impa managed to locate a place to stay. It was a small inn by the docks, usually frequented by sailors staying after being at sea. It was quite cheap and neat and Impa liked it because it wouldn't be likely to attract too much attention.  
"There are a lot of stalls going up," Saria said as she looked out of the window of Ark and Nyara's room. "It looks like quite a major thing."  
"Which is why we need to be especially careful. That girl could be anywhere out there; for all we know she could be looking through that window right now." Ark stepped away from it carefully.  
"Nyara guard Ark," she told him reassuringly.  
"Nyara has the right idea. Ark, you aren't allowed anywhere by yourself. Make sure either Nyara of myself are with you at all times." The boy looked slightly crestfallen, but nodded in agreement.  
"What we do now?" Nyara asked. "Stay in room for rest of day? It only lunch." Impa smiled.  
"We can probably go looking around the city for any signs of Zelda and the others. If they've been through here then somebody's bound to have spotted them," the Sheikah woman told the animal girl. "Leave your things here and don't lose sight of each other. If we get separated, just come back to the inn. Ark, you stick to Nyara like glue."  
Impa had managed to get herself and her three companions into the citadel by showing the crest of the Royal Family of Hyrule to the guards standing at the gates. The children had found out rather quickly that the city was run by a regent; a man by the name of Mahl. Ark didn't like the look of Mahl from the instant he saw him. He was middle-aged with brown hair that was beginning to turn grey. His face wore a stony expression that spoke of a person that believed himself superior to others and it indeed seemed that way when he conversed with Impa. He seemed to be followed everywhere by a younger man with a kind, though troubled, face. He kept flitting quick, furtive glances at Ark in an almost worried fashion as Mahl glanced over with an expression that briefly showed faint recognition. In an instant, however, he was again talking with Impa before telling her that he needed to leave to prepare for the festival. He swept from the room as the young man looked at the group with an expression of self-loathing before scurrying after Mahl.  
"Well he didn't seem very nice," Saria grumbled as they left the citadel. "And he was looking at Ark in a creepy way." Nyara's arm suddenly found its way around Ark's neck, crushing his cheek to hers.  
"He try anything and Nyara gobble him up!" she hissed fiercely as Ark tried to gasp in some breath.  
"He's a pompous ass, that for sure," Impa spat. "But we need his help to find Zelda. We have to be civil with him…for now at least."  
"Y-Yes, you are right," Ark gasped, Nyara having finally let go.  
"Still…" Impa muttered. "Well there isn't much we can do now. Come on; let's get back to the inn."

"Look! There it is!" Florella squealed excitedly as they rose to the highest point on the trail in the afternoon. Below them lay a sun-dappled landscape. A river ran around the base of the mountain to where it emptied into the sea. Lush green forest blanketed the land, thinning out into grassy field towards the sandy coastline. But the most spectacular sight was the great city that stood at the water's edge. Towers reached up towards the sky, encircling a very large fortress-like building in the very heard of the bustling capital. People were flooding into the gates of the city, obviously there for the festival about to take place.  
"Look how big it is!" Zelda gasped. "Huuuuge!"  
"Almost as big as Florella's behind!" Link whistled.  
"No it isn't!" Florella snapped. Everyone looked at her strangely, making the fairy blink. "I didn't mean it like that!" She kicked Link squarely in the shin as she barged past him.  
"Well? Are we going or not!?" she demanded hotly. The rest of the group nodded quickly, while Link clicked his heels together and saluted. Florella made an irritated little sound before striding off with everyone following.  
"She's going to get you good one of these days," Talen murmured.  
"I don't doubt it," Link shrugged. "But after what she pulled on you, I've already seen the worst she can do."~  
"I heard that!" Florella barked without turning around.  
"Scary," Link whispered to Fura. The Gerudo nodded and the pair snickered quietly.  
"Oh Fura, you're turning into one of the boys," Zelda sighed, letting her face fall into her hand.  
"Whatever it takes," Fura grinned, patting Link roughly on the shoulder.

"Wow! It's even bigger up close!" Zelda squealed as they approached the gates. "And look how colourful everything is!" There was a decidedly festive air about the place. Colour was everywhere; in flowers patches growing around the place or in signs and decorations strung up on almost every available surface.  
"Ooh! It all makes me want to-" Talen grabbed the back of Florella's clothes as she tried to move over to one of the stalls being set up.  
"Hold your horses, Florella. Why don't we find a place to stay before we do any of that, hmm?" he suggested.  
"Oh, yes. Talen, you're quite right," Florella agreed, looking quite sheepish. After a little bit of wandering around and several instances where Florella had to be restrained, a nice, inexpensive little inn was found by the waterfront.  
"How's this place then?" Link asked, looking rather pleased with himself for finding it.  
"It's beautiful, Link," Zelda sighed, rolling her eyes. "You must have a sixth sense for bargains."  
"I didn't know cheapness was a sense," Fura murmured. Link looked slightly outraged.  
"Cheap!? That jewelry wasn't cheap, you know! I'm insulted…for the rest of the day!" he blustered, storming into the inn with his nose in the air.  
"Come on," Fura grinned, following Link indoors with the others. "Let's see what our swordsman come bargain-hunter has landed us."

As fate would have it, the very people that Link and company were looking for came around a corner after an afternoon of searching. Ark looked thoroughly exhausted, with Nyara clinging to his arm like she'd never let go. She half-dragged him along the street, her large eyes darting this way and that in case somebody was lurking in ambush. She sniffed at the air a few times as they approached the front door of the inn before darting inside with Ark. Saria and Impa chuckled quietly to each other as they followed.  
"Ark good today, didn't leave Nyara's side once," Nyara told him approvingly once they were all in the room the animal girl and the boy shared.  
"I don't think I could have," he murmured, shaking his arm which had a large red mark across it from Nyara's vice-like grip.  
"Well that seemed rather fruitless," Saria frowned, seating herself on one of the beds. "Nobody we asked had ever seen anyone fitting the descriptions we gave them."  
"We'll have better luck tomorrow I'm sure," Impa smiled. Saria smiled back and then looked over at Ark as he tried to fend off Nyara, who looked intent on giving his face a clean.  
"As strange as that looks, it's oddly appropriate," Saria said, shaking her head.

Link's eyes came open very slowly as he lay in bed in the middle of the night. Something didn't feel right. He looked across the room at Talen and saw that he was snoring soundly. Link frowned and stood up, walking over to the window and looking out onto the moonlit street below.  
"Something's amiss," he whispered. Slowly and carefully, he snuck out of his room and peeked into the girls'. Satisfied that all was all right with them, he snuck back to his own room and returned to the window. Something was still wrong; he could feel it. Then, suddenly, it happened. From across the street came a terrible screech and the sound of something large crashing into a building. Lin threw the window open as Talen sat up blearily. Link's eyes went wide as he saw a number of what appeared to be large rock birds attacking another inn. The next window along from Link opened and Florella and Fura's heads poked out.  
"What are those things?" Link demanded.  
"Rocs!" Florella hissed. "What are they doing attacking that inn?" People had started to appear at windows and doorways, obviously woken by to noise. The Rocs suddenly rose up, carrying two figures in their talons. Link squinted his eyes as they flew overhead and, as they passed under the moon, he gasped.  
"Oh my God!" he exclaimed. "That's Ark and Nyara! Florella, Fura, they were across the street the whole time!" In an instant, Link had barreled out the door as Talen hastily followed. He ran out onto the street as more figures emerged from the door of the wrecked inn. Two of them were very familiar.  
"Link! Talen!" Saria screamed. "It's you, you're here!" Link whipped around, saw Saria and Impa and dashed over to them.  
"Saria, Impa…you're here!" he cried. "That was Ark and Nyara, wasn't it!"  
"Those birds smashed the roof while we were sleeping! They went for Ark but Nyara wouldn't let go! Oh Link, we have to do something!" Saria wailed, tears flowing down her cheeks.  
"Impa!" Link barked. "Zelda's inside that inn with the rest of us. Go to her and make sure she's all right. I'm going after those birds…Navi!" The little fairy spiraled out from under his cap and shot down his tunic, forming his wings in a second. Fura ran to his side from the inn door.  
"Fura, Talen, you two follow on the ground. I'll try to get Nyara and Ark down from the air, okay?"  
"There's a lot of those Roc birds around, Link," Fura said warily. "Be careful." Link grinned at her and nodded at Talen before spreading his wings.  
"Let's go!" he shouted, rocketing into the air at great speed.  
Link flew straight after the Rocs in an almost upright position, his dark arm pulsing with energy. One of the Rocs wheeled around to attack, firing off an explosive blast. Link quickly raised his shield and the blast struck it, leaving him unharmed. He passed through the explosion and flew straight at the Roc, which had stopped having thought that it had hit Link. The boy, however, reeled his fist back and smashed it on top of the head, discharging a burst of shadow as he connected. The Roc's head burst apart and it dropped straight to the ground below. He could see Talen and Fura blasting away at some of the other birds in the sky as he continued to make a b-line for where his friends were being taken. He barrel-rolled out of the way of another monster as it flew straight at him before it was suddenly struck by a hail of stone needles from Talen. It shattered and crumbled apart while Link kept going. A shout from Fura directed his attention to two more Rocs as they came at him from either side. He shot up suddenly and they both crunched together. Link sent a ball of magic at them, blasting them into pieces for good measure as he sped on again.  
"This is getting messy," Link grunted. "All right, let's see how you like this!" He put his hand over his shoulder and opened it above his sword hilt. The Ragnarok slid out of its sheath and onto his palm before Link thrust his hand out in front of him. The blade seemed to fixed in the air in front of his open palm before he twisted around three-hundred and sixty degrees, the sword spinning like a windmill. Once Link was facing straight ahead again, he clenched his fist with the sword pointing out behind him and his shield-arm curled protectively around his front. The two other Rocs that had been flying towards him suddenly exploded, having been sliced neatly in half by Link spinning blade. He drifted forwards from the explosion, meeting head on with another Roc. He moved to the side slightly and grabbed one of the tough feathers on its neck before smashing his sword into its head and giving a tremendous burst of speed as the bird exploded like all the others.  
"These things are everywhere!" he growled, swinging his sword below him and taking out another one. Suddenly, he spotted Nyara in front of him. She was biting and hissing at the Roc that held her, scrabbling madly with her sharp claws.  
"Nyara!" he shouted, going after her. "Hold on! I'll get you down!" She looked around before seeing him, calling frantically. Link dove and then boosted straight up, cutting Nyara free of the Roc and splitting it in half at the same time.  
"Are you all right?" he asked her. She nodded.  
"Get Ark! Stony birds have Ark!" she said desperately.  
"Don't worry, I'll get him back," Link told her. He swooped down and flew above Talen and, after getting his attention, dropped Nyara into his arms.  
"One to go," Link grinned, surging back into the air. That's when he saw it. From behind the citadel rose another Roc. This one, however, was bigger than the rest by far; looking like it could easily carry away an entire house. Link glimpsed the Roc carrying Ark fly down and land on the roof of the citadel, where a small group of people arrived and attempted to subdue him. There were a few flashes of electricity and then no more, Ark having obviously been knocked unconscious.  
"Great," Link groaned. "What do I do now?"  
The big Roc screeched loudly at him, the sound almost knocking him to the ground. Link tried firing off a blast of shadow and it made a small puncture on the huge bird, but it hardly seemed to notice. It screeched again, and that's when Link noticed a glowing red ball at the back of its throat.  
"Link!" he heard Impa yell from the ground. She was with Zelda. "That's its weak point! Hit that red sphere!" Link waved, signifying that he'd heard her. He shot forwards, dodging and ducking explosives hurled by the big bird. As he got nearer to it, however, he was suddenly hit by three Rocs that had circled around and surprised him. They seemed to hold him in place, each one fighting to pull him in a different direction as Link himself attempted to keep moving forwards.  
"Damn it…! Get out of my way!" he grunted, trying to bring his arm up to blast at the big Roc's beak. The big Roc opened its beak again and the sphere in its throat began to glow.  
"Link! Stop, don't do it!" Fura shrieked from the ground.  
"C-Come on! Just a little…further!" he gasped, straining with every fiber in his body. From the Roc's beak shot a number of crystal-like growths that raced towards Link at astonishing speed to form a cage of sorts. Link was jolted slightly and he felt energy building up inside the crystals surrounding him. He looked up to see a bright orange colour rushing through the crystals from the Roc's beak towards him.  
"I CAN'T LOSE!" Link roared at the top of his lungs. The inside of the cage detonated with a great explosion that rocked the sky, creating a huge burning fireball. Zelda screamed, Fura screamed and then it happened.  
"Wait! Look!" Talen shouted excitedly. Two thick, black chains emerged from the fire inside the cage and coiled around with a crunching sound before twisting violently and breaking the cage apart with the sound of rocks cracking apart. The fire began to recede and a figure floated out of it, shattering more of the crystal that was still attached to the Roc's beak.  
"What…" Zelda began.  
"…Is that?" Fura finished. It was Link. His whole body appeared to have taken on the inky-black appearance of his arm. His tunic was black, the Key was black - everything about him was complete shadow, except his eyes. They glowed and eerie white with his sky-blue colouring shining even brighter. The straps of the Key were no longer made of the unbreakable leathery material, but were now chains with black rings on the ends. Two big black wings beat slowly from his back, looking like tattered lengths of black cloth. His equipment was gone, but it somehow appeared that he didn't need it. He opened one of his palms and Navi fluttered out in a shaken state before Link took off towards the giant Roc. The regular-sized stone birds that had held him beforehand tried to attack again, but were cleaved apart in an instant as Link formed a massive sword out of pure shadow. In another instant, the sword was gone and he had reached the giant Roc. The Key chains shot out and wrapped around the upper and lower parts of its beak. They quivered slightly as the Roc tried to close it, but managed to force it open. The wings on Link's back seemed to melt and change shape, becoming two long, tapered cylindrical crystals that ended in sharp points. They moved out a little from his back, floating in place like his sword had done with his hand earlier before tilting around slowly so that they face forwards over his shoulders. If at all possible, they seemed to grow even darker and a high-pitched whine filled the air as they built up with power. They suddenly discharged it, blasting pure dark magic into the Roc's open beak. The monster convulsed and seemed to expand before the magic drilled through its back and exploded, sending little fragments all over the place. Link's black wings reformed and he floated down to where the others were waiting. The second his feet touched the ground, his wings vanished and his skin regained its colour, save the mark on his face and his black arm. He blinked slowly and suddenly opened them very wide.  
"Wha- what am I doing here!?" he exclaimed. "The bird…what happened?"  
"Y-You mean you don't remember?" Florella asked, looking extremely awed. Link shook his head dumbly.  
"I remember an explosion…then suddenly I was here. Who killed the monsters?"  
"You did!" Fura exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck along with Zelda. "We thought you had died, then you appeared again and your whole body was like your arm…and you killed that Roc with one attack!" They were both bawling.  
"Ark!" Nyara shouted suddenly. "Where is Ark!?"  
"Oh no! Ark! He's inside that place! Let's move!" Link barked, disentangling himself from Zelda and Fura.  
"I'll get us past the guards," Florella growled, her eyes flashing. "Leave it to me."

Ark shuddered and opened his eyes. He was lying on the floor of a large, round room. Voices echoed across it and, in his dazed state, he could only just make them out.  
"…about the real regent!?" a male voice demanded. Ark's clouded mind recognized it as the regent, but from what he was saying it appeared that he wasn't who he seemed to be.  
"They'll find him soon enough," said a chillingly familiar female voice. "Now hand him over; we had a deal." There was a laugh from the fake regent.  
"Why should I?" he asked haughtily. "I could take him to my master myself or kill him now. Either way I'm the one rewarded."  
"I paid you!" the female voice screeched. "He's mine, mine!"  
"Temper, temper," the fake regent chuckled. "You'll wake him up."  
"I don't care! Give him to me; your master gave me permission! You wouldn't want to go against his wishes now, would you?" the female said slyly.  
"Enough! You don't assume to know what the master's thoughts! I grow tired of this, begone!" Ark was suddenly filled with blinding pain. He gasped out loud and stifled a scream, letting out a moan instead.  
"No! Idiot, he's mine!" the female voice screeched again. There was the sound of fighting, something hitting something else and Ark glimpsed the man he thought to be the regent vanish through a large mirror that promptly shattered. Ark's blurred vision moved from the broken mirror to his stomach where a crossbow bolt was protruding. Blood seeped through his clothes and spread onto the floor.  
"How I've longed for this moment," the female voice said softly. Ark struggled to lift his head and saw the black-haired girl standing over him with a crossbow aimed at him. "That fool thought he could kill you, but that's my indulgence alone!" Ark whimpered and his head drooped back onto the floor as he lay on his back. The girl tensed her finger on the trigger.  
"He may have shot you, but you aren't dead…yet." She smiled coldly at him. "Goodbye, Ark." She squeezed the trigger as Ark closed his eyes, too exhausted to keep them open any longer. He heard the crossbow fire and Ark knew no more.


	19. The First Lock

**Chapter 18 – The First Lock**

The dark-haired girl stood watching Ark's motionless body for some time before she lowered the crossbow and released her finger from the trigger. The bolt had hit the floor about an inch away from the boy's head.  
"How amusing," the girl chuckled. "Who would have ever thought something like this could happen?" She frowned as she looked at the boy lying there defenseless on the floor. He would probably die soon if left to bleed. The girl shrugged and prepared to leave, but she stopped moments before doing so. She turned around and looked at the boy once more.  
"Ark," she murmured, as if testing his name out. Her face suddenly twisted into a number of different emotions; anger, uncertainty and finally, resolution. "I won't break my word. I will deal with you, only…it will have to be in a different way that expected." She walked over and picked him up with ease, watching in amusement as his head lolled back. The sounds of someone approaching from beyond the double doors of the room prompted her to take action quickly.  
"Ark…" the girl muttered a second before vanishing along with the boy. "I hate you."

Florella rampaged through the citadel with the rest of the group following close behind. She hurled spells at every soldier she came across, either putting them to sleep or stunning them. Impa reasoned that the best place to head to would be the Regent's office to get answers from Mahl himself. The Sheikah woman told Florella which direction to head in order to get there.  
"I knew there was something strange about that Mahl!" Saria muttered as she ran alongside Link. "He kept looking at Ark funny!"  
"If one hair hurt on Ark's head, Nyara rip Mahl to pieces!" the animal girl growled ferociously, her face screwed up in anger.  
"For once I agree with you," Link murmured, following Florella around a corner.  
"In there!" Impa barked, pointing to a set of double doors at the end of the corridor. Florella flicked her arm out in front of her, sending a wave of dull light at the guards outside the door. They dropped to the ground, snoring soundly. Talen overtook Florella and smashed his fist into the doors, knocking them off their hinges and into the far wall of the room. They all stepped inside to find the young man that had been with the Regent during their earlier visit.  
"Wait!" he cried when Florella prepared to floor him. Nyara bounded forwards and knocked him to the ground. She gripped one had around his neck and extended her claws on the other.  
"Where is Ark!? WHERE!?" she demanded ferociously.  
"I-I'll explain everything! J-Just hear me out!" Nyara narrowed her eyes.  
"Nyara waiting!" she hissed.  
"Your friend was brought here earlier…but it wasn't the Regent that ordered it!" he said quickly as Nyara's hand tightened.  
"Then who?" Talen glowered.  
"A-An impostor! He assumed the Regent's identity because he knew you were coming! The real Regent is recovering in the next room!" Nyara growled, but let him up.  
"If you lie, then first to get it!" she hissed. The man gulped and nodded before leading them into the next room. The room was round and had a flight of stairs twisting up out of the other side. A smashed mirror lay on the ground near a clothes trunk and wardrobe. The Regent was in there, sitting in a chair with his head in his hands and he looked up when he heard everyone file into the room. Nyara twitched when she looked at him, but restrained herself. The Regent looked exactly the same as his impostor; though his face looked kinder – more compassionate.  
"Are they the ones you told me about?" he asked in a shaking voice. The young man nodded and went to his side as the Regent's head drooped again.  
"This is the real Regent. I don't think he's up to talking much right now, so let me explain everything," he told them quietly. "A mirror was delivered here and was fixed to the wall in this room. When he looked into it, his reflection came to life and attacked him before locking him away in that trunk over there. When I found out he threatened to kill the rest of my family, so I played along with him and acted as if he were the real Regent Mahl."  
"Why didn't he just eliminate you outright?" Saria asked.  
"He needed help in running everything, he needed to make it look like nothing had changed," the young man told her truthfully. "I-I'm sorry about your friend."  
"Where is Ark!?" Nyara demanded suddenly. The young man shook his head sadly and pointed to a large pool of blood on the floor. There were several gasps.  
"No…" Link murmured. "Not Ark." Saria and Zelda began to cry.  
"Did you see it happen?" Florella asked quietly, tears in her eyes.  
"No," the young man told her, shaking her head. Nyara knelt before the pool on the floor and touched one of her fingers to it.  
"Ark," she whispered softly. Her eyes wandered to a crossbow bolt protruding from the floor. She pulled it free and examined it closely. "Where…is Ark now?"  
"I'm afraid I don't know," the Regent said, having recovered slightly. "He…was gone before I was set free." Nyara stood up, clenching her fist and snapping the bolt in half.  
"Nyara…?" Fura said uncertainly.  
"Ark alive!" Nyara growled. "He still be here if dead. No, Ark is somewhere else, Nyara can feel it! Nyara know Ark alive…and Nyara find Ark no matter what!"

Pain. So much pain. For a moment, Ark though he was dead before remembering that Link told him death definitely did not feel so horrible. Ark opened his eyes slowly, wincing as his breathing brought a horrendous stabbing sensation to his stomach. He groaned, tentatively reaching down to where he was sure a crossbow bolt would be, but instead found nothing. He looked down and to his surprise, found the bolt to be gone and his middle swathed in bandages. With a jolt, he suddenly remembered what had happened to him and, as he did so, looked around to see where he was. He was lying on a very large canopied bed made out of a dark varnished wood. The room he was in was of a medium size and looked as if whoever owned it was quite well off. It appeared to be made out of the same dark wood as the bed, but it was polished rather than varnished. There were two windows on either side of the bed, each showing nothing outside but darkness. Ark reasoned that it was probably still night, but if so, why were there no stars? He whimpered as another stabbing pain ripped through his body and his head fell back.  
"You're awake then," someone said contemptuously. "I was almost hoping you wouldn't, but here you are."  
"Who…are you?" Ark croaked, the pain too great to warrant him raising his head.  
"Why, it's your best friend of course," the person said mockingly, stepping into his line of vision. Ark's eyes widened and he tried to move, but the pain was simply too great.  
"Y-You!"  
"Yes, me." It was the black-haired girl. She stood with a twisted smile on her face and a glass of liquid in one hand. She thrust it out towards him. "Drink it." Ark eyed it apprehensively and quickly shook his head. The girls raised an eyebrow.  
"You wanna die?" she asked casually. Ark didn't respond. "You probably will if you don't drink. It isn't poisoned." Rather than wait for Ark to accept, she forced his mouth open and simply poured it down his throat. He coughed and spluttered for a moment after she finished, a look of horror on his face.  
"Water…?" he murmured in surprise.  
"Only water." She tossed the glass into the air and it vanished. She said nothing else and sat on a chair in the corner of the room where she stared at him intently. Ark began to get nervous.  
"Why…did you bring me here?" he asked finally. She didn't answer. "Were you the one that did this?" He pointed to the bandages around his middle. Again she said nothing and merely stared.  
"Do you hate me?" she said finally.  
"P-Pardon?" Ark asked.  
"It's a simple enough question. Do you hate me?" Ark was unsure of how to answer. Of course she had caused him many problems, but still…  
"I…don't think I do," he replied. Her eyes tightened.  
"Why?" she asked flatly.  
"Well I…you…don't seem like the others," he told her quietly. "You seem…different." She narrowed her eyes dangerously and stood up, pulling a knife from her clothing as she did so. Ark looked extremely worried as she advanced on him.  
"P-Please!" he begged as she whipped the knife out. He closed his eyes in preparation for the end, but soon opened them when the stab never came. She had sliced his bandages open and was looking down at his wound with a stony face.  
"You're right. I'm not like the others," she muttered quietly. "Your wound needs cleaning. I expect that's why it hurts so much." He winced as a cold finger prodded his stomach and tried to jerk away.  
"Stay still!" she hissed angrily. "Or I'll leave you here to die." Ark stopped moving and allowed her to look over the puncture wound. She turned and headed towards the door.  
"Don't think about leaving here, you can't anyway." With that, she left the room, leaving Ark puzzled, sore and quite afraid.  
"Miss Nyara…please come and get me."

The Regent had apologized countless times before the group left the citadel and returned to the inns. Since Nyara, Impa and Saria's inn had been damaged quite severely, they bunked up with Link and company. While overjoyed at being back together again, the disappearance of Ark had definitely put a dampener on things. Nyara was especially glum by the time morning came, but cheered up slightly when Link told her quite firmly that he'd do whatever it took to bring him back. It was then that the three latest returns to the group noticed Link's altered appearance. At first glance Saria had thought it to be Link merely not washing properly and was just about to launch into a great spiel about hygiene, when he told her quite flatly that it wasn't dirt. The details of everything that had happened since their separation were retold, with Saria and Impa letting out sounds of astonishment at the recollection of the island, slaver galleon and the dark city. The Kokiri girl squealed and almost fainted when Link finally told her that he was part-demon.  
"You're hopeless!" she wailed. "You're always getting yourself into trouble! Can't I ever leave you alone?"  
"Doesn't look like it," Florella murmured to Zelda.  
"Don't have kittens, Saria," Link said, trying to calm her down. "I'm, perfectly fine." Saria looked like she was going to say something and drew in breath, but she faltered and made an odd little indecisive sound.  
"All you do is make me worry!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. Link grinned and ruffled her emerald-green hair.  
"That's my job." Saria looked curiously at his arm.  
"Can…can I see what it feels like?" she asked hesitantly. Link held it out to her. Saria reached out and poked it with her finger before running her hand up and down it.  
"It's smooth…and warm. I thought it would be…" she left it hanging.  
"You thought it would be what?" Link asked.  
"I don't know," Saria shrugged. "Cold, rough…not so un-demony."  
"Nyara hate to interrupt…but how we get Ark back?" the animal girl asked quietly.  
"That is a problem," Florella sighed. "We don't know who took him or where and from the looks of that blood on the floor he was probably injured quite badly." Nyara's ears drooped.  
"Nyara know that Ark alive. Nyara can feel it," she mumbled. Florella smiled and sat down next to her.  
"Don't worry Nyara; remember how Link said he'd bring him back? Well he is, and I know how," the fairy said with a wink. Nyara's ears flicked up and she looked from an uncertain-looking Link to Florella.  
"How!? Nyara do anything!" Florella held up her hands.  
"Ark has the Compass…right?" she smiled. Nyara nodded. "And Link has the Key."  
"How does that help?" Link asked, taping the gold band around his neck absently.  
"The Key and the Compass are like- how can I put this…they're like brothers. The Compass is drawn to the different Locks scattered about the planet and the Key fits that lock. It's obvious that the Compass would then have a certain level of draw to the Key; all we have to do is magnify that pull to locate Ark." Florella looked very pleased with herself.  
"How do you know that?" Fura asked her. Florella flicked her hair over her shoulder and laughed.  
"Hah! I'm the Great Fairy of Spring! Of course I know these things," she said haughtily. "I stayed up all night to think this through…but we have to act quickly. If Ark is injured then he may not have a lot of time."

Ark passed in and out of consciousness a number of times; half from pain and half from something the girl had obviously slipped into his drink. He awoke on one occasion to find her dabbing at his wound with a ball of cotton covered in some strong-smelling ointment. She looked up at him with a scowl before he passed out as she picked up a pair of long tweezers and dug them into the wound to remove a piece of crossbow bolt that had snapped off after hitting one of his ribs. The next time he regained consciousness was some time later. The pain that had constantly throbbed away at him had significantly lessened, but that was possibly due to his extremely fuddled state. His middle was once again swaddled in thick bandages and the girl was back in the chair, staring at him intently.  
"I, um…thank you," Ark said somewhat timidly, propping himself up on the rather large pillows. The girl's expression darkened somewhat.  
"What for?" she muttered. "I took you." Ark looked down and then back at her again.  
"Still…you did save me from that fake Regent and you saw to my wound. That warrants some gratitude." The girl narrowed her eyes, but said nothing and lapsed back into her silent watching. It unnerved Ark to no end and he was soon squirming under her gaze.  
"Erm…where is this exactly?" he asked, hoping to break the terrible tension in the room.  
"My home," she replied shortly. "And before you ask where that is, you can be sure it can't be found on any map." She looked more closely at him as he touched his fingers to his wound softly.  
"That wound of yours was strange," she said curiously. "It almost began to look better as soon as I'd gotten that piece of bolt out of you…do you know any healing spells?" Ark shook his head.  
"No. Only electricity," he said quietly. "I don't know why, but when you broke my nose in that forest it healed completely in a few days…I mean, when I broke my nose against a tree." He looked very nervous and his hands wrung at each other. The dark-haired girl noticed it and scoffed.  
"You look nervous," she smirked. "You're scared, aren't you?"  
"W-Well I must admit…I am feeling slightly scared at the moment." He looked at her. "Am I going to die here?" She blinked; slightly surprised at the way he had phrased the question. He could have asked if she was going to kill him; an act she had told him quite vehemently she would do on a number of occasions.  
"You will," she told him flatly, causing him to flinch slightly. She smirked to herself, pleased at his reaction, but she caught his eye for a split second. He looked drawn, exhausted and quite afraid; as if he felt he had no hope in the world and for the very briefest of instants she felt pity for the boy. She gave an involuntary shudder before silently cursing herself. "However; I will not be the one to do it, nature will. You're here forever; until you die of old age. You'll be free to move around as you like- it's not like you can do anything and I can't keep you in this room all the time." He looked slightly relieved.  
"Why…didn't you kill me like you said you would?" Ark asked quietly. The girl scowled, hoping that he wouldn't ask that question.  
"You may not believe it, but I have honour," she told him rather fiercely. "You spared my life, so I'm sparing yours. I was given an offer too good to pass up, but I managed to convince my…employer that you couldn't cause any trouble if you were kept here. So here you shall stay forever." The girl stood up and walked to the door.  
"You need something to eat if you're going to get any strength back," she told him shortly.  
"M-May I ask you something?" he asked timidly. She turned around and regarded him for a moment.  
"You can ask, I may not answer though." Ark paused for a moment.  
"Are you here all alone?" he looked down, half expecting her not to answer.  
"Always," she said stonily. Ark looked up at her and mustered up all he had to force a weak smile.  
"Well…I guess I can do at least one shred of good while I'm here," he told her.  
"What?" she asked flatly.  
"As long as I'm here I suppose you'll have a bit of company so…I guess you're not alone anymore." The girl's eyes widened and she stared at Ark in surprise for a while. Without a word she slipped through the door and closed it behind her before leaning against the door.  
"It…probably won't be like this when he sees the truth," she muttered, putting a hand to her chest as her heartbeat increased rapidly.

"Now I don't know exactly how this is going to work, but we have to put our faith in it," Florella told everyone. "We all have to concentrate on Ark. Keep him in your thoughts…are you ready?" They were all standing in a circle with their hands linked while Link stood in the center with Nyara.  
"Ready!" Nyara said excitedly. Florella smiled and began casting a complex teleportation spell as the straps of the Key snaked around each person before crossing each other with the rings ending up being gripped tightly in Link's hands. Nyara gripped them too, shutting her eyes tightly as did everyone else.  
"Ark…" Nyara whispered. "Come back…"

The girl had given him some thick soup to eat and he gulped it down, suddenly realizing that he was ravenously hungry. She watched him the entire time, never saying anything; merely watching. He thanked her when he finished and she grunted in reply. He lay down and yawned, thoroughly exhausted. The girl watched him as he drifted off before standing up and looking down at him from the bedside.  
"Just a boy," she murmured before leaving the room quickly. Ark moved slightly and he began mumbling in his sleep.  
"Miss Nyara…" he whispered.  
"Ark!" Nyara called as Florella's spell began to vibrate the room. The floor beneath Nyara and Link turned white and a strong wind began howling up from beneath them. "Nyara coming to get you, Ark!" The Key suddenly glowed and Link's eyes flashed white.  
"Go!" he told her. "Go get Ark!"

Ark woke to find a soft light falling on his face. He blinked sleepily and held his hand up to block it before he realized that it wasn't coming from a window, but from his crumpled cloak that lay on the floor. He shuffled to the edge of his bed and managed to catch it on the end of his index finger before dragging it over and up onto the bed. The light was getting brighter and had taken on a bluish hue. He scrabbled away at his cloak and found the source of the light; the Compass. The pointer was zipping around madly and it was vibrating slightly.

"What…is going on?" he wondered out loud. Ark grabbed the compass and in an instant an image of Nyara filled his vision. She was transparent; barely visible, but there all the same.  
"M-Miss Nyara?" he gasped. "Is that you?"  
"Ark!" she crowed happily. "Nyara hear you, bring you back!" She reached out one of her hands with a great big smile on her face and took hold of Ark. The boy began to fade like her as a strong wind kicked up inside the room. The door suddenly banged open and the black-haired girl appeared with a look of surprise and, perhaps, sorrow on her face.  
"No!" she growled. "You can't take him! He's mine, mine!" She lunged at Ark, but passed through him and toppled face-first onto the bed. She waved her hand through him a few times before howling in frustration.  
"You'll be back!" she declared. "This isn't the last you'll hear of me! I'll hound you to the end of the world and back, mark my words!" The Compass flared suddenly and filled the room with a blinding light. Ark turned and looked at her with an expression of pity.  
"I'm sorry," he told her. "To leave you alone again…but I have to go." There was a flash and Ark and Nyara were gone. The girl sat up and smashed her fist into the bed.  
"Damn it!" she howled before standing up and stalking out of the room. "This isn't over! I will not lose!"

The air above Nyara and Link seemed to warp; rippling as if it had turned to water. A bubble formed out of it and Ark's shape began to take form inside of it. He became solid and there was a sudden pop sound as the bubble burst. Ark dropped and Nyara caught him with a cry of joy.  
"Ark back! Nyara was so worried!" she wailed, licking his face without mercy as tears flowed down her cheeks. Link and Florella sat themselves down on the floor; thoroughly exhausted with their efforts.  
"It actually worked," Link whistled, reeling in the Key straps.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Florella panted indignantly. They both stood and went over to help out with Ark. Nyara refused to let him down, but when she was told that keeping him held in that position could worsen his condition she instantly plopped him down on one of the beds.  
"Ark, are you all right?" Talen asked. Ark nodded.  
"Yes, I am fine," he told them. "Thank you for coming to get me…all of you. But that girl…" He trailed off.  
"What girl? What's wrong?" Zelda asked him. He looked up and smiled.  
"Oh nothing!" he said quickly. "I'm just feeling a little bit woozy from everything, that's all."  
"That's to be expected from losing that much blood," Florella told him. "What happened anyway…and who put these bandages on?" Ark sighed and told them everything from when he was shot by the impostor Regent to when he was pulled back by Nyara. The group was speechless.  
"You mean she actually saved your life?" Link asked incredulously. "After harping on and on about wasting you?" He shook his head in disbelief.  
"I told you that sparing her would come back to you, Ark," Impa smiled. "Honor prevented her from taking your life since you saved hers."  
"But she seems so lonely," he frowned. "And angry. I thought she was going to finish me a few times there."  
"Well she didn't and that's all that matters," Fura told him.  
"I know, but…she said she'd keep coming after me to bring me back to where she lived so I couldn't cause any more trouble. I don't know how long I can keep fighting her without doing damage." Florella patted him on the shoulder.  
"Cross that bridge when you get to it, Ark," she told him with a smile. "But for now you need rest." Ark nodded and lay back as Nyara pulled a blanket over him and gave his cheek one last tremendously wet lick.  
"Thank you, everyone," he murmured before drifting off to sleep.

A number of days passed before Ark was back to full strength. Nyara hung by his bedside and crooned over him incessantly. She also insisted on sleeping by him too and Ark simply didn't have the heart to tell her how uncomfortable he would be. Frequent checks to his wound showed that it was healing rapidly; arousing Florella's curiosity to no end. The words, "Just one more look" seemed to be heard fairly often in the room Ark stayed in. Link and Talen frequented Ark's bedside and slipped him all sorts of foods, particularly sweets, which Florella had tried to ban him from eating. As a result, the two boys were frequently chewed out by both Florella and Saria. Zelda and Fura were quite happy to scoff down the sweets that the boys failed to slip past Ark's vigil guards. Once the grey-haired boy was up and about, they went to the citadel to let the Regent know that Ark was safe and sound.  
"Oh thank goodness," he sighed. "My boy, how can ever apologize?"  
"Oh really, Sir…it wasn't your fault," Ark stuttered. It was at that point that the Compass suddenly began to pulse with a steady rhythm of blue light.  
"What's it doing?" Saria asked, slightly nervous. Ark held it out and looked closely at it.  
"It's reacting to something. I think…yes! One of the Locks is nearby!"  
"Locks?" Mahl asked. "What are these Locks you speak of?"  
"They're what we're searching for, Regent," Link told the man. "We have to find them and it seems one of them is close at hand!" The Compass pointer suddenly circled around the inside of its blue sphere before locking firmly into a single direction.  
"It's somewhere inside the citadel," Impa murmured. "Regent, we must find it." Mahl nodded vehemently.  
"But of course!" he turned to his assistant. "Assist them; no chamber is to be off-limits!"  
"Yes Regent!" he barked smartly.

"This way!" Ark called as he rounded yet another corner. The Compass had begun to flash with increasing regularity as if they were getting closer. The group finally came to a stop in front of a large set of steel double-doors. They were heavily armored; covered in huge rivets and supports to keep any unwanted visitors from entering.  
"What's in there?" Ark asked as the Compass blinked rapidly in front of it. Mahl's assistant looked slightly dubious.  
"That's the treasury, but…" he faltered.  
"We need that Lock and the Regent said we could go anywhere," Talen reminded him. The young man squared his jaw and nodded.  
"You're right," he agreed finally, before producing a small key from inside his clothing. He inserted it into a tiny keyhole and twisted it a number of times before a series of loud clicks and scraping noised could be heard.  
"But we'll have to get more people to open it. That door is very-" He stopped suddenly as Talen gave it a shove, allowing it to swing open. The assistant stared at him.  
"Uh…I eat a lot of vegetables," Talen told him lamely. The assistant blinked before allowing them inside. The interior of the room was spectacular. Bars of gold were stacked high in great piles throughout the vast chamber. Coins flowed out over tables and trunks of jewels lay glittering in neat sections on the floor. The high vaulted ceiling was supported by numerous pillars and the only sources of light were numerous lanterns hanging from hooks on the walls.  
"My God!" Talen breathed. "Think of all the things I could make in here…" Florella grabbed hold if his arm.  
"Steady there," she warned. "If you're going to drool over anything, make sure it's me." He nodded absently, not really hearing her.  
"Has there been any recent, um, additions to this place?" Zelda asked.  
"It's hard to say, I'm afraid," the assistant shrugged. "A lot of things come through here." Ark frowned and held up the Compass.  
"We'll just have to use this then," he murmured. Not wanting to be left out, the whole group followed Ark and Link around the room as the Compass pointed out the location of the Lock. It didn't take too long to find it. The Compass pointed them towards a large chest filled with glittering jewels which they approached apprehensively.  
"It's probably in there. Ark, you got any idea what it looks like?" Link asked his friend. Ark shook his head. "Great. Looks like we have to- whoa!" The Key suddenly jumped to life. The two rings delved into the jewels and rummaged around for a moment before falling still. The slowly emerged holding something between them.  
"Is that…a lock?" Fura asked, looking over Link's shoulder. It was about the size of a person's hand and looked to be made out of a dull metal. It was shaped almost like a padlock, but looked more like a carved heart with the locking mechanism looped over the top.  
"There it is," Ark breathed. "The first one; the Lock of Love."  
"It doesn't look too special," Florella murmured.  
"It hasn't been activated yet. Link, we need you to do that," Ark informed him. Link blinked at him.  
"I'd be much obliged if I only knew how," Link smiled sheepishly.  
"Oh!" Ark said, snapping his fingers. "I remember now! Hold both of the Key's rings in your hand." Link did as he was told.  
"Now what?" "Tell the Key to lock the Lock," Ark explained. "Go on." Link looked apprehensive at first but did as instructed. "Ahem," he coughed. "Key, lock!" The Key reacted instantly. The rings glowed and changed shape in his hand while the straps fell away and the golden band around his neck unfastened and merged into the rings. When the display was over, Link was holding a large key in his hand. It was about three feet long with a squarish golden head that his hand fitted through, allowing him to grasp the metallic-black handle in the middle. The shaft of the key was silver and round with the teeth located underneath the tip. "It's almost like a sword," Link murmured swinging it with a swish. "But first things first." The Lock floated up in the air in front of him as he spun the Key like a windmill with his dark arm. He suddenly clenched his fist around it with the tip facing forwards before driving it towards the Lock. A glowing white keyhole appeared in front of the Lock and the Key lunged into it before Link grasped the gold part of the handle and twisted it sharply. A loud click was heard and the keyhole disappeared, leaving the Lock of Love glowing a bright pink colour. Link reached out and took it before grinning and holding it out for everyone to see while the Key morphed back to its original collar shape. "One down and five to go!"


	20. Summer

**Chapter 19 – Summer**

_Be ready…but don't be afraid…hope is your ally, as are your companions…a choice will be made…noble or selfish, it does not matter…the choice will define you for who you are…keep strong…keep safe…happiness may come from the souls of others…and no matter what they say…no matter what they do…you are…always will be…our boy…we have yet to give our most precious gift to you…dear…sweet…Ark…  
_Ark murmured in his sleep, a tear dribbling down his cheek at the tenderness of the voice in his dream. It was soft and musical…almost as if more than one person was talking. It made him feel happy and he squirmed unconsciously closer to the shape he did not know was lying next to him. Nyara blinked her eyes open sleepily and saw the smile and tear on Ark's face. She nuzzled closer to him, licking the salty droplet from his cheek with her rough tongue. The past few days had been filled with only good memories for Nyara. Ark hadn't really been able to get about easily, so she had sat at his bedside talking, playing games and generally keeping Ark occupied. He had asked her especially to sing for him, in a very bashful kind of way of course, and Nyara had been more than happy to oblige. He always looked happy when she sung, and seeing Ark happy made Nyara _very_ happy. She wanted to protect the boy in every way possible; he looked very frail sometimes, but she knew that he was very strong in more ways than one. His personality was beyond compassionate, though able to show a fiercely protective side. Nyara toyed briefly with the locks of feathery hair that refused to be tamed before letting out a contented sigh, draping an arm over his blanket-covered chest and clamping her mouth over the tip of his pointed ear. Ark moved slightly.  
"Miss Nyara…" he sighed. "…hardly appropriate." Nyara grinned and began chewing his ear lightly as Ark snored on beside her.  
A squeak sounded from across the room, followed shortly by a crackling of electricity. Link and Talen sat up groggily and saw Ark upside down on the floor covered in blankets and Nyara sitting on his bed with all of her fur puffed out. She looked rather surprised and the way she was blinking indicated that she had been rather stunned by Ark's unexpected jolt.  
"Miss Nyara, I'm sorry," he apologized as he attempted to free himself from his blankets. "I didn't expect to find you there when I woke up." Nyara nodded absently and toppled over backwards with a pathetic mewing sound.  
"What a nice way to start the day," Link yawned before the door suddenly swung open to reveal Impa and Fura brandishing their weapons.  
"What's going on? Is Ark all right?" Fura demanded. The two women looked rather ridiculous clad in dressing gowns and carrying their weapons. Fura's tremendous mass of red hair had come free of the small tie she used to keep it restrained when she slept and it dangled down to the backs of her knees.  
"Everything's fine," Talen murmured sleepily, flopping back down onto his pillow. "Nyara gave him a wake-up call is all." Fura looked a little disappointed as she looked down at the still-struggling Ark. He finally managed to get free and looked up at the two women before gasping and covering his eyes.  
"S-Sorry!" he squeaked. Fura and Impa looked at their dressing gowns and then at each other.  
"Oh Ark," Impa sighed. Fura sighed in a similar fashion.  
"They're dressing gowns, Ark," Fura laughed. "Perhaps the least-flattering article of clothing a person can wear."  
"That's right Ark, Fura's speaking from experience," Link chuckled quietly. Fura heard and glared at him before leaping across the room and onto his bed.  
"All right you, get up!" she growled. "You've slobbed around in bed for long enough." She began yanking at his blankets.  
"No! Go away you heartless fiend!" he cried pitifully. "It's too cold to get up now! You're making me lose precious heat!"  
"How can it be cold? It's the first day of summer today, _and_ it's the festival! You have to get up so you can take us gorgeous maidens around the place!"  
"I guess the term "gorgeous" is relative," Link snickered. Talen clamped his hand over his mouth to fight down a laugh as Fura opened her mouth in shock.  
"You're terrible!" she accused him, fighting with renewed vigor. "No other boy would speak that way to a lady!"  
"Is that rel-"  
"Don't!" Fura hissed, clamping her hand over his mouth and shoving him onto the floor. "You'll be a bad influence on Ark! You've already started to infect Talen with that mouth of yours."  
"Hey," Talen protested, slightly hurt.  
"Sorry Talen, you're nowhere near as irritating as King Stinker here," Fura said. Impa laughed and walked out of the room, sheathing her long knife as she did so.  
"Well look where it got him! Enslaved by the Mistress of Doom! Wha- speak of the devil," Link said as Florella came squealing down the hallway and into the room. She sprung into the air with an excited whoop, her dark purple hair flowing out behind her. Talen blinked and raised one of his feet into the air whilst till lying underneath his blanket. Florella's stomach plopped down onto the bottom of his foot and she wiggled around with her little arms flailing about.  
"Good morning, Florella," Talen said mildly. "What are you so excited about?"  
"It's the _festival!_" she squealed, spreading her arms out on either side of herself as if she were flying. "It's today! I _love_ festivals and fairs and carnivals!" She resumed her excited wiggling and squirming.  
"Because of all the food?" Link chuckled. Florella hurled a pillow at him in a graceful movement while still perched atop Talen's foot.  
"Not even _your_ snide little mouth can bring me down today!" she crowed. "Talen, _you'll_ be a gentleman and take me around the festival, right?" Talen forced a grin.  
"Of course," he told her, trying to sound as delighted as possible.  
"Oh I _knew_ you would!" she squealed, leaping onto the floor. "I'll go and get changed; you hurry up and get ready too!" Then she was out the door in the wink of an eye, squealing with excitement all the way down the hall.  
"Hah! You've got no spine, Talen," Link laughed. Talen looked over at him indignantly.  
"You're going too!" Fura told him, slapping her hand down on top of his head. "And you're going to love it." She swept out of the room leaving Link quite disgruntled.  
"Now who has no spine?" Talen murmured. Link sighed and shook his head.  
"Nyara go too!" the animal girl piped up from across the room.  
"The final kick in the pants," Link groaned, falling onto his back.

Alujah City had come alive with activity. People flooded through the streets like ants swarming over a picnic hamper. The stalls and game booths were all up and running for the public and Florella was gazing about in wide-eyed anticipation. Talen looked like he was about to run a marathon, which wasn't too far from the truth. Link had a sullen look about his face as Zelda and Fura gripped both of his arms and Saria stood with Ark and Nyara.  
"Now all of you take care," Impa told them. "Meet back here at lunch and for heaven's sake don't get separated."  
"Heh, no chance of that happening…right Link?" Fura giggled.  
"Hmph," he snorted. "Should I decide to sneak off, you'd have no chance in catching me." Link buffed his fingernails on the front of his tunic for extra effect.  
"Sure thing, Link," Fura sighed, rolling her eyes. "No hurry up and escort the two best-dressed maidens to a day of fun and frivolities."  
"I think you mixed up "best-dressed" with "scantily clad" there Fu- ow! Don't hit me!" the boy yelped as the two girls smacked him simultaneously on each arm.  
"Then don't be smart," Zelda chided him, strolling off with Fura as Link stumbled along between them. Florella waved them off and stuck her tongue out at Link before hopping excitedly around Talen.  
"Oh I don't know where we should go first! There's so much to do here!" she squealed, darting this way and that in the bright summer sun. Talen sighed painfully and slapped his palm to his forehead.  
"We could always wander around until we spot something you- I mean we'd like to do. How does that sound?" he asked her. Florella's eyes went very large and luminous.  
"Oh Talen! You always come up with the best ideas! Let's go!" she grabbed his hand excitedly and scurried off with the boy in tow, leaving only Nyara, Ark, Saria and Impa behind.  
"So what will you three do?" Impa asked them. "I'm going to find somewhere nice to sit around here to read until you come back."  
"Nyara never been to festival like this before. Not know what to do," the animal girl admitted sheepishly, scratching her head.  
"Don't worry Nyara, Ark and I will stick with you. Follow us around and just say if there's something you'd like to do, okay?" Saria assured her. Nyara grinned and nodded enthusiastically.  
"We will see you later, Miss Impa," Ark told the tall woman as they departed. Impa nodded and smiled as she heard Ark murmur something about his ear hurting.  
"Peace at last," she sighed, seating herself on a bench before opening her book.

"Explain to me again why _I'm_ the one that has to do this?" Link asked flatly.  
"Because you're the best shot out of the three of us," Zelda reminded him. "And you're such a nice person that you'd play to win us beauties some prizes." They had stopped in front of a target range and the prospect of winning stuffed toys or similar prizes was too good for the girls to pass up. Link frowned and looked at Fura.  
"You're good at using a bow; wouldn't it feel more rewarding to win a prize yourself instead of mooching skill off of me?"  
"Nice try blondie," Fura laughed. "Now start shooting."  
"Nya nya nyana," Link mimicked in an incredibly grating squeaky voice as he paid for a game.  
"I expect some kind of payment for this," he grumbled, notching an arrow against the bowstring.  
"You get two kisses from each of us if you get a perfect score," Fura told him with a grin. Link aimed the bow straight up in the air in an obvious attempt to miss.  
"Fine, fine!" Zelda said quickly. "We'll get you something to eat."  
"_That's_ the kind of motivation I need," Link said with a wink. He aimed back at the target range as the owner started up the mechanism that moved the targets around, making them more difficult to hit. It wasn't really all that difficult for the young Hylian. He'd played target range games many times in his travels and the one he was currently at was no different. A short time later the three of them walked away with two stuffed toy animals. Zelda was very happy with her rabbit and Fura similarly so with her teddy-bear. Since a free feed was on the way, Link was feeling particularly upbeat too.  
"These are so cute!" Zelda giggled, holding up her little rabbit. Link rolled his eyes at it.  
"They're stupid. Don't expect me to carry them when you get sick of lugging them around." Fura smacked him in the side of the head with her bear.  
"God you're a mood-wrecker," she told him. "Is there anything you can't darken with that attitude of yours?"  
"Mealtime," Link told her. "Ooh! There's a place I can grab a snack. Which one of you is paying?" Zelda grumbled something under her breath and took hold of his arm.  
"Come on," she sighed. "The sooner you eat the sooner your mood will change and the sooner the two of us can get back to having fun with you today."

"I think you'd better slow down, Florella," Talen told the excitable young fairy girl as she tore around with the smith following close behind. "Careful!" He grabbed the back of her clothing and lifted her off the ground with ease as she almost dashed into the path of a horse being led through the throng of people. He held her up to his face and put on a pained expression.  
"Take it easy, little fairy," he told her. "We're not going to miss out on anything."  
"But I _love_ it!" she whined. "It's all so exciting and it reminds me of home!" Talen smiled and shook his head before allowing her to climb onto his shoulders.  
"I haven't ridden up here in a while," she said in a satisfied kind of way.  
"You can see where you want to go much easier and you won't get trampled up there," Talen told her. "Why don't we try that game out? I can win you a prize since it seems to be right up my alley." Florella squealed in absolute delight, kicking her feet as Talen moved through the crowd.  
"Hello there friend!" the owner of the game stall greeted Talen in a very loud manner. "You look like a strong one, why not test your strength over here? You could win your little sister a prize!" Florella looked slightly indignant.  
"Fiancée," she corrected him. "See the ring?"  
"My apologies, little lady," the man grinned. He turned back to Talen. "So how about it young man? Only five Rupees a game!" The young smith put Florella down on the ground and cracked his knuckles.  
"Hammer me up, my good man," he grinned. The owner handed Talen the mallet used to hit the weight up to the bell at the top of the strength-tester. "Take your pick of prize, Florella. Anything you want."  
"Hoo ho!" the owner laughed. "Just wait until you've hit it first before you go saying things like that."  
"I'm feeling lucky," Talen smiled, swinging the mallet back.  
"I'll have the pipes!" Florella squealed out, pointing to a rather beautiful carved wooden set of panpipes.  
"It's all yours," Talen grinned. He held the mallet firmly in one hand and smashed it down on the spring with a good deal of power behind it. The weight rocketed up and clanged loudly into the bell.  
"We have a winner!" the operator shouted. "Here you go, my boy! Your prize!" He handed Talen the pipes, who in turn handed them to Florella.  
"There you go," he said simply with a smile. Florella went giddy and made quite a show of throwing her arms about his neck.  
"You're the best!" she crowed, swarming up and kissing his cheek.  
"And don't let anyone tell you otherwise," he grinned, hoisting her onto his shoulders. "Where to next?"  
"Anywhere!" Florella cheered happily. "I don't care where we go as long as you can win me more stuff!"  
"And so it shall be," Talen laughed, walking off through the crowd.

Nyara's pupils had dilated to their biggest size and her tail swished slowly back and forth. Ark and Saria stood back a little nervously as the animal girl gazed into the large water tank filled with fish. The objective of the game was to catch a numbered fish to win a prize associated with that number. Saria had suggested that Nyara play it, on the condition that she didn't try to eat the fish afterwards. Her pointed incisors protruded from the corners of her mouth as she patiently watched the fish swimming lazily about below her. Then, as quick as a flash, her hand shot into the water and snagged one of the water-dwellers before brining it proudly to the surface.  
"Nyara get!" she grinned, showing the fish off to Ark.  
"That was great, Miss Nyara," he congratulated her enthusiastically. "What number is it?" Nyara held up the little tag that was attached to the fish.  
"Nine!" she crowed. "Fish nine! What prize does Nyara get?"  
"You win yourself a free pass to the House of Mirrors, little lady. Enjoy it now," the booth operator told her, handing Nyara a small ticket. She gripped it excitedly as they walked away.  
"What a mirror house?" Nyara asked Ark.  
"A mirror house? It's a building with lots of twisting corridors coated in mirrors. It makes you disoriented and you have to try to find the exit."  
"Sound fun!" Nyara chirped. "Ark go with Nyara? Saria come too?"  
"Count me in, I've never been in one before," Saria agreed.  
"Um, I hate to be a party pooper but…where is the House of Mirrors anyway?" Ark asked. Saria and Nyara looked at him and then at each other.  
"I guess it'll seem even more worthwhile when we find it," Saria said with a weak grin.

Link may have gotten a free feed out of the two girls he was with, but it seemed a little null and void after he was persuaded through the use of whining and wheedling to buy them both some fairy floss.  
"That stuff's sickly," Link told them with a shake of his head as Zelda tore a great wad of the sticky cotton-like sugar treat with her teeth. She stared at him while she ate, making quite a show of ripping it apart as messily asp possible. The boy shook his head and sighed.  
"I think this has changed from a day of "fun and frivolities" as Fura put it, to a day of leeching stuff out of me."  
"Oh you love it," Fura snorted around a mouthful of sugary puff. "Besides, how often do you take us out for occasions like this?"  
"As infrequently as possible," Link whispered under his breath. Fura looked at him sharply. "What? I didn't say anything." They looked at him disbelievingly and he grinned impishly.  
"Oh look!" Zelda squealed suddenly. "We _have_ to try it!" She was pointing excitedly to an odd looking aqueduct that had a temporary building placed over the length of it. A large sign boasting the words, "Tunnel of Love" hung over the entrance.  
"Yes!" Fura shouted gleefully. "Link, whaddaya say we take a ride on tha- where'd he go?" They blinked and looked around to find that Link had silently snuck off.  
"Oh no, where'd that boy get to now?" Zelda huffed irritably. "He's such a stump sometimes."  
"I'll find him," Fura grinned wickedly. "You wait here Zelda…I can smell his fear."  
Fura returned a short while later with Link. While not kicking and screaming, he was quite vocal about his reluctance to go on the ride. His protests fell on deaf ears, however, as Zelda and Fura lifted him under each arm and strode up to pay. Fura pinched the required amount from Link's wallet before the two girls dumped him rather unceremoniously into a small boat, stepping in carefully after he had managed to get upright again. Fura pushed the boat away from where it was moored and it drifted soundlessly into the entrance of the tunnel. The inside was relatively dark, with the roof obscured in shadows. Props had been put up all along the edge of the water to make it look like they were drifting through a forest.  
"How long is this going to take?" Link complained. "Couldn't we have done something just a _little_ more interesting?"  
"Hush," Zelda silenced him. "This is the first time in quite a while that we've had the opportunity to just relax and spend some time together."  
"Th-this isn't relaxing," Link said a little nervously as the two girls both rested their heads on his shoulders.  
"_I_ think it is," Fura sighed contentedly. "Now protect us from all the scary things in here."  
"What scary things?" he snorted. A large fake spider dropped from the dark roof of the tunnel, bouncing in front of the little boat as if to answer his question.  
"Eeee!" the two girls squealed dramatically, clinging to his arms.  
"You've _got_ to be kidding me," Link said flatly, batting the spider out of the way. "If the two of you are going to act, at least do it properly."  
"Oh Link, you're so…so _brave!_" Zelda gushed, her eyes giving him a wide, adoring look.  
"You're dreamy," Fura breathed.  
"Oh for God's sake," Link grumbled, slapping his hand over his eyes. Fura and Zelda looked at him with watery eyes. Link threw his hands up in the air. "Oh fine! Stay close to me ladies, I, Link, shall protect you from the despicable entities of darkness!" He said it rather dramatically, thumping his fist against his chest and looking rather chivalrous.  
"Our hero!" the girls chimed, throwing their arms around his neck as the boat drifted on.

The rest of the morning passed fantastically for each of the three parties. Florella and Talen returned to Impa before the rest, with the little fairy girl wearing quite a nice looking ribbon in her hair, even if it was pink. Talen looked just slightly tired, as it was he who carried Florella around all day, stopping and starting again whenever Florella noticed something particularly fascinating that she "had" to try out.  
"Have fun, you two?" Impa asked with a smile. Florella launched into a great babble about how wonderful the festival and Talen were. Talen merely sat down with a relieved groan and removed his boots to rub at his feet. Nyara suddenly came leaping into view, followed closely by Ark and Saria. She skidded to a halt in front of Impa, dragging Ark to her side as if she were displaying him proudly. The boy looked absolutely ragged. His face was flushed and he was breathing rather heavily.  
"I take it you had a good time, Nyara?" Impa asked in a rather amused tone. Nyara nodded enthusiastically and slapped Ark heartily on the back.  
"Nyara and Saria and Ark had lots of fun!" she grinned. "Right, Ark?" Ark panted something unintelligible as he attempted to catch his breath.  
"That's a "yes" I think," Saria smiled, catching up to them. Ark gave a nod of agreement before seating himself next to Talen.  
"Now we just have to wait for the last three of you," Impa noted, looking around the crowd to see if she could spot their approach. She soon did, though it was a little hart to miss them. Fura's wealth of red hair was like a beacon and her choice of clothing made her stick out like a sore thumb. The Gerudo girl and Zelda walked on either side of a slightly wary-looking Link.  
"So how was it?" Impa asked them.  
"Fine," Link said shortly, quickly taking a seat next to Talen and Ark. Fura and Zelda looked very smug about something. Florella's curiosity had reached bursting point and she was soon begging for details. Link refused to say anything, keeping his mouth firmly shut while Fura told the fairy that they'd tell her later.  
"What happened?" Talen whispered as the three boys leaned in close to each other.  
"Oh nothing much," Link told the two of them. "It's just that, well…it was dark in there and there were two of them…it was hard to guard both sides."  
"Where did you go?" Ark asked, his eyes slightly wide. Link groaned and rolled his eyes.  
"Ugh, the Tunnel of Love." Talen cringed back with a sour look on his face. "It's over in the eastern part of the city. Just a heads up so the two of you can avoid it."  
"You took one for the team," Talen told his friend in a respectful tone.  
"Make that two," Link sighed, wiping a white smudge from his cheek. "Never go there, either of you! They should change the name to "Tunnel of Ambush", or "Tunnel of Nasty Surprises". I think I'm scarred for life."  
"In the dark? I don't blame you," Talen hissed, as if he had seen a nasty wound on his friend. Link began to cry crocodile tears as Talen patted him on the back, muttering words of encouragement. Zelda looked over and obviously guess what the boys were whispering about.  
"Oh poor you," she tutted.  
"Anything I can do?" Fura asked with a smirk. Talen stood, holding an arm protectively around Link as he cried into his hands.  
"Haven't you done enough?" he asked her. "Shame on you."  
"Bra-_vo_," Saria said dryly, clapping her hands. "Ark, step away from them or you'll be infected with their juvenility."  
"I must admit that I don't exactly know what they're talking about, Miss Saria," Ark told her abashedly.  
"Ahh, Naivety," Florella sighed in an almost blissful manner. "Possibly one of the only redeeming qualities those two have. Saria's quite right, step over here and stay with us while we go for lunch. Those two will no doubt spread falsified information about women-folk that is simply untrue."  
"I-I think I'm fine over here," Ark stammered, looking at the ground as the female proportion of the ground lined up opposite the boys.  
"Oh well," Florella sighed with a shrug. "I've still got high hopes for you. Come one everyone, I'm getting peckish and the boys are treating."

"How long does this thing go for?" Link asked curiously. The party had found a small food stall in a large park and, after the three boys were given all the orders, they sat down in a quiet area to eat. Link, Talen and Nyara finished all of their food in record time and Ark tried to so that Nyara wouldn't feed him. Luckily for him, he managed it just in time for the animal girl looked over at him expectantly but found his lunch to be gone. She looked slightly disappointed and pouted for a little while before a butterfly caught her eye and she whipped her head around and followed it with her eyes.  
"Oh what a lovely day!" Florella sighed happily, flopping back on the grass. "It reminds me of back home."  
"Reminds me of the forest," Saria murmured. "I wonder what they're all doing back there?"  
"Getting ready for spring, I'll wager," Link yawned sleepily. "Oh Ark, which direction is the Compass pointing in now?" Ark pulled the blue sphere out of his clothing and looked closely at the pointer.  
"Um…let's see," he held it up and looked at the sky briefly. "West. It's pointing west."  
"West, hmmm?" Impa murmured thoughtfully. "Florella, it looks like you may just make it to the Spring Festival. Windhill is west of here, but we'll have to charter a ship. That shouldn't be too difficult; there are regular crossings of the Diara Sea by boats from here. A simple flash of the Royal Family's Crest should get us a ticket over." Florella's squeal of joy nearly ruptured the eardrums of all present.  
"Ow, geez Florella," Link winced. "Careful with how loud you screech." She ignored him and instead began to dance around on the grass.  
"This is _fantastical!_" she sang. "Shera and everyone'll be there! And they'll be all surprised, "Oh Florella, we didn't think you'd make it!" and then I'll say, "Of course I made it. I'm the Great Fairy of Spring, I'd never let my dear Windhillians go without a festival!" and then they'll say-"  
"Oh dear God," Link groaned. "Florella, _pleeease_ spare what little sanity we have left."  
"Hmph," she snorted. "Keep that attitude up and you won't get to go."  
"Promise?" Link asked in mock hopefulness. Florella stamped on his foot and stalked across to Talen, sitting heavily in his lap.  
"You're excited, aren't you Talen?" she asked, looking up at him with watering eyes.  
"I'm dancing on the inside, Florella," Talen told her, absently patting her on the head.  
"What about you?" Saria asked Link a little dryly. "You going to hide again this year?"  
"Did you even _need_ to ask that question?" he shot back. The Kokiri girl sighed and shook her head.  
"You're a terrible disappointment, you know that?" Florella groaned in utter frustration.  
"Peh, you all say that so often it's lost all meaning," Link snorted.  
"Out of every single male on the planet, the Goddesses had to go and pick the biggest stump of them all!" Florella suddenly blared. "You're a hero! Heroes are meant to be dashing, noble men that sweep damsels off their feet, not smart-mouthed little kids that'd prefer to chuck dirt around than romp around the bedroom!"  
"Florella!" Link gasped, his face reddening. "I really don't want to have this lecture again…not in front of everyone!"  
"No! It isn't fair!" she cried with renewed vigor, her voice reaching new heights. "You were supposed to be my crowning achievement! Florella, the Great Fairy of Spring joining the heart of a brave hero with that of a fair maiden! _If I had my way you'd be doing all kinds of naughty things in your room with one of those two right now!_" She pointed to Fura and Zelda with her finger.  
"Oh God, this is a nightmare!" Link squeaked, his face flaming as the Gerudo and the Princess nodded in agreement with Florella.  
"This is…what's happening?" Ark asked Impa nervously.  
"It's what the rest of us have dubbed, "A Conflict of Interests", which means that Florella's interested in seeing Link coupled with someone and Link…isn't," Impa tried to explain.  
"Oh, I see," Ark murmured, slightly confused.  
"Just think of it as free entertainment," Saria told him. "Florella usually loses her cool and ki- oh there she goes." Florella had just kicked Link rather solidly in his shin, making him hop around in pain.  
"What does that mean?" Ark asked Saria curiously.  
"Link won…sort of," Saria winced as the young Hylian began cursing. "Ooh, she got him a good one that time."  
"Serves you right!" Florella told the boy. "Feel the fury of a Great Fairy!"  
"Settle down, children," Impa laughed. "As entertaining as all of this is; I think that you should take a break for now." Florella glared daggers at Link before returning to Talen's lap.  
"Stump," Florella murmured.  
"Shrew," Link sniped back, sitting down again.  
"Hush," Fura told the boy, smoothing his hair down in an infuriating manner. "If you don't quiet down there's going to be a repeat of what happened in the tunnel." She closed her eyes as she said it, before opening them halfway and looking over at him in a strangely exotic manner. Link's eyes darted around the group before he looked down at the ground.  
"Yes ma'am," he mumbled in a barely audible voice, his face on fire. Everyone laughed before the inevitable questions of what the "Tunnel" was began to bombard Link. There was one person, however, that did not have their attention focused on the boy, but rather an odd melody wafting through the trees of the park. Ark's eyes went blank and he rose slowly before walking away in a zombified state. Nobody noticed him go except a figure hiding in the trees with silvery hair and green-tinted skin.  
"This game is getting interesting," the demon-girl grinned.


	21. Some Things Never Change

**Chapter 20 – Some Things Never Change**

Ark stood helplessly at the foot of a tall tree some distance from where his friends were. He stared up blankly and unassuming in his zombified state at the demon-girl sitting in the lower branches. She kicked her feet out absently, playing her eerie melody all the while. She eventually stopped and looked down at him with an intense expression.  
"I must say, Ark, you really have some strange companions with some extraordinary abilities," she mused out loud. "And it seems that you've already found one of the Locks." She dropped out of the tree and landed on her feet, displaying some above-average limitations of her body. She sauntered over, circling around the boy as if sizing him up. Ark stood silently and unmoving.  
"You're completely at my mercy now, aren't you?" she stated. "That is, if I could actually _do_ anything." She reached out and her hand passed through him completely as if she were a ghost.  
"Horribly frustrating," she sighed, waving her hand through his head a few times. "But not to be discouraged; I'll be able to make physical contact again soon enough. Exhausted myself a little bit, you see. Got a little agitated and couldn't keep concentration…but then again, you don't really understand what I'm talking about in your state, right?" Ark gave a slow head-shake.  
"I thought not…but I really must be congratulating you. I didn't expect for you to be able to escape from that place; it lies on another spiritual plane after all. That friend of yours with the collar is proving to be quite the nuisance." The demon-girl paced around, deep in thought. She kept looking up at the boy as if intending to ask him something, but would always resume her pacing. Finally, she spoke.  
"That girl really, _really_ wanted to kill you, you know that?" she said flatly. Ark nodded mutely. "Yet still you refused to attack her _and_ you even saved her life. She can't do it now." Ark nodded again and the demon-girl narrowed her red eyes at him, contemplating something.  
"If you really knew what she was like, you wouldn't be acting the same way. You'd no longer see her as a lady. She's a monster, Ark, a monster. She'll show you that one day…so that you'll hate her and give her an excuse to kill you. Mark my words." Ark didn't respond, and the girl didn't expect him to. She merely burst out in her raucous laughter and hopped back up into the tree.  
"Well at least you managed to follow my instructions properly…even though you've got no idea what they are. Oh well, I'll be seeing you again, Ark and, as always, I'll be watching you." The demon-girl was about to vanish when Nyara came bounding into the area.  
"Ark! Where you got to? Sneak off on Nyara!" she called. Her voice seemed to hit Ark like a blow to the side of the head. He lurched forward, breaking free of the demon's spell and shaking his head.  
"Uh-oh!" the girl hissed. Ark looked up and, for the briefest of instants, saw her in the tree before she disintegrated into smoke. He blinked, thinking that he had imagined it.  
"Wha…? Miss Nyara?" he asked, looking around. "What's the matter?" She skidded to a halt at his side.  
"Ark wander off and leave everyone. Ark bad, shouldn't go away by himself; bad girl try to get you again!" she chided him. Ark looked puzzled.  
"I…did I wander away?" he mumbled, looking around in confusion. "I guess I must have been daydreaming. I'm sorry, Miss Nyara." Nyara grinned, showing off her pointed incisors.  
"That okay. Let's go back to others," she told him rather cheerfully, taking a firm hold of his arm and leading him away. Ark allowed himself to be led away, but looked back up to the lower branches of the tree. Had he seen a person up there? Or was he just imagining things?

Link yawned loudly and shifted around slightly to try and get comfortable, which was quite hard to do since a Hylian Princess and a Gerudo Fire Witch had decided to make him their personal mattress. To the amazement of everyone present, he hadn't simply given them the old heave-ho, opting instead to simply put up with them. It had happened quite suddenly: the rest of the day had passed quickly and the gathering of companions had settled down upon a hill in the park to watch the night-time fireworks. They were on quite late, so as to make sure the sky was completely dark to allow for maximum effect. The night air was warm; a perfect temperature for being outside. Several other groups of people sat on and around the small hill, with many of them being couples. Florella had noticed this and had watered her eyes pathetically at Talen. The smith had looked almost disgusted with himself as he caved in and allowed her to wriggle into his lap. As was expected, Link laughed at him before being silenced rather quickly by both Fura and Zelda as they burrowed under his arms and toppled him backwards onto the ground where they lay with their heads on his chest. He was a tad verbal at first; complaining rather strenuously. He gave up after a short time as the girls merely ignored him and refused to be shifted, citing that he should wake them when the fireworks started.  
"They're about to start," Saria told Link. "You should wake them."  
"The _proper_ way, mind you. Like in the fairy-tales," Florella added, throwing in a few kissing noses for good measure. Link rolled his eyes before pinching the girls' noses closed to cut off their air supply. Before too long they woke quite suddenly with identical gasps.  
"Or I could have done it the cool way," Link told Florella, sitting up as the girls did. The fairy girl glared at him before looking at Fura and Zelda with an expression of pity.  
"Poor things," she said with a shake of her head.  
"Ugh," Fura sniffed. "Way to go, meanie!" She flicked Link's ear.  
"You could have been a little nicer in waking us up!" Zelda huffed.  
"Yes," Link grinned. "I could." Nyara looked over and frowned from where she was sitting with Ark.  
"You need better manners," she grumbled. "You learn from Ark. He got most manners of anyone!"  
"I don't know about that…" Ark mumbled.  
"Well considering the competition, it isn't all that hard," Florella said archly, glancing at Link. The boy made a face at her before crossing his legs and folding his arms.  
"Shouldn't this be starting now?" he grumbled. Zelda tutted and shook her head.  
"Look at you! That expression of yours has been practically the same ever since we got here!" she put her fingers to the corners of his mouth and stretched it back into a smile. "That's much better! Turn that down-under frown upside-down!" Everyone bar Link laughed, particularly Florella.  
"It wasn't all that funny," Link muttered sulkily. A loud whistling sound from the distance heralded the first firework as it shot into the sky from somewhere in the city. It rose high above them and slowed slightly before exploding in a bright shower of brilliant red sparks. There were gasps and oohs from the people on and around the hill as more and more explosive packages were rocketed into the sky, illuminating the entire city with a multitude of different colours. Nyara and Ark jumped slightly as it went off, not expecting such a loud noise and display.  
"Eeee!" Florella squealed in delight. "We need these back home!"  
"Maybe you should talk to Morgan about it," Link murmured.  
"Ooh! That's a good idea!" she said, clapping her hands together. Link mouthed the word "sarcasm" to Talen with a pained expression and the young smith returned an amused look. The fireworks continued on into the night; with different colours and, on some occasions, different shapes. One of the biggest happened to be an image of a huge red heart. There were pleased sighs from all around, but Link and Talen decided to make retching sounds instead, destroying the mood for their lady companions completely. A few sharp reprimands later and the two boys were once again quiet.  
"Isn't this nice?" Florella smiled up at Talen. "The fireworks are so pretty." She continued gazing up at him, obviously expecting something.  
"Oh, wait…I know this one…" Talen muttered. He pulled out a piece of parchment from one of his pockets and looked at it for a moment. "Oh, here it is." He folded it away and cleared his throat.  
"Ahem…not as pretty as you though, Florella," he told her. Talen looked over at Link and gave him an over-exaggerated wink, receiving an "ok" sign from his friend's fingers.  
"Oh! You two are the biggest pair of nitwits I've ever come across!" the fairy huffed. She did look slightly amused, though.  
"No wait," Talen told her. "The fireworks may be bright, but your eyes sparkle like a million seas of stars." Link was having fits, rolling around on the ground clutching at his stomach.  
"It isn't _that_ funny," Saria sighed, trying to hide a smirk.  
"Then why am I dying!?" Link asked, laughing inanely once more and managed to start Talen up.  
"Ark, cover your ears before you're infected," Fura told the boy, grabbing Link in an attempt to keep him still. He thrashed against her, however, and managed to keep his mouth free while she tried to cover it with her hand.  
"Stop moving around so much!" she demanded, tacking him full on and pinning him to the ground.  
"Fura, your slender, womanly frame possesses the strength of a burly man," Link wheezed as the Gerudo sat heavily on his back. The two boys lost it completely and the girls came to the conclusion that no more peace could be salvaged.  
"Come on you two," Saria sighed, bringing Link and Talen to their feet by their ears. "Show's over."  
"It was nice while it lasted, though," Zelda said, walking alongside Florella. "Even if the Dynamic Duo got restless towards the end."  
"We behaved all right," Talen said just a little hurt. "Fireworks can only hold their attraction for so long. No if they'd had some kind of giant carving display…"  
"Oh dear," Florella groaned as Talen began to prattle on about the merits of woodwork.  
"I must say, fireworks are quite amazing," Ark whistled. "That's the first time I've seen them."  
"Nyara not like fireworks," Nyara mumbled, trying to smooth down the fur on her tail. "Too noisy and flashy. Make Nyara's eyes go funny." She blinked a few times to try and get her pupils to shrink.  
"Well I hope the lot of you had fun today," Impa told them as they exited the park. "You're all off to bed as soon as we get back to the inn. I'll enquire about getting us a ticket over the strait tomorrow."

The following morning started out very slowly. The boys, surprisingly enough, were the first ones to wake with Ark having a slightly less stressful wakeup due to the fact that Nyara actually stayed in her own bed next door. They got dressed and lounged around their room, tossing a scrunched up ball of parchment to each other while they waited for the girls to get up. Navi fluttered lazily around Link's head as the boy sat on his bed and leaned against the wall.#  
"It's hot," he murmured, catching the ball as Talen threw it to him. He tossed it on to Ark and opened the window to allow the breeze to blow through the curtains.  
"Ugh, I can't wait to get moving again," Talen groaned. "As nice as this place is, it just doesn't have the same feeling to it as some of the other places we've been to."  
"I know what you mean. At least we're heading on to Windhill now; it'll be good to see Shera again," Link agreed.  
"Who is Shera?" Ark asked curiously, tossing the ball to Talen.  
"She's the Princess of Windhill. We met her some years ago when there was some trouble with a now-disbanded cult. We smacked those loons around good and proper, right Link?" Talen grinned, tossing the ball on to his blonde-haired friend.  
"Absolutely," Link agreed, bouncing the ball off his head and over to Ark. "They sure were a pain in the backside, though."  
"Especially when they killed you," Talen murmured.  
"That was a bit of a downer. Too bad you weren't there to see it," Link murmured back. Ark looked slightly shocked at the flippant way they were talking about Link's apparent death.  
"When you say "die"…you mean like when a person's heart can be started again by pressing on their chest…you know, like when somebody drowns?" Ark asked. Link and Talen looked at each other.  
"No Ark, we mean "die" as in killed. Hit in the chest with a very strong magic attack and got myself thrown into a wall. Last thing I remembered seeing was Fura and she looked pretty upset. It all turned out well in the end, though."  
"I- this is all a little too hard to take in," Ark told them.  
"I guess it is, but it's the truth. That's why Fura's so stuck on Nova here; the attack was meant for her, but he jumped in the way to save her. It worked pretty well," Talen mused.  
"Nova?" Link asked.  
"As in Casa-Nova," Talen snickered.  
"I'll forgive you for that one on account that it was pretty funny."  
"I thought so too," Talen agreed. The chucked the parchment ball around for a little while longer until they got sick of it, opting instead to play a game of cards.  
"Too bad we don't have draughts or something here," Link sighed, lying upside-down against his bed with his cards in hand. "I'd win for sure. In fact, that's the first thing I'm going to do when we get to Windhill; beat Florella into the ground with the losing stick."  
"She's a terrible cheat when she thinks she's going to lose," Talen smirked. "It's really very funny when you think about it. The Great Fairy of Cheating."  
"The Great Fairy of Tantrums," Link chuckled. "Hey Ark, you think of one." Ark blinked.  
"Oh…no, I couldn't!" he said, hiding behind his cards. "Lady Florella's a Great Fairy! I could never show any disrespect to her!" Talen and Link looked at each other.  
"You're a real straight arrow, Ark," Talen laughed.  
"And it's a good thing too!" Florella huffed from the doorway. Cards scattered everywhere as the buys jumped in surprise.  
"Ooh dear," Link murmured quietly.  
"What an enlightening conversation _dear_," Florella said icily to Talen. The boy cowered as she stood over him with her hands on her hips. "I'd order you to kiss my shoes if I were wearing any."  
"And it's a good thing you aren't," Talen said in pathetically simpering tone. "The exquisite digits of your perfectly sculpted feet, nay! _Ivory chariots_ worthy of those of the three Golden Goddesses themselves!" He bowed down as low as possible, his nose almost scraping the floor. Florella's face became all dimples and she blushed a rosy pink colour.  
"Oh Talen! You do go on!" she giggled, fluttering her eyelashes.  
"Hey Talen," Link said flatly. "I think your dignity got left behind when you dove down to grovel on the floor."  
"Hey, don't mock my gentleman here!" Florella snapped at the boy. "Learn a thing or two about how to compliment a lady! Right Talen?" Her voice was thick and dripping with honey as she looked coyly at the smith.  
"Wait, let me try it," Link told her. "Your voice, _nay!_ Your _holy trumpet_ isn't as grating today as it was last night and every other time you've spoken."  
"Oh wonderful, Link," Florella sighed, shaking her head. "Holy trumpet…"  
"I thought it was pretty good."  
"Well enough shenanigans," Florella told the three boys. "Impa's gone to enquire about a ship across the strait. We have to wait around until she gets back, so chop-chop."  
"Chop-chop what?" Link asked flatly. "You're in a hurry to sit on your backside? You need help doing it or something?"  
"Droll, Link, _very_ droll. No, the three of you are going to toddle on over next door so we're all together as a group. Pack all of your things up too," Florella told the blonde boy. "Don't take all day. I'll see you over there, Talen." She gave the boy another coy look, batted her eyelashes at him and giggled her way out of the room. Talen's shoulders slumped when she was gone.  
"Hah! You've gone and dug your own grave," Link laughed at his friend. "That was perhaps the most sickening, degrading, most humiliating display of sucking up I've ever seen in my entire life. Have you no shame!?"  
"I couldn't help it," Talen said lamely. "Florella can be very scary sometimes…it's like she shoots ice from her eyes. It all just popped out."  
"Pa-_thetic_," Link snorted. "You won't see me doing that."  
"And I admire your stupendous will for doing so, my friend. Those girls would have busted me down to a quivering man-grub in no time." Ark looked really rather confused at the exchange that had just taken place. He shook his head with a sigh, packing all of his things away and making his bed.  
"Yes Ark, I know it seems all rather strange," Link said, reading his friend's expression. "But you have to know that women exist for one thing only: to see every man on the planet enslaved to their every whim."  
"That can't be true," Ark said, baulking at the idea.  
"Oh really? You ever wonder why Nyara's always hovering around you?" Link asked. Ark shook his head. "She's sizing you up until _bam!_ Gobble-gobble Ark's all gone!" Ark jumped back slightly and Link began laughing.  
"Very funny," Ark said, smiling along with Talen. "Miss Nyara's a very kind person…sometimes a little strange I will admit."  
"All women are strange," Link sighed, grabbing his gear and heading towards the door. "They're just strange in different ways."  
Florella was being very, _very_ friendly to Talen as the boys all sat around in the girls' remarkably messy room. It had to be cleaned slightly before Ark could bring himself to go inside since a number of varying undergarments were in plain view on the floor or beds. After they were packed away or simply shoved under something else, the boy was able to hesitantly enter and sit down in the most unobtrusive spot he could find. Link had instantly been set upon by Saria and he sat with her running a comb through his hair. She looked rather content doing it and Link, rather than being annoyed, sat lazily since it was too hot to raise much of a stink. Florella busied herself by making eyes at Talen; fluttering her lashes and trying to make it look like she was not, in fact, looking at him. Either she was doing a very good job or Talen was too preoccupied with bending one of Zelda's hairclips back to its original shape; the latter was perhaps the best bet.

"Ta-_leeeeen!_" she whined pathetically. "Look at meeeee!"  
"Pardon?" he asked, looking up from his obviously important work. "Did you want something, Florella?"  
"Aren't I more interesting to look at than some dumb old hairclip?" she wheedled. Talen looked down at the hairclip and then back at her.  
"You don't need fixing, Florella," he said simply.  
"I-" Link started, but was cut off by Saria bopping the top of his head with her knuckle.  
"Don't," she told him firmly, jerking his head so that she could brush his hair easier.  
"I wasn't going to say anything," he protested innocently.  
"Yes, you were. You always do, it comes second only to breathing in your case. I expect only the Goddesses know where you got that mouth of yours from." Link frowned when he saw Fura and Zelda nod in agreement with Saria.  
"I was raised that way," Link said haughtily.  
"Oh you were not!" Saria exclaimed, scrubbing his ears. "You picked it up somewhere, probably partly from Mido."  
"You know you can really be the sweetest thing sometimes, Link," Florella told him. "But before too long you either get bored or hungry and Mister Irritation comes out to play."  
"I like that guy," Talen grinned, finally bending Zelda's hairpin back to its proper shape. He handed it to her and stretched his arms out, creating several popping sounds. Then, with a mighty sigh, he slid down the wall into a half-sitting half-lying position. He glanced over at Ark as Nyara attempted to get his fringe to stay down.  
"Forget it, Nyara. Ark's hair's going to stay like that," Fura told the animal girl. Nyara frowned at the biggest tuft of feathery hair before sticking it completely inside her mouth and chewing it. "No matter how much you spit on it. Oh that's disgusting." Everyone scrunched their faces up, particularly Ark, as Nyara mouthed his hair into a slobbery mess.  
"M-Miss Nyara…I really don't think it's going to stay down," Ark winced as she smoothed the wet hair down against his head. It stuck in place and Nyara grinned in triumph before it suddenly sproinged back up again.  
"Ark hair not fair," she grumbled. "Ark whole body not fair. Get better too quickly and leave Nyara nothing to do."  
"Oh come now, Nyara," Florella said encouragingly. "He still needs someone to feed him and wash his face."  
"That true," Nyara smiled as Ark whitened slightly and shuffled away a little. Nyara's arm whipped out and pulled him back, however, and she nuzzled her face up to his. "Ark lost without Nyara!"  
"That poor, poor boy," Link whispered to Talen. The smith nodded and gave a rueful sigh.  
"This is very boring," Link said after there was a long lapse of silence in the room.  
"I can think of more interesting things to do, but you probably don't want to hear them," Fura sighed, chewing idly on one of her fingernails.  
"Definitely not," Link groaned. "You got anything we can throw around in here?"  
"No," Zelda yawned, plopping her head on Link's shoulder.  
"What _do_ you people do for fun then?"  
"And you three boys can seriously say that throwing something around a room can keep you interested for long periods of time?" Zelda asked disbelievingly. The boys glanced at each other, not saying a word. "Good God, you can."  
"It's fun," Ark said lamely.  
"Well what do the all high-and-mighty females do then?" Link frowned.  
"We talk about interesting topics," Florella told him loftily.  
"What, how to embarrass us in the next social situation?"  
"Very funny," Saria groaned, tweaking his ear. "Your hair's done." Link jammed his cap back on and wriggled around, dislodging Zelda's head. She looked a little irritated when Link sighed happily and rolled his shoulders as if he were glad to get rid of the weight.  
"We talk about a lot of things. Girl things mostly," Fura told Link, patting him on the back. "What do you talk about with Talen and Ark?"  
"Boy things."  
"I can see that this conversation could drag on like this for quite some time, so we'll change the subject to something else," Zelda told them all. "Ark, does the Compass tell you how far away the Locks are?" Ark looked up, grateful that he had an excuse to stop Nyara from trying to get his hair to stay down again.  
"I'm afraid I don't know, Miss Zelda. At the moment all I can ascertain from it is in which direction we must travel in," Ark told her. "I wish I could be of more help, but…"  
"Oh don't worry about that, Ark," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "However, the burning question I'm sure we'd all like to know the answer to is who is trying to open the Eternal Ark?" Ark's face fell.  
"I do not know," he sighed. "They must be very powerful though. The place in which the Ark lies is supposed to be sealed."  
"And whoever it is must command a whole bunch of nasties to be able to throw that many Rocs at us- not to mention bringing that girl on board," Talen frowned.  
"She said that she was made an offer that she couldn't refuse," Ark told them. "It may be money or jewels or something; she seems to like them."  
"I don't know if it's money or jewels," Link mused. "If she was getting some almighty hoard for wiping you out, or at least getting you out of the way, then why would she ogle the jewel on your staff? It doesn't make any sense…no; she's getting something else out of this. Maybe more power…" The rest of the room sat in silence for a while, mulling over what Link had said.  
"Well when we get to Windhill we can have a look through their libraries. They knew about The Five and Gedinia up there, perhaps they have more information on the Eternal Ark as well," Zelda suggested. There was another pensive silence which lasted until the door suddenly swung open and Impa appeared.  
"Grab your things, I've got us a ticket over," she Sheikah told them. "And it leaves in a couple of minutes, so I'd hurry if I were you. A flurry of activity followed as the boys retreated hastily from the room whilst the girls dashed about in a mad attempt to shove all of their things into their packs before the ship left.

Impa shooed the children down to the docks at a snappy pace, practically tossing them onto the large cargo ship as it prepared to disembark. The ship was quite large and filled with a great range of good belonging to the numerous merchants traveling on the vessel. Impa leafed through a small pouch and produced their passes onto the ship which she showed to one of the crewmen.  
"You people made it just in time," he told them gruffly. "Follow me and I'll show you where your cabins are." As they went below decks, Talen rambled on about how similar it was to the ship they had been on when traveling to Arbouren.  
"Speaking of which, you two are _not_ going near the railings this time. Remember what happened before?" Florella asked them sternly. Link cast his mind back to the time when he and Talen had been swept away by a waterspout and dumped on a tropical beach. A few days of hot, sticky jungle had been their obstacle after that, before meeting Yula and journeying to Arbouren to meet up with everyone again. It was also then that Florella had decided to cut Talen's legs out from underneath him by sticking an immovable ring on his finger and telling him that they would be getting married no matter what. Link summed up that those few days were perhaps some of _the_ most harrowing he'd experienced.  
"I don't think I could forget," the blonde swordsman winced. The crewmember thrust open the door to a single large cabin lined with bunks. There was a large curtain tied by the far wall that, when let out, could be drawn across the cabin to create a wall of sorts.  
"I'd feel safer with something a little more substantial in the way," Link whispered to Talen.  
"What was that?" Zelda asked. Link smiled nervously and waved his hands at her. She shook her head and sighed. "What are we going to do with you?"  
The boys set up their things on one side of the cabin while the girls did the same on the other side.  
"How are you doing, Ark?" Link asked his quiet friend. "You don't get seasick, do you?"  
"I'm not sure, I've never been on a ship before…but I think I'm fine," he assured them.  
"That's good then. If you do start to feel queasy, head up on decks for some fresh air. Vomiting usually makes you feel better too," Link shrugged. Ark wrinkled his nose.  
"I will keep that in mind." They shared a laugh before deciding to head outside while the ship disembarked. Link turned and caught a glimpse of Fura setting up her bunk. He frowned when he noticed that her copper skin had taken on a faint greenish tinge.  
"Hey, you two go on ahead. I'll be up in a second," he told Ark and Talen. They nodded and headed up with Nyara bounding after them upon noticing Ark slipping out the door. Link watched them go before walking over to Fura.  
"Are you feeling all right?" he asked her curiously. Her head snapped around in surprise but she smiled slightly when she saw it was Link.  
"I'm feeling just a little bit queasy; it always takes me some time to get used to being at sea," she told him quietly. Her eyelids were slightly drooped and she held her stomach uneasily. Link held out his hand, but jerked it back when he realized that he was holding out his shadowy arm by accident.  
"Sorry," he mumbled sheepishly, holding out his normal one.  
"Link, I don't have a problem with the way you look right now," Fura told.  
"Do you want to go up on decks?" he asked her, brushing aside her assurance. "The fresh air will probably make you feel a little bit better. It's cooler up there too; we'll find somewhere out of the sun for you to sit…near the rails so you can heave-ho if need be."  
"That sounds better than throwing up in here," she smiled wanly before pointedly avoiding his regular hand and seizing his dark one instead.  
"Hey…Florella?" Link called to the fairy. She looked up at him.  
"Yes?"  
"Fura's feeling a little bit seasick…do you have anything that would make her feel better?" he asked hopefully. "And if you do, could you please give it to her?" Florella's face split into a broad grin.  
"See!? _That's_ how sweet you can be sometimes! Look! Holding her hand, making sure she's feeling all right, "please"…you've got it in you, you just never let it out!" Florella exclaimed, jumping up and down. Link almost considered letting go of Fura's clammy hand, but decided against it.  
"Fura isn't feeling well and it isn't her fault," he frowned. "I'm not _that_ mean, you know…and the rest of you can stop staring and grinning!" Impa, Saria and Zelda immediately put on innocent expressions.  
"Well of course I can do something for Fura," Florella told him sweetly. "It'll take a little time to prepare, so you go on outside and I'll bring it up to you."  
"Thanks," Link mumbled. "And you can all stop looking like this is a big deal!" His face was slightly red.  
"You're very cute when you're blustery like this," Zelda told him casually, without turning around from making her bed.  
"That's it, I'm going!" he declared. "Come on Fura." He turned and headed out the door with Fura trailing along behind him with her hand still in his own.  
"Just when I start to lose hope, that boy goes and surprises me," Florella sighed. "Good gravy it feels good to see him act like that." The fairy grinned and wrapped her arms about herself in a kind of hug. Link's head suddenly poked through the door.  
"Sorry to rush you, jelly-belly, but Fura looks like she's about to spew, so chop-chop with whatever it is that'll make her feel better," he told her before rushing off to where Fura was waiting on deck.  
"Then again," Florella grumbled. "Some things never change."


	22. Deal

**Chapter 21 – Deal**

"Steady on there," Link told Fura as she groaned over the rail. "I'm sure you're almost empty by now." He patted her back gently while the seasick Gerudo took some deep breaths before standing upright again. Link frowned slightly. Fura looked quite out of it- sweaty and green and shaking.  
"I…think I'm gunna…" Fura mumbled sickly.  
"Woop! Still something in there," Link said, helping her back over the rail as she threw up again. "Where _is_ Florella already?"  
"I'm right here," the fairy said flatly from directly behind him. Link jumped slightly and whirled around.  
"Well it's about time. Do you have anything?" he asked her. She wiggled a little bottle in front of his face.  
"I might…but you have to say ple-" Link's hand shot out faster than she could have ever believed and snagged the bottle. Florella blinked and wiggled her fingers. "Or you could just take it. Anyway, get her to drink all of it."  
"Thanks," Link told her absently, turning back to Fura. He paused. "Hey…Talen's probably up the stern if you want him." Florella gave him a dimply smile.  
"I'll head up there right away, Linkie-do," she said sweetly, skipping off. Fura groaned something and wiped her mouth.  
"Urgh, what's that?" she asked, referring to the little bottle in Link's hand.  
"It'll hopefully make you feel better. Here," he told her, uncorking it and handing it to her. "Drink it all." Fura downed the contents of the bottle and screwed her face up.  
"Doesn't taste too good," she frowned.  
"The worse it tastes, the better it is for you or something. Do you want to sit down?" he asked her. Fura nodded, though her head seemed to droop a little more than usual. "Yeah, you probably should. You're looking pretty woozy."  
"Ooh," she groaned. "I think it's the medicine. C-Carry me." Fura staggered forwards and Link held her up.  
"O-Okay," Link stammered, looking around. "Erm…over here." Link somewhat awkwardly piggybacked the girl over to a canopied spot near the ship's prow and set her down carefully. In the time it had taken him to carry her up to the prow, Fura was well and truly out of it. She lolled almost drunkenly on the spot with a dreamy look on her face.  
"Wow. Remind me never to trust Florella with giving _me_ medicine ever again," Link told her with a shake of his head. Link sat down by Fura and sighed. "You really can't handle boats that well, can you?"  
"Nope," Fura giggled drowsily. She teetered forwards and Link grabbed her shoulder. "Oogh, thank you, Link." All in all she looked rather pathetic and Link felt very sorry for her indeed.  
"You want me to stay here for a while?" he asked. Fura nodded. "Feeling a little better?" She nodded again, her eyelids drooping.  
"I'm a little tired," she admitted. "I'll just…" Fura trailed off and her eyes blinked closed.  
"Wonderful," Link sighed. He shuffled around and stretched his legs out in front of him, depositing Fura's head just above his knees. "I hope my legs don't go numb."

If anything, the ship's stern was perhaps the least crowded area of the large cargo ship. Talen and Ark sat with two fishing poles that the young smith had managed to make after poking around one of the store rooms. Nyara sat by Ark, looking curiously at the fishing poles.  
"What they for?" she asked.  
"Catching fish," Talen told her, reclining back into a semi-lying position.  
"Why not use hands?" Nyara asked.  
"We aren't fast enough to catch fish, Miss Nyara. We have to lure the fish onto hooks with bait so we can pull them in," Ark explained. "It probably seems strange to you." Nyara nodded.  
"Nyara swim and catch fish with teeth or hands back at home. Nyara like to catch fish, but too high here…Nyara get left behind if jump in water." She grinned and flicked her tail before sticking her head out over the rail. Talen, it seemed, had almost drifted off to sleep with his fishing pole still held in his hand. He blinked an eye open and looked at Ark's questioning expression.  
"Fishing helps me relax. Link and I find it to be one of the most relaxing pastimes around," the brown-haired boy murmured. "Just lie back and listen to the water, Ark. Fishing is great and it should be something you try to do as often as possible."  
"Why it called fishing when you don't catch any fish?" Nyara asked, reseating herself next to Ark.  
"Hey, we haven't caught any fish _yet_. They'll bite, or I'll sit here all day and relax," Talen told the animal girl. "Fishing should never be rushed…just like sleeping." Nyara looked skeptical.  
"Ark going to stay here all day?" she asked. Ark looked over at Talen, receiving a nod from the boy.  
"I think I'll be here for a good portion of the day, Miss Nyara," Ark told her apologetically. She frowned, but her ears suddenly twitched up.  
"Nyara have look around and come back later. Ark can play with Nyara then," the animal girl told him. She gave Ark a quick, wet lick on the side of his face before he could pull away and darted off in search of something to do. Ark wiped his cheek off with the sleeve of his clothing.  
"I wish she wouldn't do that so often," he mumbled.  
"I think it's funny," Talen snickered. "Well…funny in an "I-feel-sorry-for-you-but-you have-to-admit-that-big-wet-licks-on-the-side-of-the-face-are-pretty-funny-because-they're-happening-to-someone-else" kind of way. You understand, right?"  
"Not really," Ark frowned.  
"Well perhaps I should start licking you on the cheek then, Talen," Florella's voice rang out from behind him. The boy flinched and he turned around.  
"Hello Florella," he winced. "Nice day, isn't it?" Florella strode up to him and put her hands on her hips.  
"And while you're back here wasting time, _I'm _all on my lonesome!" she cried a little overdramatically.  
"Lonesome? What happened to Zelda and Impa?" Talen asked. Florella's gaze intensified. Talen blinked and his eyes darted around as if searching for something to say. "Erm…I don't think I have this one written down." Florella gave an exasperated sigh.  
"Oh Talen, you goose. Why can't you spend time with me instead of fishing?" she asked. Talen could sense that Florella was about to lay on the guilt.  
"You're right, Florella. You're absolutely right," he declared, jumping to his feet.  
"I am?" Florella asked a little uncertainly. Talen nodded.  
"Of course! Now close your eyes and I'll take you somewhere nice for us to sit," he told her. Florella squealed with excitement and closed her eyes tight, clapping her hands together with glee. She felt Talen take her arm and lead her a few steps forward. He suddenly sat her down and put something in her hands. She frowned and opened her eyes to find herself looking at a fishing pole.  
"Eh…what?" she blinked stupidly.  
"We can compromise, Florella. That's what people do to please each other. We can spend time together whilst fishing! I mean, you've _never_ fished with me before and I think I would like it if you did it more often," Talen grinned smugly. He lay back and closed his eyes while Ark tried to hide a smile.  
"I shall go and see if I can help out with anything," Ark told the pair before setting down his fishing pole and taking his leave.  
"You're a dirty cheat, Talen," Florella grumbled, unable to argue with the boy's logic.  
"I learn from the best, Florella. Now remember; fishing is a waiting game so we're going to be sitting here for quite some time doing nothing, but that's a small price to pay for some quality-time…right?" he smirked. Florella sighed and crossed her legs while holding the fishing pole very unenthusiastically.  
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" she grumbled. "Think you're _so_ smart for getting the better of me, well just you wait. I'll get you for this, Talen."  
"Hush, Florella. You're scaring away the fish."

Ark wandered aimlessly around the ship. He had decided not to bother either Link or Talen, knowing that he'd probably displease the respective females they were with. He scanned the deck in search of something to do. There were only a few merchants about, the rest being below decks guarding their wares or talking with each other in the mess hall. Half a day had passed since leaving port, and Alujah City was just a faint blotch on the horizon. Ark had never been at sea before, and he did have some reservations about it after hearing about sharks and such. Being on such a big ship made him feel just a little bit safer, however, and he was certain that being out in the middle of the ocean made them a much harder target for their mysterious foe. Ark shook his head and pushed all of those thoughts out of his mind. "Dwelling on uncertainty only breeds more uncertainty" was something that Aarden had told Ark on one occasion, and Ark did well to remember it. Besides, since he had some spare time on his hands he could think about Nyara's odd advice imparted upon him when the two of them were on their way to the small village they had stopped at before meeting up with Saria and Impa. All her talk of him not being fully alive had confused him to no end, but then again Ark had never been one to question his life, spiritual or otherwise. Nyara seemed very confusing to him sometimes; able to talk about such complex life matters whilst simultaneously being able to give off an air of childishness and folly. She could switch from carefree to fierce beast and boisterous to mothering in the blink of an eye. Ark shook his head and frowned. Then there was the black-haired girl. She seemed incredibly angry at him, but for different reasons other than being beaten by him on several occasions. She no longer wanted to kill him, or, perhaps she _did_; only her honor prevented her from doing so after he had saved her life. She had an extremely abrasive manner; perhaps due to living by herself.  
"Everything's so confusing," Ark sighed, shaking his head.  
"What confusing?" Nyara's voice suddenly queried from over his shoulder. Ark yelped and jumped slightly before turning around.  
"M-Miss Nyara, don't surprise me like that," he breathed. "Did you need me for anything?" She shook her head.  
"Ark look all frowny so Nyara came to see what was wrong," she told him. Ark blinked as he looked at her. The others seemed not to notice that Nyara wore nothing at all, but that fact was never far from Ark's mind. He felt a slow flush creeping into his cheeks and found something else to focus on. He mentally told himself that at least her fur was thicker in some places, covering most of the necessary parts up. Had it not been for that, Ark would probably never be able to speak a coherent sentence to her. Nyara's tail swished, its puffy pom-pom tip almost incandescent in the bright sun.  
"Why is Ark's face red?" Nyara asked suddenly. "Ark getting sick?" The boy blinked and snapped back to reality.  
"Sick? Oh, no! I'm not sick, Miss Nyara," he assured her. "It's, well…nothing." Nyara shrugged and grinned, revealing her pointed incisors.  
"Does Ark want to look around with Nyara?" the animal girl asked. Ark blinked and then nodded.  
"If you don't mind, Miss Nyara," Ark told her. Nyara grinned again and grabbed his arm in her strong grip.  
"Good Ark! Now keep up with Nyara. We have lots of fun today to stop Ark frowning!"

Fura had been zonked out for a good couple of hours and her head seemed to have been getting heavier and heavier, resulting in Link weaving the two straps of the Key together to create a pillow of sorts. Once she was resting upon that and not his legs, he stood up to get the blood flowing through them once more. He couldn't just leave Fura by herself while she was under the influence of Florella's medicine and, if he moved her back to the cabin so that he could muck around with Talen, it would look like he had better things to do than look after her whilst she was sick. Link sighed and sat back down next to the Gerudo. He unbuckled his sword and shield and brought the latter into his lap so that he could polish it; if he couldn't leave then he may as well get some things done. His sword and shield, however, could only be polished so many times and he soon found himself starved for entertainment. He tapped his palms against his thighs and flapped his lips with a large exhalation of air, casting his eyes around as he did so. He saw Nyara drag Ark off somewhere below decks and Link surmised that she was probably going to gobble him up in a place where there would be no witnesses.  
"I wish I were fishing," Link sighed mournfully, flopping onto his back. "Talen, you lucky skunk." Link's stomach growled and he whimpered pathetically. He hadn't eaten in a little while and his stomach was getting quite vocal.  
"Yes, Master," Link told his growling stomach. "You shall be appeased soon enough."  
"Who are you talking to?" Fura's voice murmured. Link flinched slightly.  
"You feeling better?" he asked her. Fura sat up and yawned before glancing at what she had been lying on.  
"Why am I not resting upon you?" she asked as Link reeled in the straps. "And yes, I'm feeling fine."  
"Well you _were_ on my knees…but you seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. I put you there because I didn't want to leave you by yourself while you were sick," he told her. Fura's expression grew incredibly soft.  
"You're such a sweetie-pie," Fura gushed. Link rolled his eyes and sighed.  
"Uh-huh," he grunted unenthusiastically. "Are you up for some food? You got rid of it all before and it'd probably be a good idea if y-"  
"Do you think I'm pretty?" she asked coyly, her face alighting in a purposeful blush. Link went on full alert. When either Fura or Zelda began acting all giggly and girly, it usually meant they were after something.  
"Well I…of course you are…" he stammered. His voice suddenly turned flat. "I- do you want something?" Fura giggled again and Link twitched involuntarily.  
"Now what makes you think that I want something?" she asked shyly, drawing her finger in circles on the ground.  
"Let's see…how about the way you're acting?" he told her. Fura smiled and suddenly flashed over and gripped him in a soft headlock. She smooshed her cheek up against his and ran her fingers through his hair.  
"Silly Linkie-do," she cooed. "You wanna kiss me to make me feel one-hundred percent better?" Link blinked and his face burnt bright red.  
"You've just been all spewey!" he protested.  
"And that matters?" Fura pouted. "I just wanna little teeny kiss. Nothing big. Pweeeease?" Unfortunately, all Link could envisage was Fura hurling her insides out over the railing a few hours earlier.  
"M-Maybe later," he told her, trying to wriggle free. Fura's grip tightened.  
"Later? Hmm, them sounds like puttin' off words to me," Fura tutted. "How do I know you'll come good on it?" Her grip got tighter and tighter as Link ummed an ahhed whilst trying to come up with a good excuse.  
"Wait!" Fura said suddenly. "I've got the _perfect_ idea!" Link was instantly filled with dread.  
"What is it?" he asked a little fearfully. She grinned and let him go, rubbing her hands together menacingly.  
"I shall refrain from stealing kisses from you while we're on this ship," she told him simply.  
"Well that sounds just fine. Nice doing business with you," Link smiled cheerfully, turning around to walk away.  
"_However_," Fura added, grabbing the Key straps and yanking him back. "Before this ship docks at port you have to come up and give me a nice big smoocho of your own accord. You can decide when and where, but you _must_ do it before we get to port and you _have_ to promise." Link looked like he was having some kind of crisis.  
"What if-"  
"And if you refuse this kind offer from me, then you'll get more from me than ever before _and_ I'll do them in the most socially awkward situations I can think of!" Fura grinned. Link's face fell.  
"Bu- you…sneaky…rrgh! _Fine!_" Link growled. "But only _one!_" Fura beamed.  
"All right! Shake on it!" she laughed, extending her hand. Link shook it grudgingly, feeling like he had just sold his soul. "And feel free to maybe throw in a little grope or pat on the behind if you feel like it."  
"What? _NO!_" Link gasped, utterly shocked. Fura giggled and then blew him a kiss.  
"I'll be waiting for you, Linkie-do!" she sang before skipping away. Link watched her go before stamping his foot on the deck.  
"Why does this happen to me!?" he shouted at the sky.

Talen came swaggering into the cabin with his fishing pole over his shoulder and a cocky smile on his face. Florella followed closely behind, though she didn't look as chipper as Talen did.  
"Did you two have a nice day?" Zelda asked as they entered.  
"Florella and I had a fantastic time fishing, didn't we Florella?" Talen asked the fairy.  
"We didn't catch anything," Florella grumbled. "We sat there all afternoon and didn't get a single nibble!"  
"Now, now, Florella," Talen told her reprovingly. "You don't fish to catch fish, you fish for the _experience_."  
"That doesn't make any sense!" she blared. "Spending time with you is wonderful, Talen, but I'll go insane if I have to sit through another fishing session."  
"Funny, I could swear it's happened already," Link snorted as he came into the room. He dodged a kick from Florella, glanced warily at Fura and dropped onto his bunk. "Did you stay in here _all_ day, Zelda?"  
"We both did," Saria told the boy. "We reorganized all of the equipment in all of the packs. Sorry Talen, but you've got the heaviest one."  
"I don't mind," Talen shrugged. "As long as I can fish somewhere, I'm happy, right Florella?" Florella groaned and fluttered up to her bunk.  
"No comment," she grunted.  
Oh, Fura, are you feeling any better?" Impa asked. Fura grinned and looked meaningfully at Link.  
"Oh yes Impa," she giggled. "Florella's medicine and Link's _caring_ nature really fixed me up." Link went slightly red and he seemed to sink further into his bunk, burying his mead under his pillow. Zelda's ears twitched and she looked suspiciously from Fura to Link.  
"Caring, huh?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. "How exactly?"  
"I just made sure she was feeling okay!" Link snapped. "You know, getting her to aim over the side of the ship." Talen snorted in amusement and then held his hand over his mouth as Fura glared at him.  
"Not _only_ that, Talen," she sniped. "There were other things too."  
"Like what?" Florella asked eagerly. "Come on! Tell me!" Link's chest felt like it was going to burst open. He really, _really_ hoped that Fura wouldn't tell everyone about the promise or, as Link thought, extortion.  
"Oh nothing," Fura said with a wave of her hand. "He was just being a gentleman is all." Zelda seemed to relax, but eyed Link with a pensive expression.  
"Oh Link?" she asked sweetly. The boy cringed and peeked out from under his pillow.  
"Y-Yes?" he asked a little fearfully.  
"Since I've been cooped up in here _all day_…would you mind taking me out for a little moonlight stroll after dinner?" she asked in honeyed tones.  
"I-" he stopped and noticed the Princess and Florella staring, and Fura smirking at him. "Yes, I guess that'd be okay."  
"Perfect!" Zelda smiled. Link sighed and scratched his temple.  
"Hey…has anyone seen Ark and Nyara?" the boy asked suddenly. "I saw them wander off somewhere below decks."  
"I haven't seen either of them all day. I'm sure there's nothing to worry about; he's with Nyara after all and it's only afternoon," Impa assured Link.  
"Maybe she ate him," Link mused.  
"I don't think so," Talen disagreed. "You're the only one she's threatened to eat."  
"So far," Link added ominously.  
"Oh stop that!" Saria snapped. "If anything, Nyara keeps you in your place! I think she's _wonderful_ company and it's just so adorable the way she fusses over poor Ark."  
"You've got the poor part right," Link muttered. "He'll get eaten one day, mark my words." Fura frowned at the boy and hurled her pillow at him from across the cabin, scoring a direct hit to the side of his head.  
"Enough negativity from you, my boy," she told him reprovingly. "Perhaps something to eat would cheer you up." Link's eyes brightened and he sat up expectantly.  
"Oh dear," Florella sighed. "He's just like a puppy."  
"Hey, shut up you," he scowled. "I haven't had a proper feed for a while now."  
"And you _did_ sit through watching me hurl my insides out over the side of the ship," Fura smiled wryly. "Here." She dug into one of the packs and tossed him some dried meat. He began devouring it like a wild animal.  
"I don't know how you can eat that stuff," Zelda said, wrinkling her nose up. "It's so dry and salty."  
"My two favorite words when strung together," Talen nodded. "Hey Link, don't hog it all." The two boys were soon chewing and tearing away at the leathery substance while the female proportion of the room looked on in disgust.  
"At least eat it like people," Florella frowned.

Nyara came galloping back into the cabin late in the afternoon with Ark following closely behind.  
"And where have you two been?" Florella asked.  
"Nyara and Ark look around ship. Find lots of interesting places," the animal girl chirped. "Ship so big."  
"I'm quite exhausted," Ark panted, sitting heavily on the floor. "But at least I can relax somewhat on this vessel."  
"Especially with fishing," Talen nodded. Ark grinned.  
"I must admit that I find it enjoyable," Ark agreed. "I've never really fished before today."  
"Nyara find Talen's way of fishing boring," the animal girl frowned.  
"Amen to that, Nyara!" Florella exclaimed. "It's the most boring pastime ever!" Talen, Link and Ark looked just a little bit hurt by Florella's denunciation of their fine sport, but said nothing more on the matter. Since dinner in the mess hall was still some time away, the group found various things to occupy themselves with. Talen, Ark and Link busied themselves with a game of cards over on the boys' side of the cabin, whilst the girls had a thorough session of brushing hair and clothes-changing…with the curtain drawn of course. It was soon drawn back to reveal the girls in their new outfits. Impa, Saria and Nyara remained, as was expected, unchanged and Florella had only replaced her usual attire with a pink-tinged tunic. Zelda and Fura were quite different, however. Fura's rather voluptuous outfit had been replaced by a single-pieced red outfit. The outfit was quite tight and reached about halfway down her thigh in a skirt-type fashion. The shoulders were a lighter orange colour and were obviously padded underneath to make them stick out further. The sleeves ended a short way down her arms with large orange cuffs and the neck was reinforced with a round blue jewel in the center. Her elbows had dark-brown pads on them and she also wore fingerless gloves of identical dark-brown colour with similar cuffs to her sleeves. Her hair was dramatically different and some of it seemed to have been cut off. It came down on either side of her face in two jagged sections, puffing out slightly due to a black and red headband that was fashioned in a way to taper the rest of her hair into a wild ponytail that reached down to the small of her back. Her feet were covered in a pair of tough, yet feminine looking shoes that reached up just past her ankles. Zelda's clothing was a little more restrained than Fura's, consisting of a white, short-sleeved tunic with baggy arms and accompanying white pants and soft green women's boots. A cloak hung off the back of the tunic should she get cold. As was expected, Link and Talen were asked what they thought of the girls' new attire. Their answers of, "Yeah, looks fine," and, "At least it leaves more to the imagination than the last one," didn't win them any prizes, however.  
"Can't you say anything more encouraging than that?" Florella sighed in frustration.  
"Do we really have to?" Link groaned. "You all look good no matter what you're wearing." Link's comment seemed to diffuse any tension in the room and Talen gave him a concealed thumbs-up in congratulations. Impa announced that perhaps it was time for them to go to dinner, resulting in Link and Talen beating each other out of the way to get to the door. Link cheated by tripping Talen up with the Key before dashing off down towards the mess hall with the smith following closely behind.  
"Why can't they get that excited over us?" Fura grumbled, walking at a steady pace with everyone else.  
"It's one of the harsh facts of reality, Fura," Impa smiled. "Men are controlled by their stomachs."  
"Except for Ark," Nyara piped up. "Ark eat hardly anything, Nyara have to feed him or else he waste away." Ark, who was walking towards the back of the group, sighed heavily and hoped to the Goddesses that Nyara wouldn't try to feed him in front of all the people in the mess-hall.

Dinner was largely uneventful, though Talen and Link seemed to be competing to see who could cram in as much food as possible, drawing a few looks from various merchants and passengers seated nearby. Ark ate in an almost fearful manner since Nyara kept eyeing him while he ate. The poor boy devoured much more than he usually would have to keep her from doing anything.  
The sun had well and truly gone down by the time they had finished eating, talking and laughing, and they were almost disappointed when it came time to leave the table. Zelda, however, was buoyed by the fact that she still had her little private moonlight stroll with Link to look forward to. With a giggle and a wave, she crooked her arm around Link's and dragged him away from his apparently deep conversation with Talen and Ark about something to do with fishing.  
"Come on, Linkie-do," she sang. "Remember what you said?"  
"I remember," he grunted, allowing himself to be led along by the arm. "But I- what are you so happy about?" He eyed the grinning Florella carefully.  
"Oh nothing," she smiled. "You two have a nice time now." As Zelda dragged him softly away, Link could have sworn he heard Florella whisper something that sounded an awful lot like, "Crowning achievement."

The deck was awashed with moonlight as Link and Zelda walked slowly towards the prow. Not a single other soul was present under the twinkling stars, bringing about an air of privacy that Zelda found some deep-seated pleasure in. She skipped away from Link while the boy looked on uncertainly, the two rings hanging from his neck clinking together softly in the breeze.  
"Isn't this nice?" Zelda asked, twirling around on one foot like a ballerina.  
"It's quiet," Link murmured in response, looking around the deck. He felt slightly nervous at Zelda's behavior and really, _really_ hoped she wouldn't ask him to do anything embarrassing.  
"Can I ask you something?" Zelda asked suddenly. Link winced slightly.  
"Well you just did, but go on," he told her. She frowned at his little comment but said nothing of it.  
"What did you and Fura get up to earlier today?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Link's breath caught in his throat.  
"Wha- we didn't do anything!" he exclaimed, taking a step back. "She was sick!"  
"If you didn't do anything, then why are you getting so worked up?" Zelda giggled. She clasped her hands together behind her back and leaned forwards. "Come on, you can tell me." Link's face flushed.  
"If you count watching her expel vast amounts of semi-digested food as doing stuff, then yes! We did do something!" he told her quickly. Zelda wrinkled her nose up slightly at the mental image Link had conjured up.  
"You were acting all funny and Fura was all happy afterwards. Pleeease?" she wheedled. Link made several noises like he was about to say something before he actually did.  
"Well…it wasn't so much that we actually _did_ something, more like…something I kinda have to do," he admitted grudgingly.  
"And that is?" Zelda insisted.  
"Can't you just leave this alone?" he frowned. "It's embarrassing!"  
"Oho! Then it's something meaty! Come on! You have to tell me now!" she pleaded. Link briefly considered scampering off then and there, but stood his ground with a resigned sigh.  
"If I tell you will you keep it to yourself?" he asked finally. Zelda nodded. "Okay…" Link told Zelda his "arrangement" with Fura about how he had to kiss her before the ship reached port. When he finished, Zelda had a very thoughtful expression on her face.  
"Now _that's_ a very clever approach," Zelda mumbled to herself. "Very clever."  
"Whatever you do, you _must_ keep this a secret from Florella! I'll never hear the end of it otherwise!" Link told her desperately. Zelda turned around very slowly with one of the most hauntingly evil expressions on her face that Link had ever seen.  
"Oh Link…" she began. The boy's face fell.  
"Oh no…" he groaned.  
"Since you've made that _agreement _with Fura…don't you think that I should be a part of it too, you know, just to be _fair_?" she asked in a voice that just dripped sweetness. Link almost cried, letting out a whimper of helplessness.  
"Thi- this isn't fair…"  
"Oh well," she said dejectedly, scuffing her feet on the deck. "I mean…I don't really, well, you know…get them all that much…" Link tried to keep his will strong.  
"Oh no! That isn't going to work on me!" he told her. She looked at him with the most pathetic eyes he'd ever seen, filling them with huge, luminous tears. He faltered and then caved in.  
"Oh fine!" he exclaimed. All traces of Zelda's disappointment vanished in an instant.  
"Wonderful!" she crowed. "Same agreement as Fura, right?"  
"Ugh," Link grunted. "I'm pathetic."  
"You're a sweetie-pie," Zelda told him, pinching his cheek. "Now come on!" She held out her hand.  
"Come on what?" he asked.  
"We've still got more walking to do before we have to go back!" she giggled. Link closed his eyes and prayed to the Goddesses for strength as Zelda took his hand and the two of them strolled along the deck under the starry night sky.


	23. Light

**Chapter 22 – Light**

Time passed relatively slowly on the big ship as it sailed towards Windhill. The days were long and lazy in the two weeks since leaving port and the weather had been always sunny. Link, Talen and Ark lounged at the stern with fishing poles whenever possible and, thanks to the loophole the smith had found, were able to enjoy it in peace without fear of interruption from the girls. It didn't work all the time, however, especially with Ark. Since Nyara was an abrupt sort of person at times, the boy would frequently be minding his own business in a semi-reclined position at the stern only to have Nyara stroll on over, bite into the neck of his clothing and carry him off without so much as a word. It was suspected that since Ark was not in any particular danger whilst on the ship, Nyara felt that she was temporarily out of work and tried to find excuses to hover around him. She even began cleaning his face at regular intervals whether he liked it or not, usually the latter being the case, resulting in his skin becoming slightly raw over time. Link was living in a dream for the majority of the voyage. He still hadn't gotten around to fulfilling his arrangement with Fura and Zelda and though they didn't openly pester him about it, Link knew all too well that they were getting impatient. The two of them would sometimes put on lipstick while glaring meaningfully at him or some other kind of "subtle" message designed to hurry the boy along. He ignored it for the most part, opting instead to, most likely, leave it to the last minute. When they weren't mucking around, however, the boys were uncharacteristically quiet, and it was that quiet that brought an air of concern to the female proportion of the group. Ark would usually find some quiet spot and sit there for hours at a time deep in thought. When he was like that, Nyara would usually sit some distance away and watch him like a hawk, her tail flicking and an unreadable expression on her face. Talen, on the other hand, would seat himself in his fishing spot at the stern with his face set in a look of utmost concentration. Whenever he did so he held his fist clenched so extraordinarily tight that Florella, who watched him carefully, thought that he was going to burst the blood-vessels in his arm. Of course, when questioned about his actions by the fairy, Talen would merely smile and tap the side of his nose.  
"You'll find out one day," he told her. Finally, there was Link. When not eating, sleeping, fishing or cleaning his equipment, he would simply stare at the Lock of Love with a wary expression. He'd usually snap right out of it before anyone managed to get close enough to ask him what was wrong, slipping the item back into his tunic. Saria and Impa merely stood back and watched them all in amusement.  
"Ark get inside!" Nyara called as the ship gave a slight lurch, resulting in Ark clinging to the closest available grabable item.  
"Y-Yes, I think you're right, Miss Nyara," he called back. "I don't like all this water." They had sailed into a squall, quite suddenly in fact, and it was beginning to worsen. Ark had been in deep thought and hadn't noticed the worsening weather until Nyara had informed him of their current situation. The boy cringed as a sheet of water hissed over the bow, spraying the sailors as they rushed around shortening sails. Nyara took hold of Ark's wrist.  
"We go inside now. Bad weather not good for Ark," she told the boy, dragging him towards the interior of the ship. They reached the door whereupon Nyara thrust him inside and stopped. She turned slowly and narrowed her eyes, her hair whipping about her face in the howling wind and spray.  
"What is it, Miss Nyara?" Ark called. Nyara shook her head and stepped through the doorway.  
"Something not smell right," she told him. "Ark, stay close to Nyara. I have feeling bad things happen today."  
"It's not going to let up anytime soon, that's for sure," Link frowned. He turned away from the porthole and moved back to his bunk.  
"Maybe we should go out and lend a hand," Talen murmured. "I could probably help out a fair bit."  
"No!" Florella's voice rang out. "Remember what happened the last time you and blondie got caught by a storm at sea?"  
"That's hardly something you can compare this to," Link said. Florella stamped her foot.  
"I'm not taking any chances! We almost lost the two of you once to the sea; we shall not do so again!" she insisted, slamming the cabin door shut. The boys looked at each other, shrugging in defeat. The ship gave a lurch, the timbers groaning loudly with the strain of being buffeted by high winds. Ark's hands clenched and he pulled his blanket about his shoulders. Nyara, who had been prowling around the cabin warily, noticed the boy's strained nerves and altered her course for him instead.  
"Ark no be scared," she crooned reassuringly with a protective arm around his shoulders. "Nyara strong swimmer; Ark be safe with Nyara." The boy gave a wan smile, but he still looked extremely strained.  
"You don't need to worry about going overboard, Ark," Fura assured him. "Because none of you boys are going anywhere near the edge of the ship. Oh yes, I'm looking at you, Link."  
"That wasn't my fault," he protested. "Besides, it all turned out for the best in the end." Fura narrowed her eyes at him, but said nothing.  
"You're still not going out," Zelda told him, putting a firm hand on his shoulder.  
"Who said I wanted to?" Link asked. "It's wetter than the books you girls read outside."  
"I'll have you know those books are of the highest quality!" Florella told him reprovingly.  
"You're only saying that because they got them off of _you_," Link snorted.  
"Oh you bet your bacon I gave the books to those two," Florella chuckled haughtily. "As _references!_"  
"Ooh, what?"  
"We've learned a lot," Fura winked. Link's face blanched.  
"And one day one of them'll be able to put that knowledge to good use, if you catch my drift," Florella grinned.  
"You're…_evil_," Link breathed. Florella threw her head back and cackled loudly as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled across the sky outside. "Hey Talen, good luck." The smith blinked as Florella batter her eyelids at him.  
"I think you've frightened them eno-" Saria was cut off by a loud thumping sound that came from underneath the ship's hull. Everyone froze.  
"W-What was that?" Ark squeaked as Nyara crushed him against her. Florella narrowed her eyes.  
"There's some dark magic in the air, and it isn't Link's. Somebody on this ship is an enemy," she growled. The thumping sound echoed through the ship again, prompting Impa to stand.  
"And it seems they've done something they shouldn't have," she murmured.  
"What do you mean? What's in the water?" Zelda whispered fearfully. Impa looked down at the floor and grimaced.  
"There are things down there, many ancient and terrible things, things that should not be disturbed. I fear that not only us, but the entire ship are in great danger." There was a stunned silence before Fura spoke.  
"We need to warn everyone then!" she exclaimed. "We have to tell the captain!"  
"Leave that to me," Impa told the Gerudo. "I don't want any of you leaving this room."  
Impa ran towards the captain's cabin, stopping anyone she came across and telling them to stay in their rooms. She reached the door to the deck and cautiously opened it a crack before peering out into the spray and rain. Seeing nothing that could be seen as a threat, she stepped out and closed the door behind her. Impa turned and marched up the steps to the upper-deck, stopping briefly to talk to the sailor at the helm.  
"Has anything strange happened?" she called as the wind howled around them. The man shook his head.  
"We may have scraped a reef a few minutes ago, but I'm not sure! I don't think there are any reefs out this deep!" he shouted back. "You should get inside, ma'am!"  
"I have to see the captain! Is he in his cabin?" The helmsman jerked his thumb over his shoulder and received a nod from Impa. The Sheikah woman dashed over to the cabin door, being careful not to slip over on the storm-tossed deck. She thrust open the door and staggered inside to see the captain looking over a set of charts and maps. He looked up at her and blinked.  
"Can I help you, miss?" he asked. Impa shook the water out of her pulled-back hair.  
"Captain, where is the closest piece of land?" she asked him pointedly. "I think there's something underneath the ship. I heard it thumping on the hull not so long ago; we're in trouble." The captain quirked his eyebrows.  
"Well I can't think of anything big enough to make _that_ much noise. There aren't any whales in the region and fish certainly don't grow _that_ big. The only thing I can think of that'd make so much noise is a…" his eyes widened slightly. "But they never come up _this_ close to the surface! There's nothing for them to eat up here!"  
"Someone on board has used a spell to bring whatever it is to the ship. I have it on very good authority," she told the man. He was about to reply when the ship lurched violently, producing a great, creaking groan. Shouts of the sailors still on-deck could be heard through the door. The captain gave a startled oath and rounded the table he was standing at before throwing the door open. He peered out into the storm along with Impa as the men ran about in a panicked manner. A giant shape loomed up from the bow and was suddenly illuminated by a flash of lightning.  
"That's a…" Impa began. The captain rushed out the door and cupped his hands to his mouth to raise the alarm.  
"Every man take cover now!" he bellowed. "_KRAKEN!"_

"She's been gone too long," Zelda said worriedly. "Impa should have been back by now." The Princess of Hyrule paced the cabin, wringing her hands together.  
"I offered to and look for her after we felt the ship shake," Link grumbled.  
"Which is exactly why you're in your current position," Fura told him pointedly. Link was flat on the on the floor with Fura sitting on his back to prevent him from leaving.  
"But…I am getting worried," Florella murmured. "There's something nasty out there, I can feel it under the ship."  
"Well what are we waiting for?" Link asked. "Let's go find her!" He bucked violently, throwing Fura off and onto the floor. Link was on his feet in seconds, heading for the door with his sword in hand.  
"No! Don't you dare go out that door!" Zelda hissed. Link stopped with his fingers resting on the doorhandle."I'm sorry Zelda, but the safety of everyone in this group is something I take very seriously. Could you stand by while a friend was in trouble?" Zelda bit her lip and shook her head.  
"I'm coming too," Talen said. "I like Impa and I don't want to see her come to any harm." Link grinned at the smith before facing the rest of the room.  
"The rest of you can come if you want, but the decision is up to you. Ark, I'll understand if you don't want to go," Link told his friend. Ark looked shamefully at the ground.  
"Ark no be sad," Nyara told him. "Lots of water out there, Ark no want to fall in." Fura leaped up and went to the door.  
"I'm coming too, the rest of you stay here where it's safe. Now let's go!"  
Link threw the door to the deck open before letting out a startled oath. There was no-one to be seen, the entire deck was bare.  
"Something's up," Talen frowned. "Even in this weather there are still sailors around." They stepped out into the weather before the ship gave another shudder.  
"What the heck is causing all that shaking?" Fura muttered, shielding her face from the wind and water. Link happened to glance up towards the upper-deck.  
"I think _that_ would be a good bet!" he gasped. Talen and Fura turned to see a colossal squid attached to the captain's cabin. It was beating at the walls with its long tentacles in an attempt to get at the crew, which could be seen huddling inside.  
"That's a Kraken!" Talen squeaked. "A giant squid!"  
"I bet Impa's in there! We have to help her!" Fura hissed. She summoned up a ball of fire between her hands and hurled it at the Kraken with as much force as possible. The incandescent flame sphere whistled up and detonated against the beast's rubbery skin. Though not doing any damage, the Kraken's attention had been drawn away from people trapped within the captain's cabin.  
"Yeah, that's right!" Fura bellowed. "Over here!" The Kraken's great eyes swiveled and fixed themselves on the three people on-deck before it slithered off the cabin and down onto the upper deck.  
"It may not be able to move very fast, but those tentacles are quick! Be careful!" Link warned his two friends. "Fura, your fire magic doesn't seem to affect it very much. Try to stay back and use your scimitars if it gets close." Fura nodded in agreement and drew her weapons. Talen formed his stone skin around his arms, creating some nasty looking claws. Link drew his sword and stood at the ready.  
"Navi, it's far too windy out here to fly properly. Stay in my tunic where it's safe," he told his partner. He received a little jingle from somewhere around his middle.  
"Ready?" Talen murmured as the Kraken wound up several tentacles to attack.

The three fighters scattered as the Kraken slapped down three tentacles with astounding force. Wood splintered and the ship shuddered as the creature flailed around. Link rolled to the side and flashed his sword upwards in a savage cut, almost cleaving through one of the monster's appendages. It shrieked in pain and withdrew its attack before sideswiping the boy. With help from the Key, Link was able to leap over the swinging tentacle and fire of a pulse of shadow magic. She Kraken, however, seemed to have a surprise up its sleeve. The two wavy fin-like growths on either side of its body that were usually used for maneuvering underwater folded around and acted as a shield, reflecting Link's magic back at him.  
"Yike!" Link yelped, twisting out of the way as he came down to land. "That thing can reflect magic!"  
Fura twisted and spun like a marionette, her twin scimitars flashing as lightning lit up the sky. The Kraken lashed out at her with a tentacle that wasn't occupied with either Talen or Link and the Gerudo deftly sliced off the tip with a quick spin. Seizing her opportunity, Fura dashed forwards to the upper deck to attack the Kraken's body. She almost made it, but the beast lurched forwards and barged her away using its mass. She stumbled back, flailing a scimitar wildly and hacking into the squid and creating a deep gash between its eyes before toppling backwards towards the lower deck. Luckily, Talen was there to catch her before leaping backwards as the Kraken lurched forward and crashed onto the lower deck. It dragged itself forwards, keeping several tentacles spread wide to herd Link, Talen and Fura towards the prow while lashing out with the ones it kept free. Talen launched volley after volley of rock spikes at the Kraken, inflicting minor damage since its rubbery flesh bounced most of them off.  
"This isn't working!" Link grunted, swinging his sword to fight off a tentacle as it snaked towards him. "The only thing that hurts it is out weapons!" Talen grabbed the tip of a tentacle out of the air and sheared through it with his rock claws.  
"And we can't really get close enough to attack its bo- augh!" he yelped as he was snagged around the leg and lifted into the air. He flapped his arms wildly as the Kraken flicked him around in the air before swinging him back and whipping forwards to slam him into the deck. Just before it brought the boy down, however, Link shot up from below and sliced through the tentacle about halfway along. The Kraken reared back and hissed terribly through its large beak.  
"Oh shut up!" Fura spat before leaping up and cutting through another two tentacles with a Gerudo-Spin. Talen crashed to the deck beside her and uncoiled the twitching tentacle half from around his leg. The Kraken, seemingly deciding that the fight was not going in its favor, began to slither forwards in an attempt to drive the three into the ocean. It seemed to be working. Link, Fura and Talen attacked wildly with their respective weapons, hacking into the Kraken's rubbery tentacles. The creature ignored it, however, intent solely on knocking them off into an environment where it would definitely have the upper hand.  
"We're out of room!" Fura shouted, looking over her shoulder to the choppy surf below. Link pulled his Zora mask out of his tunic.  
"I can probably keep us safe if I use this," he growled before thrusting it over his face. The expected change, however, didn't come and he took it off with a look of shock on his face. "What!? Why isn't it working? Just when I need it the most!" The Kraken hissed again and swept up its remaining tentacles to knock them off the prow.  
"This doesn't look good," Talen winced. Then, suddenly, from behind the beast came a crackling and buzzing sound like electricity.  
"G-Get down!" a voice called over the howling wind. They did so without hesitation and looked behind the Kraken to see Ark standing fearfully on the deck with everyone else huddled in the doorway. Electricity crackled around his body as he held his staff carefully in both hands. The monster turned briefly and hissed at the new threat before grabbing Ark around the waist and lifting him high in the air. Nyara cried something out and tried to rush forwards, but Zelda, Saria and Florella held her back. Ark, however, seemed to have been waiting for the Kraken to pick him up and he bunched himself up as the jewel on his staff glowed a bright electric blue colour. Ark's eyes crackled similarly and he suddenly flexed out, thrusting his staff into the air.  
"_Skybreaker!_" he yelled at the top of his lungs, an eerie electrical light glowing up from inside his throat. The clouds above them seemed to thicken, boiling in upon themselves with blue lightning lancing and arcing inside them. Suddenly, a huge bolt of lightning burst out of the clouds, striking the tip of Ark's staff and traveling through his body and into that of the Kraken. The monster writhed around in agony as the unbroken bolt of lightning electrified its body. It tried to drop the boy, but the current had locked its muscles around him to prevent contact from being broken. The Kraken began to smoke and twitch violently as Ark kept the electricity focused. He eventually began crying out as it robbed him of strength until; finally, the Kraken collapsed and dropped him.

"Miiyaa!" Nyara mewed. "Ark!" She scrabbled forwards to where the boy was picking himself up. He looked very shaken and very pale. Nyara slammed into him and hauled him up into her arms.  
"Is Ark okay?" she babbled, shaking him like a ragdoll.  
"I-I'm f-fine, M-Miss N-Nyara!" he squeaked. "P-Please s-stop s-shaking m-me!" She stopped and gave a sheepish smile before crushing his body against her own.  
"Ark! You saved us," Link grinned, patting his friend on the shoulder as Nyara squeezed the life out of him.  
"I'll say you did!" Fura laughed. "That was amazing! You've got some powerful magic there."  
"C-Can we go inside now?" Ark quaked. "I-I don't like all the water." He was actually shaking.  
"Poor dear," Florella frowned. "It took everything you had to come out here in this weather, didn't it?" Impa came down the stairs from the upper deck with most of the sailors following close behind.  
"It's dangerous out here. You shouldn't have come out, especially you, Zelda," Impa said sternly.  
"Your welcome," Link said dryly. Impa glanced at him before smiling slightly.  
"Yes, thank you three, she told them. "But Zelda, you have no excuse for coming out while that monster was around." Zelda looked very guilty, as did Saria.  
"Ark needed moral support," she said lamely. "He was terrified of going outside."  
"I think we should all head inside before Nyara crushes him to death," Florella spoke up, taking a break from scolding Talen about being so reckless. Before they were able to leave, however, a soft chuckle was heard over the wind and crashing waves.  
"Ark, Ark, Ark," it tutted. "Causing so much trouble." They turned to see a man standing towards the prow.  
"Where did you come from?" Fura growled. "What do you want?" Ark narrowed his eyes before widening them suddenly.  
"I just came to finish something I tried to get done at Alujah, but that foul-tempered girl ruined my plans," the man sniffed. He was of medium height with black hair and rather handsome features. He was dressed in plain grey clothes and boots.  
"Y-You're the person that was disguised as the Regent!" Ark gasped.  
"That's right, how nice that you remembered me," the man chuckled. "You know, you and the Bearer are becoming quite bothersome."  
"I try," Link snorted. "But I suggest you leave before you get hurt." The man narrowed his eyes and made a quick gesture with his hand as Link fingered his sword. The entire group was instantly knocked to the ground.  
"Hmph," he frowned. "Not too difficult. Now, you two, up you go!" The man made another gesture, sending Ark and Link into the air. They gripped at their own throats as if invisible hands were holding them aloft.  
"Let them down!" Fura raged. "I'll kill you!" She forced herself up and began building up for an attack, but the man merely flicked his wrist again and Fura was sent flying into the doorframe.  
"You…!" Link growled, frantically struggling to get free. "You'll pay for that!" He brought his dark arm away from his neck and prepared to launch a burst of magic, but it suddenly snapped up behind his back along with his other arm, his normal one doing so with a very audible crack. Link yelled out in pain as his arm was broken and twisted uncomfortably.  
"Link!" Zelda shrieked. "Let them go!"  
"I don't think I will," the man smirked. He waved his ark and the two boys floated out over the side of the ship.  
"Ark!" Nyara wailed, trying to stand. She soon fell back to the deck under the invisible force exuded by the man.  
"P-Please!" Ark croaked. "Not the water! Anything but the water!" The man grinned maliciously.  
"Scared of water, are we?" he asked casually.  
"Leave them be!" Florella spat. "If you're going to fight, then do it like a man and not a coward!" The man's gaze hardened and the fairy was sent careening across the deck and into the door with Fura, knocking her out cold.  
"Florella!" Talen shouted. He got to his feet with limited success and made his way over to her crumpled from before collapsing himself after being struck with a huge amount of force.  
"You're a strong one," he growled before floating up into the air. "With these two gone, your cause is lost!" He snapped his fingers and the two boys plummeted like stones. Ark called out in desperation as he fell, crashing into the ocean with a loud splash. Link hit a second later and he flailed about, his ruined arm hampering his ability to stay above the water. The waves and chop continually swamped the two boys as they tried to stay afloat. Ark was coughing and spluttering in terror, clawing at the water as he began to sink.  
"M-Miss Nyara! Help me!" he cried out.  
"Ark!" Nyara shrieked. "_Ark!_" She began crawling towards the side of the ship.  
"Link! Try to stay afloat! Please!" Saria cried, tears streaming down her cheeks as Navi tried fluttered helplessly around the surface of the water.  
"How does it feel to be helpless?" the man sneered. "Watching them drown right in front of you?" His words struck something in Zelda and her anger reached boiling point.  
"You…you _monster!_" she shouted. "If you won't give them a fair fight, then you'll contend with _me!_" The Princess got to her knees with a great amount of effort and actually managed to stay in that position even when she was struck by more of the invisible force. She staggered to her feet and faced the man.  
"So, what do you plan to do?" he asked.  
"I won't let you have your way around here any longer! _Leave us alone!_" Zelda screamed. The center of her chest suddenly began to glow with a bright, white light. It grew and grew until she arched her back and hundreds of beams of light burst out in front of her with a sharp ringing sound. The man gave a startled oath and tried to get out of the way, but the strands of light twisted around him like ribbons. He roared in pain as the light burned brighter and brighter, blinding him and searing his flesh. The ribbons of light wound faster and faster, creating a complex matrix that expended outwards before there was a terrific flash followed by an explosion of light. The man was obliterated in an instant, with fine particles of white dust floating down from where Zelda's devastating attack had struck. The others stared at her in openmouthed shock.  
"Hurry! Don't just sit there! They've gone under!" she shrieked at them. Nyara sprung to life, galloping over to the rail and leaping over into the ocean below. Fura was about to do the same, but Impa beat her to the punch and dove over instead.  
"Come on," Talen breathed as he picked Florella up. "Let them be all right."

Link and Ark couldn't see much as they sank slowly in the water. Their strength had left them and they were unable to fight against the waves any longer. A small trail of bubbles ebbed out of Link's nose, floating erratically to the surface. He was about to resign to the fact that he was done for, when two shapes broke the surface of the water above himself and Ark. The first shape shot past him like an arrow, heading straight for Ark, the second was bigger and went straight for him. As it neared, he saw it was Impa. He began fighting the pull of the sea with renewed vigor, holding out his good arm to her. She grabbed it with an outstretched hand and pulled him closer so that she could hold him under both arms. With powerful kicks from her legs, she propelled both of them back to the surface. As they broke, Link gulped down a great lungful of air before coughing and spluttering.  
"Are you all right?" Impa asked. He nodded as she grabbed hold of a rope thrown over the side of the ship by Talen. She managed to get him over her shoulder before climbing back to the safety of the deck where he flopped into a soggy heap. He immediately found himself pressed against something warm and soft. He blinked his eyes open only to come face to face with the front of Zelda's tunic. She was holding onto him very tightly, sobbing something incoherent.  
"Come on Zelda," Fura told the Princess wearily. "Let's get him inside where it's warm and dry."  
"Wha…what about Ark," Link groaned as he was helped to his feet.  
"He's okay,' Fura informed him. "Nyara's bringing him up the side of the ship now with Talen's help."  
"My arm's broken," he mumbled absently, still too numb to feel any pain.  
"I'll have to do something about that," Zelda sniffed as she got over her tears. "Florella's out cold at the moment."

The water was so cold. It smothered Ark, filled his nose and mouth, soaked his clothes through and weighed him down into its depths. Though terrified, he was far too exhausted to make any more struggles against the churning liquid. His eyes were about to close when something silver streaked towards him. His eyes widened slightly to focus on whatever it was. No…it wasn't silver. It was Nyara. Her fur had trapped billions of tiny air-bubbles, making her look strangely ethereal. He marveled at her as her shortish hair billowed out around her head and her large, luminous yellow eyes fixed themselves on him. She moved with exquisite grace, undulating and kicking her feet like a mermaid before reaching out and snagging him under the arms. Then, suddenly, he was rasping down sweet, fresh air. He coughed up a great spout of water before he felt himself being lifted into the air. He blinked his eyes open and found himself to be hanging from Nyara's jaws as she scaled the side of the ship.  
"Ark!" she wailed when he was back on the deck. "Ark! Say something! Speak to Nyara!" Ark coughed again and groaned as she held him in her arms.  
"I…hate water," he gurgled. Nyara let out a low cry and licked his face ferociously as she made her way to the interior of the ship.  
"Nyara look after Ark!" she mewed. "Keep Ark warm and safe!"  
"I'm glad," Ark sighed wearily. He opened his eyes again. "Link?"  
"Link arm broken, but safe like Ark. We take both inside and fix." Ark closed his eyes and unconsciousness over came him while Nyara cradled him against her wet body.


	24. Done Deal

**Chapter 23 – Done Deal**

Link and Florella had been confined to the cabin for the next couple of days following the attack by the strange man. Florella was pretty much unconscious for the night following the attack, waking the next morning with Talen propped up against the wall by her bunk fast asleep. She had been a little disoriented at first, but aside from a splitting headache, no real damage had been done. Then, after finding out that Talen had been by her bedside ever since the attack, her mood had soared and she spent the rest of her time in bed gazing adoringly at the slumbering blacksmith. It only took her two days to recover after that and she was up and about in no time at all.  
Link, on the other hand, hadn't had a particularly good couple of nights. Zelda's healing magic was nowhere near the same level as Florella's and, as such, hadn't been able to completely heal his arm. The bone, as they had later found out, hadn't been snapped cleanly in two, but had rather been twisted apart to create little fragments of bone from a spiral break. Zelda had managed to soften the pain and stop the swelling, but until Florella had woken up and was feeling better his arm was bound with a splint. While the Princess tended to the boy's injury, he sat and watched her with a kind of quiet awe after hearing about how she had obliterated the enemy with her light magic. When she had finished bandaging his arm, Link, as always, lived up to his terrible patient reputation; moaning and complaining very vocally about how unfair it was that he had to have his arm bound in itchy bandages. Surprisingly enough, Saria didn't yell at him for getting into such a dangerous situation. She instead gave him a quick hug and told him that she was very glad he didn't have any lasting injuries. Fura, who had suffered only a few bruises, was in very high spirits and hovered around Link trying to cheer him up by telling him that the captain had said that land was only a few days away. Rather than better his mood, it only served to remind him that he had to fulfill his side of the bargain very soon indeed.  
Ark had been somewhat of a nervous wreck following his plunge into the stormy sea and even though the weather had once again turned fair, he was still too panicky to go anywhere near outside. Nyara had anchored herself to his side after he had exhausted himself with his Skybreaker spell and nearly drowned, fussing and mothering him to within an inch of his life almost every spare minute. Ark wasn't too disturbed about it, perhaps because it took his mind off of his traumatic experience the night before. Nyara, however, began to display some odd behaviors that were strange even by Nyara standards. For one, she would be washing his face quite determinedly before increasing in vigor and quite suddenly biting into his ear. Though not enough to draw blood, it did hurt a little as she'd start chewing on the tip of it. She'd then leap up with her pupils dilated, run around the cabin and dash out of the room before returning a short time later with her fur wet through. After that she'd return to normal. She also began prowling around whenever Link was near, eyeing him carefully with one of her incisors protruding from her lip. That look alone was enough to frighten the boy off.  
"Ow!" Link wailed as Florella held his arm. "Have some pity you heartless fiend!"  
"Stop complaining!" the fairy snapped. "Your arm is broken quite badly. I need to hold it in order to heal it."  
"Well can you do it without torturing me?"  
"My God! You can have your arm broken and shout out once, but come time to heal it you keep on moaning. Take it like a man!"  
"But it hurts!" Link moaned.  
"Oh be quiet. It's a wonder your dark arm didn't break too…maybe it doesn't even have bone in it anymore. I suspect it's made out of a mixture of flesh, demon and pure, concentrated dark magic."  
"Wonderful," Link said irritably. "But can we please concentrate on the one that's broken?" Florella gave him an annoyed look and squeezed his arm, eliciting a yelp of pain from the boy.  
"Anything to stop your complaining," she huffed. Florella closed her eyes in concentration and allowed a soft, pink light to leech into Link's arm. They both felt the bone and fragments knit back together under the skin until it was completely healed.  
"All done?" he asked hopefully.  
"All done," Florella sighed. Link thanked her quickly and turned to dash from the cabin, but Florella grabbed the back of his tunic and yanked him back. She put her head over his shoulder.  
"What is it?" he asked.  
"Oh nothing…I was just wondering if you've kept your promise yet," Florella chuckled. Link's face went red and his eyes went wide.  
"H-How do you…?" he gaped before blinking. "_None of your business!_"  
"Awww, come on!" she wheedled. "I wanna hear it from you! If you don't I'll just ask the girls anyway."  
"Then ask the girls! I'm not telling you squat, you nosy little shrew!" Link snapped, his face cooling down. "God!" He stomped out of the room to find Talen. Ark, who was sitting in the corner looked over to Florella and blinked.  
"What was all that about?" he asked in confusion.  
"Pardon? Oh nothing!" she giggled. "Just talking with Link. He's being difficult so I was just asking him when he'd get his act together."  
"I see," Ark blinked. "By the way, Lady Florella…do you know why Miss Nyara has been acting funny lately?" Florella frowned thoughtfully.  
"Come to think of it, her behavior is a little erratic…more so than usual. Well at the moment I'm not sure. We'll just have to watch her, that is, if you survive it of course," Florella grinned. She frowned when she saw Ark's expression grow slightly worried. "What's the matter, Ark? Are you sure you don't want to go outside with Link and Talen?" Ark went pale.  
"N-No, I'm fine in here," he said, shaking his head. "I'll just stay inside until we reach port." Florella bit her lip.  
"You poor dear," Florella sighed. "That plunge must have traumatized you something awful. Is there anything I can do for you?" Ark smiled and shook his head.  
"Your concern is enough, Lady Florella," the boy told her. "Don't worry about me, I'll be fine."

"It was strange," Link murmured as he and Talen sat with their fishing rods. "The mask just didn't work and I don't know why." Talen pursed his lips.  
"Maybe it has something to do with the way you've changed?" he suggested. "I'm sure Florella could figure it out for you."  
"That's what I'm worried about," Link sighed. "She delights in torturing me."  
"It's not that bad," Talen chuckled. "Like Saria, she's just looking out for your well-being." Link sighed and the two boys lapsed into silence while they fished. As with the rest of the voyage, they hadn't managed to catch a single thing. The girls had tried to get them to stop doing it, stating that they weren't going to catch anything and that they should try doing something more worthwhile.  
"Hey," Link asked suddenly. "Do you know when we're getting to port?" Talen scratched his chin.  
"Um…" he frowned thoughtfully. "Tomorrow, I think. Why?" Link gulped.  
"Uh-oh…I don't have a whole lot of time left," he panicked.  
"For what?" Talen asked, his curiosity piqued. Link winced.  
"Ooh, err…it's nothing you'd want to know about. Trust me on that one," Link told his friend. "Oh God."  
"It isn't anything serious, is it?" Talen asked in a concerned manner. "You aren't sick are you?" Link blinked.  
"Huh? Oh! No, nothing like that," he laughed. "No, it's just…ugh. Talen, never make deals with dirty cheats."  
"Helloooo there!" Fura sang as she crept up behind Link. The boy yelped and spun around from his place at the prow. He had left fishing with Talen to think about how to approach his dilemma with Fura and Zelda and had moped around the ship until late afternoon.  
"Fura! Don't startle me like that," he gasped, trying to catch his breath. "What are you doing out here?" She just stood there grinning at him. Link began to get a little nervous and he looked around uneasily.  
"Erm…do you need me for something?" he asked hesitantly.  
"We arrive in port tomorrow afternoon," she said simply, a dimpled smile hovering about her lips.  
"Really?" Link said, trying to sound like he didn't know what she was on about. He scuffed his boots and looked around some more.  
"Yup," Fura said girlishly. "Didn't you have something to do before we arrived there?" Link's shoulders slumped slightly.  
"Yeah, I know. We made a deal," Link sighed, going a little red.  
"And Gerudos always collect…"  
"What's owed to them, yes I know," Link grumbled. He narrowed his eyes. "Is that what you're here for?" Fura tried to look innocent.  
"Weeell," she cooed.  
"Careful Fura," Link smirked. "You're coming dangerously close to breaking the rules of the agreement. Remember; I pick the time and place. Rush me and it's off." Fura gave a sharp intake of air and her eyes went wide. She quickly bit her thumbnail and stared at him.  
"Meanie," she pouted. "Oh well, there's always tomorrow." She chuckled softly and turned around, her jagged red hair swishing along behind her. Link blinked. Tomorrow. If he waited until then he'd have to contend with the two girls in one day; a thought that didn't particularly fill him with much enthusiasm. However; if he decided to fulfill his promise with Fura…how would he go about doing it? He'd never initiated a kiss before, and that was the deal. He'd probably make a right fool of himself and make things very awkward. Link suddenly got an idea, not a particularly fantastic one by all respects, but to him it seemed like a better alternative to a stuttery and awkward moment. Steeling himself and beating down his apprehension, Link started forwards and grabbed Fura by the shoulder. As quick as a flash, he whirled her around and pressed his lips against hers. They were warm, very warm and soft at the same time; not altogether unpleasant. Fura, obviously shocked by the boy's sudden action, merely stood there with her eyes open wide and unblinking. As was expected, the kiss was not like the passionate ones that Fura had caught the young swordsman off guard with in the past, but strangely enough it was even more spectacular. A tingling sensation filled both their bodies, being most intense where their lips joined. Both Link and Fura noticed that the black colouring of Link's skin swam with tiny red pinpricks. Fura idly laid her hand on his arm and felt the tiny dots of light tickle her palm and warm it gently. As suddenly as it had happened, Link broke away with a huge gasp. His face was burning and he was shaking slightly as the reality of what had happened caught up with him.  
"Wowee!" Fura whistled. "That was amazing! It was like…I don't know! But I liked it!" Link made an uncomfortable sound and scratched the back of his head.  
"I, uh…it _was_ a little strange…um…urg," Link mumbled. "Deal's done then." Fura regarded him a moment before smiling at him.  
"You're the most adorable boy I've ever met," she squealed. "Look how red and flustered you are!" Link's face blanched as she caught him in a crushing embrace and roughed him around.  
"Fura! Hey, watch it!" he exclaimed, stumbling and trying to keep balance.  
"Now remember you're always welcome to try more of those!" she giggled letting go and winking. "Practice makes perfect!" With that she skipped away, whistling to herself as she went. Link breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Thank the Gods for that," he gasped. "I've got another night to plan Zelda's now. Rrgh! This is too much hard work for someone my age!" He turned and slunk away slowly, unable to push the strange feeling he got when he had kissed Fura.

When Fura came breezing into the cabin with her face shining brighter than the sun and Link followed a short time later looking strangely guilty, Florella knew something was up. She looked from one to the other with a suspicious look, following Link with her gaze as he skulked over to his bunk and tried his best to disappear.  
"What's up with you?" she asked, smirking wickedly. Link was rubbing his arm and looking at it strangely. When he heard Florella speak, he jumped slightly.  
"What? Nothing, nothing's up with me," he told her jumpily.  
"You look a little strained," she persisted. "Maybe Fura could give you a relaxing shoulder rub…or something." Link's eyes went wide and he glared daggers at the fairy. Fura grinned like a Cheshire cat and put her hands up to her cheeks in an embarrassed pose. Zelda, who was sitting on her bunk with Saria, eyed the boy suspiciously, as did Impa and the Kokiri girl.  
"What!?" Link demanded. "Everyone mind their own business!" They all went back to what they were doing. Ark, who had been snoozing on his bunk, woke with a start and crashed onto the floor.  
"Huh? Wha…?" he mumbled. "What's going on?" Florella looked over.  
"Oh nothing. Well, according to Link anyway," she snickered.  
"Oh," he blinked. He paused and looked around. "Where's Miss Nyara? I haven't seen her all day."  
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen her either," Zelda murmured. "I wonder what she's up to?" The door suddenly opened and Talen came in with his fishing pole over his shoulder.  
"Catch anything?" Florella asked.  
"Nope," Talen replied. He sounded cheerful despite it. Just before he closed the door behind him, it banged opened again and Nyara came scurrying in.  
"Oh Nyara, we were just wondering where you've been," Saria told the animal girl. "What _have_ you been up to all day?"  
"Nyara eating," she chirped, licking her wrist-puffs. "Nyara very hungry." Her answer received some odd looks. She didn't seem to notice and zeroed in on Ark as he picked himself up off the floor. Her left eye twitched and she suddenly bounded over and tackled the boy into the center of the room. He yelped and squawked in protest as the exuberant animal girl managed to subdue him and wrap her strong arms around his torso.  
"M-Miss Nyara! Must you?" he asked pathetically. Nyara grinned and began scraping her rough tongue across his face. Ark tried to cringe away from it, but with nowhere to go he was pretty much stuck.  
"I could watch this all day," Florella sighed happily. Nyara suddenly chomped onto Ark's ear and the boy squeaked in shock as she began chewing, mouthing and suckling on it.  
"That poor soul," Link sighed, shaking his head at Ark's feeble attempts to escape. Nyara's head suddenly whipped around and she fixed her gaze on Link. Ark breathed a sigh of relief as her attention was diverted away from him and over to Link. She suddenly dropped Ark and crouched low to the floor, her pupils widening until they sat like two huge black saucers.  
"H-Hey, what are you doing?" Link asked a little fearfully as Nyara stared at him with a feral look in her eyes. She wiggled her backside like a cat about to pounce before leaping at Link with a yowl.  
"Yike!" Link yelped, pushing himself up to the ceiling with the Key. Nyara missed him completely and crashed into his bunk. She quickly scurried back into an upright position and began licking at her wrists as if she had meant to miss him.  
"Nyara, are you feeling all right?" Saria asked curiously.  
"Nyara fine," she shrugged. "Why?"  
"No reason," the Kokiri girl assured her. Nyara shook her head and slid back over to Ark before recapturing him and going to work on his ear again. He looked quite frazzled, which wasn't surprising since he had Nyara crushing him against her generously-proportioned chest while she bit his ear. His friends, however, didn't look all that keen on stopping it from happening.

The day the ship was due to reach port had finally arrived, bringing with it a new morning for everyone on board. Link and Ark were the first to wake, each equally troubled by certain members of the opposite gender. Ark hadn't had a particularly good start to the night. He had almost drifted off to sleep when Nyara suddenly dropped onto his bunk and decided to have a go at his ear again. Needless to say the surprise prompted a quick, electric reflex from Ark and Nyara, slightly fazed, stumbled back to her own bed and passed out.  
"Morning Ark," Link greeted his friend cheerfully as he propped himself up. "Sleep well?"  
"Not as well as I'd have liked," Ark smiled wryly. "Miss Nyara has been somewhat…difficult over the past few days. I have no idea what's going on with her."  
"I'm sure it'll pass. Maybe it's from being on the ship for so long? Perhaps she's feeling strained or she's excited about getting back to land," Link suggested. Ark nodded.  
"Yes, you're probably right," Ark agreed. "I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."  
"Good mooorning!" Zelda's voice sung from behind the curtain. "We sure have a lot to look forward to today, don't we Link?" The aforementioned boy groaned and sank under his blanket.  
"Yes, Zelda," he replied meekly. He received some sort of excited squeal from the Princess.  
"Is something happening today other than reaching port?" Ark asked. Link shook his head and sighed.  
"No, it's nothing," Link mumbled. "Nothing at all."

Morning brought with it a flurry of activity. The cabin was searched over thoroughly for any belongings that needed to be packed away. The boys were the quickest since they basically kept everything in their packs to begin with. The girls, on the other hand, had a full-scale hunt on their hands to locate undergarments and other similar apparel. The boys didn't help for obvious reasons and instead retreated to the safety of their fishing spot for what would most likely be their last chance to sit around and do nothing for a while. Ark, however, stayed behind in the cabin and was set upon by Nyara while the rest of the female population watched her lick and mouth away at the boy's ear and face. To Talen, it seemed that Link was growing increasingly edgy. The slightest creak of timber would make him whip his head around or jump and he almost dropped his fishing pole on several occasions.  
"Are you _sure_ you're feeling all right?" Talen asked. "You've been very edgy today."  
"It's-"  
"Nothing, right," Talen finished for him. "Are you sure?"  
"Let's just say that it has something to do with Fura and Zelda," Link murmured.  
"Oh. Say no more, my friend," Talen nodded knowingly.  
"Plus Nyara's been looking at me like I'd go down nicely with some black bean sauce."  
"That too," Talen grinned. "She certainly has been acting funny as of late."  
"Don't you mean scary? I swear she's going to eat me one day," Link sighed.  
"As long as it's quick," Talen said. Link nodded in agreement.  
The two boys stayed in their idle positions for much of the day. The peace was quite suddenly shattered, however, as Talen let out a whoop of triumph and lifted a sizeable fish up over the side of the ship.  
"How do you like _them_ apples! What a beauty!" the smith cheered. He held the flapping fish up in the air to marvel at it.  
"Wow, it's a nice one all right," Link whistled.  
"And they said we'd never catch anything," Talen snorted. "Well let's just see the expressions on their faces when we show them this beast!" The grin from Talen's face suddenly vanished, however, as the fish mysteriously vanished from his hands as a shape whipped over his head. He blinked and looked around.  
"Hey! My fish! It's…" he caught sight of the thief sitting atop a barrel. "Nyara! That's my fish!" The animal girl flicked her tail and grinned behind the fish that flapped away at her mouth. She grabbed it and began to eat it then and there, devouring every last morsel except for the skeleton.  
"No! Augh! Oh the humanity!" Talen whimpered, clawing at the air and shielding his eyes from the terrible sight in front of him. "Oh God! That perfect catch…gone!" He looked like he was about to cry. Link shook his head as Nyara licked her fingers clean and tossed the skeleton negligently at Talen's feet.  
"Tasty fish, Talen good at catching good ones," she smiled before scampering off. Talen sank to his knees and picked up the skeleton.  
"It…was like a son to me," he sniffed.  
"There, there," Link said comfortingly whilst patting his friend on the shoulder. "At least you've got the remains so you can prove how fantastic it was."  
"It isn't the same," Talen mourned. "The shine of the scales, the vacant look in its eyes…gone!" Link was about to console him some more when a great cry went out from the crow's nest.  
"Laaaaaaand Ho!" it bellowed, echoing out over the ship. Link inhaled sharply and looked out over the ocean to see a smudge on the horizon.  
"Oh no," he breathed. "Sorry Talen, but I'll leave you to your grief." He wandered off towards the prow to do some serious planning. He was halfway there when Florella stepped out from behind the mast with a big fat smile on her face.  
"What?" Link grunted. Florella giggled.  
"Not much time left," she smiled. Link scowled at her.  
"You shut up!" he snapped. "Go bother Talen or something. He's upset about losing his fish."  
"He is? Ooh! Time for some Florella comfort!" she giggled before scurrying away. Link rolled his eyes and kept walking.

There was a polite knock on the cabin door and it creaked open slightly. The occupants of the room looked up to see Link stick his head in and look around cautiously.  
"Oh hello Link, I suppose you've heard that we're close to land," Saria told him cheerfully.  
"Yes, good news isn't it?" Zelda smiled sweetly. Link winced slightly and glanced at Fura as she watched him with an amused expression.  
"Erm, I…" he paused and looked at Nyara before continuing. "Uh…Zelda? Could I see you outside for a moment?" The Princess beamed and stood up.  
"Why of _course_ you can, Link," she said in a voice dripping with honey. "What do you need me for?" Link's eye twitched.  
"Oh nothing _really_," he said in a strained manner.  
"Are you _sure?_" she asked. Link scowled.  
"Hey, did you ever hear the story about that girl who was too big for her boots and when she ended up wanting something she didn't get it because she was being a pain in the backside?" Link asked flatly. "Yeah, _real_ good story that."  
"All right, I'm coming," Zelda said quickly, jumping up and out the door.  
"Now what do you suppose that's all about?" Ark frowned.

Link had a hard time trying to find a private place on the deck since so many merchants were bustling about in readiness to disembark from the ship. Once again he found that the very prow of the ship was the best place to go and he walked over to it in silence with Zelda following close behind with a smile on her face that Link could feel boring into the back of his head.  
"What ever are we all the way up here for?" Zelda asked innocently as they came to a stop. Link glanced at her and shook his head slightly.  
"Very funny, Zelda," he said flatly. "This is awkward, don't make it more so."  
"Oh, now why is it awkward, Linkie-do?" she asked sweetly. Link looked around uncomfortably and shifted slightly.  
"Erm…I guess this is it then," he mumbled, his face growing steadily redder. Zelda looked like she was about to pop from excitement and anticipation. She stood with her cheeks all rosy and dimply as she unconsciously leaned closer and closer to the boy. Link swallowed and leaned in as well, closing his eyes as he did so while his heart pounded away in his chest with such ferocity that he was surprised that Zelda couldn't hear it. Quite suddenly, their lips met and Link squeaked slightly in surprise. Once again, as with Fura, the strange tingling sensation spread from where their lips met and spread throughout his body. It was obvious that Zelda felt it too as she blinked in surprise and looked at Link as he looked back at her. He noticed Zelda glance down and he followed her gaze to where the inky-black skin of his arm swam with the same pricks of light as when he had been with Fura, only they were white instead of red. Curiosity got the better of Zelda and she reached out and ran her hand up his arm. She giggled around the kiss as her palm was tickled and warmed, causing Link to crease his eyebrows and almost break away. Zelda, with an almost panicked action, put her hands to the sides of his face. The dark skin around his neck and ear was twinkling like his arm and gave Zelda the same warm tickling sensation as Link's arm. In a moment of bliss from the tingling sensation, Zelda let out a warm sigh from her nose. Unfortunately for her, it tickled Link's nose and he lurched back and sneezed loudly before taking in a deep gasp of air to try and calm himself.  
"Oh pooh," Zelda pouted.  
"Ah, jeez that tickled," Link sniffed, rubbing his nose. He looked at Zelda and saw that she was still standing with her eyelids half-closed and a contented smile on her face. Something about that look unnerved Link and he drummed the tips of his fingers together.  
"Erm…I guess…nice doing business with you," he mumbled before backing away and dashing off.  
"Hey! Wait!" Zelda protested, starting after him. "What was that? Hey! Come back! I want another!"  
"The deal was one!" Link called over his shoulder. "No more!" With that, he disappeared into the interior of the ship. Zelda stamped her foot on the deck with an irritated little grunt.  
"I'm getting more of those, _that's_ for sure," she told herself determinedly before starting off for the cabin with a dreamy look on her face.

The ship reached port in mid-afternoon and the group waited on-deck with the merchants. Link stood with Talen and a very nervous looking Ark.  
"D-Did it used to r-rock so much out here?" he asked in a quaking voice. "Can't they get t-the gangplank down any faster?"  
"Easy there, Ark," Talen murmured. "Don't pass out." Link looked slightly uneasy as Fura and Zelda stood watching him like hawks. Florella was also keeping an eye on him after no doubt hearing all about the experiences they shared.  
"Gossips," Link muttered under his breath. The Gerudo and the Princess both smiled sweetly at him. The gangplank finally clattered down on the docks and everyone poured off of the ship. Ark was the last one to leave as he was quite apprehensive about walking down the narrow plank suspended over the water. Nyara solved the problem by bounding back up and carrying him down by the back of his clothing. She opened her mouth on dry land and dropped him on his feet.  
"See that, Ark and Nyara?" Florella said, pointing off into the distance. On the horizon, something huge could be seen floating in the sky.  
"Wha…what is _that?_" Ark gaped.  
"It big!" Nyara whistled.  
"That," Florella smirked proudly. "Is Windhill; my home."  
"The place where nightmares were spawned," Link whispered to Talen. Saria heard him and bumped him lightly in the arm.  
"Don't," she warned him.  
"Sorry," Link mumbled. Impa chuckled and started forwards.  
"Come on everyone," she smiled. "Windhill awaits us."

Numerous trees on the side of the road were approaching full blossom and Florella seemed to swell with suppressed glee. Link and Talen, however, both wore grudging expressions and slouching postures under their packs. Ark didn't know what to expect. He had never been to Windhill before, yet from Talen and Link's body language it seemed that it may not be as fantastic as Florella made it out to be.  
"Ah…Link? What's Windhill like?" he asked eventually. Link turned his head and looked at him with a haunted expression. He was about to deliver some kind of grave warning when Florella bumped him out of the way.  
"Well," she began girlishly. "_We'll_ be staying in the palace; it's so big! And there's the festival! There's lots of singing and dancing and entertainment from plays down by the lake…it's the best time of year to be there!" She giggled and clasped her hands to her cheeks.  
"Beeewaaare!" Link whispered in a hollow tone from behind Ark. Saria grabbed the boy by the ear.  
"Enough of that!" she snapped. "Link, tell Ark how great the Spring Festival is." Link looked at Ark and then up at Saria as she held his ear in her ruthless grip.  
"What? You want me to lie?" he asked.  
"Yeah. Lie."  
"Oh. Ark, the Spring Festival is _so_ much fun. I mean; it's not _awkward_, _boring_ or totally stupid at all. Why, I even- ow!" Florella had booted him in the shin.  
"Enough of that!" she snapped. "Ark's going to have a wonderful time! Nyara too! Don't try to work your nefarious propaganda! They'll _love_ my little input too!" Link blinked and looked at the unassuming Ark.  
"Oh dear _God_," he gasped. "You're doomed." Ark didn't feel too good about that.  
"Make sure you stay close to Nyara," Florella giggled. "I _guarantee_ you'll have a good time." She, along with the other females in the group aside from Nyara, began giggling and snickering. Ark looked worried.  
"Stay close to us," Link whispered. "And we'll stop you from making a fool of yourself." Nyara merely frowned and followed along next to Ark with the strong compulsion to go the chew on his ear present as the group trouped along the road to Windhill.


	25. Windhill

**Chapter 24 – Windhill**

Since Windhill was a floating land mass it was impossible to simply walk up to it. Therefore; a kind of station had been set up next to the great lake underneath the city to ferry people up and down through the use of gondolas or the huge birds that seemed to populate the area. It was early the next day that the party arrived at the station, which was a moderately sized number of buildings with the gondolas hanging outside each one on thick cables. As usual, Impa set about securing their way up to Windhill while the children sat around the lobby of one of the buildings. People bustled about, some of whom waved to Florella in recognition. Florella waved back with a sunny smile, lapping up the attention.  
"Oh it's so good to be back home!" she sighed happily, stretching her arms out. "What about you, Talen? You excited to be here?"  
"I'm infinitely glad to finally be in a place that I recognize," Talen murmured, trying to get a little bit of shuteye after being woken so early.  
"I just love spring!" Zelda giggled. "Especially in Windhill! The Festival, Shera, Morgan and Isabella…it's just fantastic!"  
"I wonder if Undrak's beard's gotten any shaggier since the last time we were here?" Saria mused. The girls got into a babble of excitement and anticipation at the prospect of seeing Shera again for the Spring Festival while Link and Talen sat off to the side with looks of resignation on their faces.  
"Every year the girls get into a squealathon over the Spring Festival and every year we have to sit through it," Link mumbled to Ark.  
"Do you not like Windhill?" Ark asked, still unsure about what to expect.  
"Oh don't get us wrong," Talen said, waving his hands. "Windhill's great, it's just all the things that go along with it."  
"Florella's speeches…" Link sighed.  
"Squealing…" Talen continued.  
"Decorations…"  
"Clothes…" The two boys suddenly looked at each other.  
"Dancing," they groaned simultaneously.  
"At least they have boatloads of food there," Link shrugged. "I'd go insane if there weren't. Half the fun of coming here is seeing how much you can filch from the kitchens. Of course, _certain_ people try to spoil that by taking it off of us." Saria looked over at the two boys and rolled her eyes.  
"Oh stop complaining. You both eat more than what's good for you when we're there anyway. This year, _please_ try to behave yourselves…and don't mix Ark up in your misbehavior either," she told them sternly. Link gave her a mocking salute before winking at Ark.  
"I'll show you the best way into the kitchens," he whispered to the grey-haired boy.  
"I heard that," Fura told him archly.  
"Well with your ears flapping away, it's a wonder all of your girls can't hear the insects talking," Talen chuckled. He was about to be squashed into the ground by the collective retorts from the females, when Impa came back with the Hyrule Royal Family's seal in her hand. She flicked it into the air like a coin before stowing it safely in her leather pouch.  
"We leave on the next gondola up, which is in about an hour," Impa told them. "Now…who wants a game of cards?"

The gondola clunked to a stop at the station in just under an hour. A whole group of people poured off of it, many of them merchants and traders. Once clear, Impa hurried the children on-board where they all took their seats. Talen and Link immediately sat themselves down next to each other with twin sighs, dropping their packs at their feet. Florella skipped over and sat on Talen's other side while Ark attempted to sit down near Link. Nyara, however, seemed to leap out of nowhere and dragged him away to another spot on the gondola where she got to work on his face and ears. Fura and Zelda, seeing that there was a free space next to Link, both dove for it but came up short as Saria daintily sat herself down instead. They glared daggers at her before sitting down across from the boy, grumbling terribly. Impa chuckled and sat down between the two girls.  
"What are you grinning at?" Zelda frowned at her guardian.  
"Nothing," Impa said with a straight face. Once the rest of the passengers had crowded on, the gondola lurched and began its slow ascent to Windhill high above. As the climbed higher and higher, Saria pressed her face against the window behind her and looked out over the field that stretched out beyond the lake.  
"There it is!" she squeaked, stabbing her finger towards a peculiar landmark. Everyone else looked out with her at what looked to be a large depression in the ground with jagged pieces of metal strewn all about it. It was, in fact, the remains of the giant Iron Knuckle that Talen had hurled off of Windhill a number of years earlier. Since that point it had become an attraction of sorts, though few people actually knew of how it arrived there.  
"I thought you said you'd clean that up one day," Florella murmured to Talen.  
"Why would I do that? It's become an icon now," he said rather proudly. "One of my finest pieces of work." Florella shook her head and rolled her eyes.  
"Yep, I'd even go so far as to say it's eclipsed the Spring Festival in terms of drawing people here," Link said with a nod of his head. Saria flicked his ear.  
"Don't provoke her," she told him.  
"But-"  
"No." Link slumped his shoulders and tugged absently on the straps hanging from around his neck.  
"I wonder what everyone'll say when they get a look at you," Fura told Link.  
"Probably something along the lines of, "What did Florella do to you?" or something similar," Link mumbled. Florella gave an irritated little grunt and Saria thumped the side of Link's leg.  
"What did I just tell you?" she asked intently.  
"Sorry," he mumbled. "Shera will probably want to hear all about it. Should we tell her everything?"  
"Why not?" Talen shrugged. "It'd be more help than hindrance. Shera and her parents have top access to the library; we'll have to tell them eventually and what better way to break the ice than to have _her_ bring it up?"  
"Good point," Link agreed. He sighed and lolled his head back. "Me so hungie."  
"You sound so pathetic when you talk like that," Saria groaned. "And you only ate a few hours ago."  
"Well _I_ think it sounds adorable," Zelda said loftily. "Say it again, Link."  
"I'll put it on my "to-do" list," he grunted. Zelda scowled at him while Fura held back laughter.  
"Excuse me…how long will it take us to reach Windhill itself?" Ark asked somewhat nervously.  
"I- oh," Impa winced when she glanced at the boy. Nyara, it seemed, looked like she was trying to get as much of his face into her mouth as possible.  
"Good God, she's eating him!" Link exclaimed. "What did I tell you!? Huh? _Huh!?_"  
"Oh hush, Link," Florella tutted. "She's not trying to eat him, she's…hmm, what _is_ Nyara doing?"  
"Nyara, are you all right?" Zelda asked curiously.  
"I think you should be asking Ark that question," Talen murmured as the grey-haired boy squeaked uncomfortably and attempted to creep away. Luckily, Nyara turned away from Ark to answer.  
"Nyara clean Ark face," she replied simply.  
"P-People are looking at us, Miss Nyara," Ark winced. "Perhaps you should refrain until we reach our destination?" His tone was hopeful. Nyara looked at Ark thoughtfully, an odd flicker passing over her eyes, before she shrugged and nodded with a smile.  
"Okay!" she grinned. "Nyara clean Ark later." The boy breathed a sigh of relief as the girls laughed quietly. Talen and Link didn't take pleasure in their friend's suffering.

With a jolt, the gondola arrived at the edge of the great floating land mass. There were scraping sounds and clunking noises as restraints were put in place to prevent the gondola from moving while people were getting off. The group picked up all of their equipment and filed out of the door along with all the other passengers and stepped out onto grassy soil. The question of exactly how the gondola was lifted all the way up was answered for Ark when the boy looked over and saw a large waterwheel connected to the cable suspending the gondola. When it was time for it to move again, the waterwheel was lowered into a fast-flowing river where it would begin turning and pulling the cable. Depending on which direction the gondola had to head in, it was placed on either the upper section or lower section of cable.  
"Pretty impressive," Talen mused, as if reading Ark's thoughts. "Though I personally would ha-"  
"Oh please don't, Talen," Florella groaned. "You _always_ do this when you ride up here. _Always_." Talen looked slightly injured, but said nothing. Moving away from the gondola station, the group headed towards the city of Windhill which lay just off from the grassy field they had arrived on.  
"Well Ark, Nyara…there it is; Windhill," Florella told them proudly. Ark and Nyara gasped in amazement. Windhill was truly a sight to behold, even for the rest of the group that were quite used to it. The buildings were all constructed out of sandy-coloured stone that almost glowed in the morning sun. Trees grew throughout the maze of streets and small canals and fountains zigzagged everywhere. The palace was most spectacular, however, with its tall spires reaching for the sky and its expansive gardens. A fine mist from the many waterfalls pouring from the edge of the great land mass gave the city an almost ethereal look with the great tower of the library standing tall against it all. Birds flew high above the lake in the center in small, white flocks and Ark and Nyara couldn't stop gazing in wonder at it all.  
"I know what you're both thinking," Link told the two. "How could such a nice place spawn an evil such as Flo- Ow!" Saria silenced him by reaching up and wrenching his ear as hard as possible.  
"I said that's enough," she told him sternly. Florella stuck her tongue out at the boy as he cringed in pain.  
"Are…we staying in _there?_" Ark asked, pointing incredulously at the huge palace that backed the city. Zelda nodded.  
"Yes. The Royal Family puts us up there every year. Oh it'll be so good to see them again!" the Princess squealed.  
"Same stupid questions _every_ year," Link muttered to Talen under his breath. The smith nodded ruefully.  
"Well let's not delay!" Florella declared, pointing dramatically towards the palace. "Onwards!"  
The walk through the city was by no means a peaceful one. Practically every citizen recognized Florella and called out enthusiastically to her. Florella, of course, lapped every last bit of attention up with absolutely no sense of modesty at all. Soon enough she was riding atop Talen's shoulders, waving to "her public" as she called them. Talen carried his burden in a very restrained manner, putting up with Florella's wriggling about and frantic waving. Soon, but not soon enough for the boys, they arrived at the palace gates whereupon Florella hopped down and skipped merrily up to the guards.  
"Hello there," she giggled whilst doing a girlish curtsey. The guards blinked at her.  
"G-Great Fairy! You've returned at last!" one of them exclaimed. "The Royal Family has been quite frantic at your disappearance."  
"How sweet!" she cooed. "They missed me!" She was playing the cute little girl act for all it was worth.  
"I think I'm going to be sick," Link muttered. Talen nodded in agreement.  
"I don't suppose you could let me and my companions inside…could you?" she asked, holding her hands behind her back and scuffing her foot on the ground. The guards looked behind her.  
"Oh! Princess Zelda! Sir Talen! Sir Link! We didn't see you there, please accept our humblest apologies! Of course you may enter!" the second guard said quickly. With one quick motion he thrust the gates open behind him and the two guards stood off to the side and allowed them to pass. Florella giggled and waved as she passed.  
"Shameless," Impa said, shaking her head. Florella looked only slightly embarrasses.  
"What?" she asked innocently.  
"Sir?" Link grunted in disgust. "I'm not a "Sir" at all. Sir Link sounds stupid, I'd rather they not call me that."  
"Me too," Talen frowned. "I'm a blacksmith, not a knight."  
"Well _I_ think it sounds very noble," Zelda told them both.  
"I agree," Fura nodded. "Don't be such a pair of toads. Just think; you could be the Three Knights; Sir Link, Sir Talen and Sir Ark."  
"I-I really don't think so," Ark murmured. Florella frowned at him.  
"Not you too," she groaned. "Oh well, at least you don't have the boy disease like these two." She jerked her thumb at Link and Talen, both of whom looked quite proud of themselves.

The entrance area of the palace was cool and rather quiet as the group filed in. The guards posted on the immediate inside of the doors greeted them and offered to notify the Royal Family of their arrival, but Florella told them not to.  
"I want to see the looks on their faces when we all surprise them!" The Great Fairy was beside herself and giggled mindlessly.  
"Careful you don't pop, Florella," Talen told the over-excited girl.  
"I'm excited!" she protested. "Where's Shera and the Kind and Queen? I wanna see them again!"  
"Great Fairy," one of the door guards spoke up. "King Morgan and Queen Isabella are currently in the gardens with the princess Shera. If you head towards the flower beds you should find them."  
"Why thank you!" Florella gushed. "We'll head there right away! Come on everyone, let's go!"  
"Wheee," Link murmured dryly to Talen. Florella skipped her way towards the back of the palace where it opened up to the gardens. The girls knew every inch of the gardens like the backs of their hands since they had to search them on a yearly basis for Talen and Link, both of whom hid on a regular basis. Florella suddenly skidded to a halt in front of a large hedge. Florella peeked through it and saw Shera and her mother picking flowers for the Spring Festival. The rather rotund Morgan was sitting off to the side.  
"Shhh!" she hissed. "They're behind here! Now…how should we surprise them?"  
"This is really dumb, Florella. What's wrong with walking out and saying hello?" Link asked flatly.  
"Because it wouldn't be great!" she snapped. "Now pay attention! When I count to three, we all- hey…where's Nyara?" It had suddenly come to the attention of everyone present that Nyara had disappeared from Ark's side.  
"Ark? You see where she went?" Talen asked.  
"No…one second she was here, the next she was gone. I don't have a very good feeling about this," Ark said quietly, looking around warily.  
"Neither do I," Link murmured. The surrounding shrubs and bushes suddenly seemed a little intimidating.  
"Oh well," Florella sighed. "The rest of us can still-"  
"Shera!" Link called suddenly. Florella whirled around and saw Link walk casually out from behind the hedge with a broad wave. Shera's head snapped up and it took her a few moments to recognize who it was. "The rest of them are hiding behind the hedge here and I just wanted to ruin things for Florella. How have you been?"  
"Oh Link! It's you!" Shera called excitedly, dropping the bunch of flowers she had been holding. She raced over as fast as possible as everyone walked out from behind the hedge. Just before she leaped in to hug the young Hylian, however, she skidded to a halt and stared at him incredulously.  
"What in the world happened to _you?_" she asked. She pointed to his arm and the side of his neck and face. "You're…"  
"Long story," Link sighed. "The gossips will fill you in, I'm sure of it." Florella stomped over and booted Link as hard as she possibly could, causing the boy to cry out and hop away in pain.  
"Thanks for ruining my entrance you cretin!" she snapped. Shera's attention immediately turned to her other visitors.  
"How long have you all been here? And Florella! We were all starting to get worried! Nobody had seen you for a while and with the Spring Festival so close…" Shera squealed.  
"Come now, Shera, I'd never miss the Spring Festival! I must admit I cut it rather close…but we've had some unexpected delays," Florella admitted. "But we can talk about that later."  
"At great length, no doubt," Link mumbled as Morgan and Isabella approached.  
"Ah, it is good to see all of you again," Isabella smiled warmly. "Tell me, have you all been well?"  
"Oh, we've had some interesting times," Impa chuckled. What followed was a quick catching-up conversation punctuated with hugs and hand-shakes.  
"And your group seems to have grown by one," Isabella noted, casting attention to Ark.  
"Oh! Isabella, Shera, Morgan…this is Ark," Florella introduced. "He's a little shy, but has _frighteningly_ good manners." Ark looked slightly speechless and bowed low to the ground, greeting the Royal Family as formally as possible.  
"Well, _well_," Shera whistled. "Where'd you learn such nice manners? Certainly not where Link came fr-"  
"Don't start now," he grunted irritably.  
"In trouble again?" Morgan asked somberly.  
"We're always in trouble," Talen frowned. "And Ark only makes us look worse."  
"I-I don't mean to…"  
"They're only joking, Ark," Fura told the boy.  
"By the way," Saria piped up. "There _is_ another person with us, but she seems to have wandered off." Shera's eyes brightened.  
"Another? Who is she?" Her eyes roamed questioningly to Ark, who didn't seem to notice. Zelda smiled.  
"In a way," she chuckled. "Her name is Nyara and she's the _cutest_ animal girl you've ever seen! She's got these little pom-pom things on her wrists and ankles and she's got the funniest way of speaking…"  
"Dear God," Link muttered under his breath. "She's not _all_ roses and sunshine. You know she's threatened to eat me on several occasions?"  
"You probably deserved it," Shera scoffed. Link looked indignant as the King and Queen chuckled softly.  
"Come, follow us inside and we can have you set up with rooms. Lead the way, dear," Isabella told her husband. As the group began to move off, however, a rustling in the bushes caught their attention.  
"What could that be?" Morgan frowned. "I don't think there are any animals in the gardens…" The rustling continued until the bushes exploded and Nyara flew out straight at Link.  
"Augh! No!" he cried. The Key came to life and the straps coiled down to the ground before launching the boy high into the air. Shera squeaked and Morgan let out a startled oath as Nyara rolled over the spot Link should have been standing in. The animal girl quickly got to her feet as Link landed near Talen.  
"See!?" Link exclaimed. "_That's_ what I'm talking about! She has it in for me!"  
"What in the world _is_ that thing around your neck?" Morgan gasped.  
"It's a little hard to explain in short terms, your Majesty," Link winced. "Can it wait until a little bit later?"  
"If you say so," Morgan murmured, still looking at the Key in surprise. Shera seemed to have gotten over her initial shock and walked up to Nyara.  
"Hello, you must be Nyara," she smiled. "Nice to meet you, I'm Shera and these are my parents; Morgan and Isabella." Nyara blinked and looked at the three of them.  
"Hello," Nyara chirped. "You meet Ark yet?"  
"Yes we have, Nyara. He's very much a gentleman," Isabella smiled.  
"Ark belong to Nyara," she said. Ark's eyes widened and he waved his hands in an attempt to get Nyara to stop talking. "Ark is Nyara's pet. Nyara sometimes have to feed Ark because he-"  
"W-We've already been introduced, Miss Nyara," Ark squeaked, looking for all the world like a tomato. Shera threw her head back and laughed.  
"Oh she's fantastic!" the Princess of Windhill giggled. "Nyara, you can tell me all about Ark later on when the boys go off and do their thing, all right?" Nyara nodded with a grin. Ark looked decidedly pale.

Once the travelers had their rooms sorted out, Shera bustled them into the palace sitting-room. As was the norm whenever they visited, Impa excused herself and went to have an "adult" conversation with Isabella and Morgan. Once the children were by themselves, Shera persisted in asking a veritable landslide of questions. The girls answered most of them, their mouths moving at a frenetic pace. Details of their exploits since Ark had wound up in Kokiri Forest were quickly relayed to Shera and she listened in awe. Details of fights and battles were met with gasps, cheers and reprimands aimed at the boys, especially at Talen and Link.  
"How could you be so careless!?" she demanded. "You don't want to leave those three alone, do you!?" She indicated to Zelda, Fura and Florella. Link and Talen gave each other pained looks. Once Shera had been brought up to speed, the Princess was able to focus on the more trivial matters such as what everyone had been getting up to over the past year. Since Fura had missed out on the last Spring Festival, something she had been very, _very_ angry about, Shera instantly began pressing her for information about what she had been doing. Fura then told her quite proudly that she was the new Gerudo Fire Witch.  
"That's _wonderful!_" Shera squealed. "Why, with your new authority I bet you get all sorts of things." She glanced meaningfully at Link.  
"Sadly, no," Fura sighed. "He's remarkably stubborn, but at least I get to help him out with getting the hang of his new magic abilities."  
"That's right," Shera frowned. "That's why you're all…gloomy-looking at the moment."  
"I think he looks very fearsome," Fura said defensively. Link looked at the Gerudo warily.  
"Fura, _please_," he groaned. She laughed at him and blew him a kiss from across the room.  
"That's what I like to see," Florella smiled approvingly. "Zelda, feel free to join in too."  
"Will do," Zelda said, putting her hand up.  
"Fantastic. You all need to start getting into the spirit of things…especially you, Talen," Florella told the smith. Shera nodded excitedly and clapped her hands together. The Princess of Windhill regarded Talen as a kind of legendary figure, as did a number of people that knew of his engagement to Florella and as such, Shera watched their interactions with great interest. A yowl from across the room caught everyone's attention. Nyara was fidgeting in her chair, her eyes fixed on Ark. The boy looked increasingly nervous.  
"M-Miss Nyara…is there a problem?" he asked haltingly. Nyara suddenly leaped from her chair and straight at Ark. He didn't have time to get out of the way and the animal girl slammed into him and knocked the chair over backwards. She wrestled him around and began her recent trend of biting his ear. Ark pleaded pathetically for her to stop since they were in the presence of so many people, but she didn't seem to care. Shera was in stitches.  
"Oh how sweet!" she squeaked. "Oh, they make such a nice coupling!"  
"Wha-What!?" Ark yelped. "N-No! Miss Nyara is just looking out for my best int- ow!" Nyara bit down a little harder than she had intended. The air buzzed and Nyara's hair began to stand on end. She brought her head up and blinked just as Ark let out a torrent of electricity in a great panic. Nyara coughed and rolled onto her back as Ark struggled out from underneath her.  
"Miss Nyara! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it again…it just happened!" he babbled, helping her up.  
"That okay," she murmured in a daze. Ark allowed her to flop into the chair she had been sitting in before picking up his own and sitting back down. Shera watched the scene unfold with great interest.  
"Well, well, _well_," she smiled. Link began humming the funeral march and received a cushion to the head for the performance.  
"Don't start, Link," Florella told him frostily. "You're one big setback after another, but _this_ is my time to shine. Come the day of the festival, you'll have nowhere to run." Link narrowed his eyes.  
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, also noticing that Fura and Zelda had very smug looks about them as if they knew something he didn't.  
"You'll find out on the day of the festival. Now go and play while we all have some catch-up girl talk with Shera."  
"Fine with us. Let's go you two," he told Talen and Ark. Nyara growled and moved to prevent Ark from leaving, but the straps from the Key shot out and lifted the boy out of the way and deposited him by the door. Nyara barred her teeth at Link and he quickly fled from the room with Ark and Talen close behind.  
"Well he hasn't changed at all. Have you two been working on him at _all?_" Shera sighed.  
"Well…we had a rather interesting little time on the ship over here," Fura chuckled. "Sit back and we'll tell you _all_ about it."

"They can't be _that_ bad…can they? Ark asked a little skeptically. "They're very kind to me."  
"Of course they are!" Link snorted. "Because in their eyes, you haven't been "turned" yet. They're like a little coven of witches; cackling and scheming little schemes." Talen, Ark and Link had retreated to the safety of the roof over Link's room after going on a kitchen raid. The spoils of victory lay about them in the forms of sticky buns and pastries.  
"By the way, have you been told what the Spring Festival involves?" Link asked Ark curiously. Ark shook his head.  
"I asked Lady Florella and she only told me that it was a wonderful surprise and that I'd enjoy it very much. I'm quite looking forward to it," Ark responded cheerfully.  
"No!" Link coughed. "Boy howdy do _you_ have a lot to learn!"  
"Never trust Florella, Ark," Talen told the boy somberly. "She's the most hopeless cheat and she does almost _anything_ to make sure things go the way she thinks they should. Look at _me_." He held up the finger on which Florella's ring adorned. Ark looked decidedly pale.  
"It's not anything…bad, is it?" he asked quietly.  
"It's the most despicably evil celebration in any city anywhere," Link told him chillingly. Link and Talen then proceeded to tell Ark all about the Spring Festival and Florella's spell she cast every year. Ark listened carefully to their tales of Florella's dreaded spell and how it swept a tide of affection across Windhill.  
"Think about the way Nyara "looks after" you now," Link told him. "Then multiply that by ten." Ark looked rather pale.  
"I don't like the sound of this…" Ark murmured. "What if I talk to Lady Florella…she'll understand, right? She wouldn't cast it on me would she?"  
"She'd do it in a second," Talen said flatly. "Florella's fuelled on the love between people; it's what keeps her alive. She thrives on any form of affection, but love is the most powerful. She casts the spell every year so that people may do things that they wouldn't normally do, you know, gives a little helping hand to what's already there."  
"Th-This happens to everyone?" Ark asked.  
"Oh no. Those who don't want to be a part of it are allowed out of the city while the spell is cast. Once it's over they just come on back; doesn't take very long at all."  
"Oh I see," Ark breathed in relief. "Is that what we're going to do?"  
"Oh no, we aren't allowed to," Link said with a shake of his head. "They've made a royal decree that Talen and myself cannot go anywhere near the gondolas during the casting of the spell. The operators were all brought in to memorize out faces so that they'd know not to let us off."  
"S-So what do we do then?" Ark asked fearfully. "I don't, I mean…"  
"Don't worry, Ark. We share your pain, but luckily we've found ways around it. Florella and the others are never very happy about it, but desperate times call for desperate measures," Talen murmured. "We'll help you out. We men have to stick together!" The three of them started laughing as they went through their bounty in the bright sunlight above the landscape.

Afternoon rolled by and the three boys were still lolling around on the roof of the palace. It was a lazy sort of afternoon and not one of them felt like doing anything particularly taxing. A soft breeze sighed around them, stirring their clothing and ruffling their hair.  
"I can't move," Link mumbled drowsily.  
"I don't want to," Talen mumbled back.  
"I could just go to sleep right here," Ark murmured.  
"Well you'd better not," Fura's voice told them sharply. There was a flurry of movement and the boys were quickly in their sitting positions. "So _this_ is where you three have been hiding all day."  
"Hello Fura, something you need?" Link asked with a yawn.  
"Not really," the Gerudo told him from over the edge of the roof. "The others just wanted to know where you were. We opted against sending Nyara for obvious reasons."  
"You have my humblest of gratitude," Link said with a sigh of relief.  
"Are you coming inside now? Shera hasn't seen you for so long and she wants to have a chat," Fura told them appealingly. The boys exchanged glances.  
"Why not?" Talen shrugged. The three of them slid down and onto Link's balcony along with Fura. Just as they stepped back through into the palace, Ark stopped for a second and looked over his shoulder. His eyes scanned the turrets and spires of the palace before he shrugged and zipped inside and caught up with his friends.

Back on the tip of one of the tallest spires, the black-haired girl stood with her arms folded across her chest. She had been watching Ark lying around on the roof with Link and Talen for the whole afternoon without moving a muscle. Seeing him leave, she snorted to herself and turned around with an expression that told she was making some sort of a decision. She suddenly seemed to reach some sort of conclusion before scowling and vanishing with a ripple of air.


	26. Spring Fever

**Chapter 25 – Spring Fever**

A bird chirped noisily at the open window of Link's room in the early hours of the morning. The sun was just beginning to creep over the horizon, bathing the city and palace in a warm orange glow. The tired young Hylian opened one eye and swiveled it in the direction of the offending bird.  
"Get lost," he grunted grumpily. One of the silver rings from the Key shot out from under his blanket and whipped out the window, scaring the bird off. He allowed it to fall limply outside the window before reeling it in slowly. Once the strap had shrunk back to its original length, Link rolled over with a loud groan and allowed himself the pleasure of drifting back to sleep. Blissful slumber would have arrived had he not heard the slight sound of a light step on the floor of his room. His eyes snapped open and he rolled over to face the door.  
"Navi, you hear anything?" he asked his fairy partner groggily. He received no response. "Navi?" She wasn't in her sleeping spot. Link frowned and looked more closely at the door. It was slightly ajar, but he hadn't left it open and Navi certainly wasn't strong enough to use the handle, let alone push it open.  
"Hello? Fura? Are you in here?" he called. No answer. Link narrowed his eyes and swung down to look underneath his bed. There was nothing underneath it, however, and he brought himself back up with a look of puzzlement on his face. He could have sworn he heard someone walking into his room.  
"Maybe someone just walked past the door," he murmured before flopping back onto his pillow. It just so happened that fate chose for Link to yawn at that very moment and in the process of doing so he opened his eyes. He froze as his gaze met with the ceiling, or more precisely, the figure clinging to the ceiling. Nyara clung there with her claws keeping her in place. Her head was tilted way back so that she could stare down at him with her big, yellow eyes.  
"What the- augh!" he squawked as the animal girl retracted her claws and dropped straight down. She turned in midair, holding her arms out wide and yowling at the same time. She would have landed right on top of him had the boy not leaped free of his covers and onto the floor. Nyara hit the bed and bounced a few times before dropping onto the floor along with Link.  
"What's the idea, Nyara?" he demanded, untangling himself from the sheet that had decided to come along for the ride. She got down onto her haunches and stared at him through her dilated pupils. Link felt a surge of panic run through him as Nyara barred her teeth and crouched down low, flicking her tail slightly and wiggling her backside like a cat about to pounce. And pounce she did. Nyara launched herself at the young Hylian with a ferocious growl and he only had a split-second to react. The Key's twin rings rose on their straps and wrapped around Nyara's waist in mid-pounce. Link rocked back and Nyara hung in the air above him, waving her hands at him in an attempt to lay purchase on his person.  
"What's gotten into you lately?" Link gasped, getting to his feet. "You're like a wild animal!" Nyara pouted and hung limply.  
"Nyara playing," she mumbled. Link frowned and set her down.  
"Oh," Link said. "Well can you play somewhere else?" Nyara's look indicated that she didn't really want to. He eyed her carefully as he quickly yanked his tunic on over his underclothes. As he moved for the door, Nyara's pupils began to enlarge and Link froze.  
"Please Nyara, not this early in the morning," he groaned. She got ready to pounce yet again. Link looked around and suddenly snaked one of the rings out towards her. "Look Nyara, look at the shiny ring! You want it? You want it?" Nyara's attention immediately switched to the ring jiggling around in front of her, her head flicking this way and that as her eyes followed it closely. She began to wiggle again before leaping for it. Link bounced the ring around the floor as he backed slowly towards the door. Nyara scrabbled for the shiny toy, leaping and twisting in the air as it remained just out of her reach. The ring came to a stop and she landed on it before backing away slowly and batting at it with an experimental hand. It suddenly zipped away and back over to Link as he slipped out the door.  
"No fair!" Nyara wailed before growling and racing over. The door slammed and Link breathed a sigh of relief.  
"What the heck's gotten into her lately?" he muttered. There came a loud thump from behind him as Nyara collided with the door, almost knocking it off its hinges.  
"Yow!" he yelped before hurrying off down the corridor before Nyara regained enough sensibility to use the doorhandle.  
Link hurtled down the corridor with a look of panic on his face. He rounded a corner and heard his bedroom door click open from the direction he had come from.  
"Oh no! She's out!" he fretted. "Gotta hide, gotta- aha!" He spied the door to Zelda's room and, opening it carefully, slipped inside and closed it behind him. Zelda was sitting up against her pillows in her nightie and she was in the process of brushing her long, blonde hair.  
"Good morning Link. To what do I owe the pleasure of this morning visit?" she greeted him cheerfully.  
"Nyara's trying to eat me!" he hissed. "Don't tell her I'm in here!" The boy took a run up and dove underneath the Princess' bed. Zelda blinked and rolled her eyes before leaning down and poking her head underneath the bed.  
"You've said that many a time," she told him in an amused tone of voice. "Could it be that you're overreacting just a _little_ bit?" Link's blue eyes stared back at her from the gloom.  
"I can't afford to take that chance," he told her in a tone that conveyed he was quite serious. "Oh and good morning." Zelda laughed and sat back up again.  
"You know…" Zelda snickered. "People might start talking if they find you in here while I'm dressed as I am." Link didn't say anything for a while and Zelda could almost feel his face getting redder.  
"I- ack…stop that!" he hissed. The door suddenly clicked and opened slightly to reveal Nyara's face. She looked around the door frame at Zelda.  
"You see Link?" she asked hopefully.  
"Good morning Nyara. No, I haven't seen him today," Zelda lied. Nyara's face fell.  
"Nyara bored. Ark door and window locked so Nyara can no get in," she pouted.  
"Oh, that's a shame," Zelda frowned sympathetically. "I'm sure he'll be up soon enough." Nyara nodded and sighed before withdrawing her head from the room.  
"Oh! Nyara?" Zelda called suddenly. Nyara's head reappeared. "Have you been feeling…strange lately?" Zelda's question was incredulous. Nyara blinked and frowned thoughtfully.  
"Strange?"  
"Yes…well it's just that you've been, well, a little rough with Ark and Link lately," Zelda told her delicately.  
"Nyara just want to play more lately," she shrugged. "Nyara need to teach Ark how to play to make Ark happy." Zelda smiled.  
"And what about Link?"  
"He just starting to smell…different; warmer," Nyara said, fumbling for words. One of Zelda's eyebrows quirked up.  
"I see. Oh well, thank you Nyara." Nyara grinned and closed the door before scampering off. Link suddenly exploded out from under the bed.  
"See, _see!?_ She can smell my blood! She can hear it pounding away in my veins; she can hear my heart beating, my _heart!_" Link babbled.  
"Oh Link, calm down," Zelda scoffed. "Anyone could hear your heart beating the way you're getting so worked up. Nyara would never eat you; you're a friend after all. If anything, in doing so would make Ark upset and Nyara would go to great lengths to avoid that." Link quieted down, but his eyes were still wary.  
"Perhaps you're right," he mumbled. Zelda smirked haughtily.  
"Of course I am," Zelda told him. "The Triforce of Wisdom didn't choose me for my looks now, did it?"  
"Certainly not for your modesty," Link mumbled under his breath. Zelda narrowed her eyes at him. "What? I didn't say anything." She shook her head and sighed. Link went to the door and opened it up a crack, peeking out to make sure Nyara wasn't laying in wait for him.  
"Well the coast seems clear…I'm going to go down for breakfast," he told Zelda. "You're a little too underdressed at the moment." Zelda giggled.  
"And why is that a problem?" she asked sweetly. Link winced at her and waved his hands.  
"No, don't even go there. See you at breakfast."  
"Wait!" Zelda called quickly. Link stopped and turned. "Stay outside the door. Let me get dressed and I'll be out in a minute." Link's face fell.  
"Is that a minute in normal time, or a minute in girl time?" he asked flatly. He quickly dodged out of the door and closed it as Zelda hurled one of her pillows at him.

Everyone bar Nyara and Fura were at the table by the time Link and Zelda arrived. Link noticed with some dismay that the seat he was meant to sit in was located between two others. Link toddled over and attempted to sit in the seat next to Ark, but Florella produced a little spark of magic and told him to go sit in the middle seat. He glared at her and she merely smiled sweetly back. Zelda sat next to the boy without so much as a word, her demure and calm exterior showing only the faintest of dimpled, rosy smiles. Fura breezed in a little later and plonked herself down next to Link, greeting him with a ruffle of his hair. Nyara slunk in a few minutes after Fura, eyeing Link briefly before scuttling over and sitting next to Ark. As was expected, Ark tensed immediately in dreaded anticipation of Nyara embarrassing him horrendously by feeding him. She hadn't at dinner the previous night because Ark had wolfed his food down as fast as possible when Nyara took longer than expected to get to the table. As a result, she was itching to do _something_ with him since she took her job of taking care of the boy so seriously. Much to Ark's dismay, Nyara was on him in seconds, shoveling food into his mouth, making him chew and then licking his face clean when she had finished. Isabella and Shera watched it all in great interest, perhaps even amusement, while Morgan grimaced and winced along with Link and Talen.  
Once breakfast was over and done with, Impa got straight to the point about researching the Eternal Ark. Morgan and Isabella had already given the go-ahead for them to use every available resource in the kingdom, particularly that of the library and its private collections. The Sheikah woman gave the children the option of either going with her or staying behind at the palace. The boys gave a quick reply that they'd stay behind.  
"Fantastic! You can help us prepare for the Spring Festival! Then we can go and get you some clothes to wear!" Shera said, clapping her hands. The boys reversed their decision twice as fast and dashed out of the room after Impa, leaving a number of disgruntled females behind.  
"Moldy old toads," Florella muttered. "We should have made Ark stay behind at least. Those two'll warp and twist his mind about the Spring Festival."  
"Well look on the bright side; we won't have the constant drone of complaints buzzing in our ears today," Fura shrugged. "At least we can get all of the things we need done today and then we can get the boys' clothes in one fell swoop tomorrow."

If Link, Talen, Ark and Impa thought that they were in for a long period of sitting down and poring over books, then they were at least half right. The library had been constructed inside a tall tower, making for a large amount of stair-climbing. Link cheated a fair bit and used the Key to hoist himself up to the tiers above and, as such, became the book-finder since he could move around so quickly. The other three sat at a big square table and pored over the books Link brought back. Ark did perhaps the most work out of all of them; leafing tirelessly through great tomes that were so old they almost disintegrated when touched. They repeated the procedure of fetch-and-examine for a good number of hours until lunch rolled around, and lunch was a time that could not be ignored when there was a whole palace kitchen full of food just right for the picking, well, in Link's eyes anyway. So, without much delay, the four bookworms replaced the books they had used and set out for the palace again. The sun was high in the sky once they stepped outside and the atmosphere of the city was truly that of one about to enter spring.  
"I must say that I _am_ rather looking forward to the Festival," Impa said out loud as they walked through the streets. "Bringing Zelda here every year is a very handy excuse."  
"You're scaring me, Impa," Link muttered. She laughed.  
"I must ask, if you do not like it then why do you come?" Ark asked in a puzzled manner. Talen and Link looked at him like he had grown an extra head.  
"You're joking, right?" Talen asked. "My God, you're not. Ark…if we didn't come here every single year, _even _if we were on our deathbeds, then the feminine side to our group would shed their innocent exterior and do horrible, _horrible_ things to us." Ark looked a little afraid.  
"Horrible," Link reiterated. "As in mental scars horrible. No, it's a catch twenty-two situation; damned if you do, damned if you don't."  
"Oh," Ark frowned.  
"And I'm sorry to say that, well, _you_ are now inclusive in the "family group" that comes here every year," Talen told Ark somberly. "Get used to this place; you'll be seeing it a lot."  
"Hush boys, you're making it sound like a bad thing. The chance to see Shera and everyone is reason alone to come," Impa chided them softly. Link and Talen fell silent; Impa being possibly the only person capable of getting them to do anything without a fuss. Luckily for them, Impa stayed on the sidelines whenever it came to differences of opinion between the boys and girls.  
"The way Nyara's been biting the poor fellow lately, I don't know if it is or not," Link said. "And she's been freakishly scary towards me too."  
"Come to think of it, Nyara _has_ gotten a little strange lately. I wonder what's wrong with her?" Talen frowned. "At least she hasn't done anything to me."  
"I hope it's nothing serious," Ark murmured with concern evident in his tone.  
"Worried, Ark?" Impa asked with a smirk. Ark blinked and went a little pink in the face.  
"No! It's nothing like that!" he said quickly. "It's just…Miss Nyara's been so nice to me; resetting my broken nose and taking care of me in that cave…"  
"I know what you mean," Impa laughed. "I meant nothing by it."  
"Oh," Ark said a little sheepishly. He sighed and toughed his ear delicately. The tip of it had been getting a little tender as of late thanks to Nyara's odd behavior.  
"I suspect it's nothing serious," Impa reassured the boy. "It's almost like she's acting like a-" The woman stopped talking suddenly with her mouth open.  
"Like a what?" Link asked curiously. Impa winced and looked at Ark and Link briefly before waving her hand.  
"Oh, it's nothing. I'll speak with Florella and Isabella about it; they'll be able to provide an answer," she told them rather quickly. The way she said it did nothing to ease their concerns, however.

The three boys trudged back into Windhill's palace wearily and immediately sought refuge in the peace and quiet of the gardens. It wouldn't be too long until the girls returned and destroyed that silence, so they were trying to get the most out of it as possibly by snoozing in the shade of a particularly large oak. Ark wasn't having a whole lot of success, however, as Impa had told him, "Ark, I'd advise that you don't find yourself anywhere…alone with Nyara until I confirm what's getting her to act so strange." He hadn't a clue what she meant by that…perhaps she considered Nyara to be dangerous in her state. But Nyara would never do anything to harm him, would she?  
"Hey Ark, what's the matter?" Link asked. "You look worried."  
"Well…" the boy began slowly.  
"Oh don't worry about what Impa said," Talen assured him. "It's most likely nothing."  
"I just hope there's nothing seriously wrong with her," Ark sighed.  
"So do we," Link said. "And there probably isn't. If she's sick or something, then we've got a Great Fairy that can heal her. You can't ask for much more than that."  
"I suppose you're right," Ark sighed admittedly. "I'm just worrying over noth-"  
"Ark!" Nyara's voice suddenly cut in. The boy sat up with a start, only to be bowled over as Nyara hit him with a full-on tackle. They rolled around on the ground, with little growls coming from Nyara as she toyed with Ark. They eventually came to rest with Nyara sitting on Ark's back. He kicked his legs in an attempt to dislodge her, but Nyara was quite a bit stronger than Ark and she wouldn't be moved so easily. Talen and Link exchanged glances before the rest of the females showed up with all manner of bags in their arms. The two boys looked at them with dread.  
"Hello boys," Shera smirked. "Have fun?"  
"Relative to what you were doing, or in general?" Link asked innocently.  
"Oh ha-ha," Saria muttered. "Did you find out any information about the Ark?"  
"Not one smidgen," he told them. "And we looked for hours."  
"Poor dears," Zelda said with a shake of her head. "What you need is a good dose of-"  
"We're not going to watch you try on clothes," Link said flatly.  
"Oh is that so?" Fura replied archly. Link looked up the scowling faces and felt decidedly small.  
"I mean…I'd be delighted to watch you ladies parade in a shameless spectacle of needlessly fantastic outfits, isn't that right Talen?" Link said quickly.  
"I'm quivering in anticipation," Talen murmured. "And I think we should go right now; Ark's in trouble." Everyone's attention turned to Ark, whose boot had been removed by Nyara so that she could chew at his ankle. Ark thrashed around on the ground making pathetic half-laughing, half-crying sounds. He wasn't in any pain, but he was having a very hard time coping with it and it was up to Talen to come to his rescue since he was the only person strong enough to pull Nyara away from the hapless boy. Talen held her by the scruff of her neck and she hung there with a rather goofy looking grin on her face.  
"Nyara, _please_ leave the poor fellow alone for a little while," he told her in a pained tone. "Just hold off for the rest of the day, okay?" Nyara looked at Ark and her bottom lip almost quivered before she sunk her shoulders.  
"O-kay," she sighed. "Nyara leave Ark alone for while." Ark looked extremely relieved as he pulled his boot back on.

The boys were subjected to an excruciating second half of the day consisting of them imprisoned in the sitting room while the girls paraded through with the plethora of garments they had purchased. Some were low-key; the boys liking them the most, while others were completely garish and a little over the top. Since Florella had grown just enough to wear some more dressy outfits, she came skipping into the room with her eyes alight and her face the very picture of eagerness. The "just-smile-and-nod" rule came into its own for Link, Talen and, to a lesser degree, Ark. Saria, Shera and Zelda were perhaps the most sensible with their outfits, opting for a more formal and conservative look (though Zelda paraded out with a fair number of strapless, backless or low-cut affairs). Link brought up the prospect of lunch a few times, but his suggestion was always quashed by the "just one more outfit" excuse, where "one" meant "many". Fura, in all her wisdom, had decided to showcase perhaps the most revealing articles of clothing she could lay her hands on. Ark was frequently looking away with a stuttered apology for seeing her only half-dressed; unaware that she was, in fact, fully clothed. With each garment came more and more cleavage on the Gerudo's behalf, and she demanded that Link give her an express view of what he thought about her choices.  
"It's a little…revealing isn't it?" he asked her delicately on one occasion. Fura's hands had gone straight to her hips.  
"So?" she snorted indignantly. "They're there for you to look at."  
"I thought they were for babies to, you know…" he left it hanging.  
"Secondary function!" Fura told him. "They're man-magnets!" Link flinched slightly.  
"Ah…should we really be talking about, erm…_them_ in such a manner? I mean…"  
"Oh stop being such a prude," Fura groaned with a shake of her head. "It's frustrating. Go on, I don't mind if you have a bit of a feel- just for curiosity's sake. You're probably going to be doing that and a lot more one day." She raised an eyebrow and tapped her bust a few times. Link stared blankly at her as his eyes widened further and further. It was probably a lucky thing that Zelda wasn't in the room at the time.  
"Gik! Ah- but…_FURA!_" Link gasped, finally getting his mouth to work properly. "You're doing it _again!_"  
"Doing what again?" she asked, slightly offended.  
"Embarrassing me!" Link almost cried.  
"Well sor-_ry_," she said sarcastically. "You're only stalling the inevitable! Humph!" With that she stormed out of the room. Link had done his best to bury himself in his chair after that remark. Nyara didn't have much of a part to play since she didn't actually _wear_ clothes, though she did stroll out with different ribbons in her hair so that Ark could pick which one looked best. Yellow was the choice of colour since it went well with Nyara's eyes.  
After a while, however, Link's grumbling stomach could not be ignored and, in a move of desperation, he and Talen escaped out of one of the windows with Ark to go raid the kitchens.  
"Urgh, and to think we have to sit through more of that," Link groaned. "I need a rest from anyone that has hair past they shoulders."  
"Here, here," Talen agreed.  
"I must admit I never expected looking at clothing could be so…so…"  
"Mentally exhausting?" Talen finished for him. Ark nodded.  
"That's it," he sighed. "Well at least they seem happy doing it."  
"I'll say," Link chuckled. "Florella looked like she was about to explode."  
"She has a habit of doing that," Talen said.  
"Exploding?" Link asked.  
"No, getting excited," Talen groaned, cuffing his friend around the back of the head. The boys arrived at the kitchens and Link went in alone to filch food with help from the Key. He could hide under a table and use the straps together to snatch pasties and such from above without anyone noticing. Once he had a considerable stash, he bundled it all up in his arms and snuck back out again without the cooks noticing anything at all. It was then out to the gardens for some pigging out with Talen and Link competing to see who could fit the most in their mouths at once. Ark became the referee in the decidedly juvenile competition until Shera and Saria showed up to drag them back inside and tell them how childish they were for playing such an idiotic game. It didn't, however, stop them from being goaded by Link into competing against each other. Saria won, but Link put that to her having fantastic cheek muscles from barking orders at him so much. He was led back inside by his ear for that one.

Evening had well and truly rolled along by the time the girls had finished their second fashion show, plunging the whole city into a lovely twilight. All the children bar Florella were busying themselves in the sitting room with various activities. The Great Fairy had gone to speak with Impa and Isabella after Link had discreetly mentioned Impa's warning about Nyara. The animal girl had crashed out in front of the crackling fire that burned merrily away in the hearth, her tail and legs twitching as she chased figments in her dreams. Ark sat quietly by the window with the Compass, turning it slowly in his hand in a lazy manner. The boy liked Windhill, despite the sense of foreboding he got about Florella's spell, and he had a great urge to explore it some more, but since it was getting into late afternoon he had to be content to watch the sinking sun colour everything gold.  
"You sure are lucky to live in such a nice place, Miss Shera," Ark said absently as he gazed longingly out the window.  
"Windhill's a lovely place," Shera smiled. "You should go out tomorrow and have a look around."  
"Not by himself, he's not," Saria said, looking up from her task of combing Fura's hair.  
"Why?" Shera asked.  
"Ark has something of a nemesis out there somewhere. He can't go anywhere alone because she'll probably take that opportunity to swoop in and nab him." Shera's eyebrow shot up.  
"That doesn't sound very good," she frowned. "What's she after you for?" Ark sighed.  
"I'll explain, Miss Saria," he said. The boy told Shera everything he knew about the black-haired girl, from her first appearance to him saving her life and to the kidnapping and treatment of his wounds. Shera listened in rapt silence until Ark finished.  
"Wow," she breathed. "Sounds like something out of a book." She shook her head.  
"And she isn't going to give up," Fura added. "She's one determined hunter."  
"She likes jewels and things of that nature," Ark murmured absently. "She wants the crystal at the end of my staff."  
"I think she'd rather get _you_ instead of the staff if given the opportunity, Ark," Fura told him. "She said she's getting some kind of colossal payment for getting you out of the way."  
"But," Link interjected. "It's not as if she doesn't have _some_ morals. She won't kill him anymore, right?"  
"That's right," Ark sighed. "She told me that she'd keep me where she lived until the day I died. I wonder what she's getting in return?"  
"Who knows?" Zelda shrugged. "Some kind of treasure I'm willing to bet." The occupants of the room lapsed into silence.  
"Well enough dreary-talk," Shera ordered, clapping her hands together. "Let's talk about something else."  
"I'm hungry," Link said suddenly.  
"Something other than that, too," Shera frowned. "Don't you _ever_ get full?"  
"Only when I'm eating vegetables," he shrugged.  
"That'd be right," she snorted. The door suddenly opened a crack and Florella's head popped in. She looked cast Nyara a quick glance and, seeing that she was asleep, motioned for everyone to come to the door.  
"What's the matter?" Talen asked with a frown.  
"Nothing," she told him quickly. "Erm…could you all step into the hallway for a few moments…just leave Nyara as she is." Slightly confused with Florella's behavior, the occupants of the room filed out and into the hallway.  
"What's this all about?" Fura asked. Florella made an awkward kind of face.  
"Ah, well it's kinda about Nyara's odd behavior over the past few weeks…I think I know what's wrong."  
"You do? Thank God!" Link breathed. "I'm telling you, that girl was beginning to scare me."  
"It's nothing serious…is it?" Ark asked a little fearfully. Florella shook her head.  
"No, nothing like _that_. Erm, how do I put this…?" she muttered.  
"Put it like it is; that usually works," Talen told her.  
"Okay…it's getting into spring…right?" she said. They nodded. "And spring is generally a time of new life and such, right?"  
"You aren't making much sense," Link frowned.  
"Shut up…anyway ah…it seems that Nyara has a case of "Spring Fever" I'm afraid."  
"But…you said she wasn't sick," Ark said. Florella couldn't help but laugh slightly.  
"No, Ark. She isn't sick. Um…now Nyara's a rather _special_ case among us. She's part animal, right?" She received nods and murmurs of agreement. "Well…the animal part of her is still quite strong, as is evident with the mouse-eating and such." Zelda, who had a blank look on her face, suddenly blushed.  
"Oh my," she giggled.  
"Yeah," Florella winced. "Uh, Ark…I don't know how to tell you this but…Nyara seems to be in that certain _stage_ where she's, erm, looking for a mate and it…looks like she's chosen you." There was silence.  
"Oh my indeed," Shera giggled.  
"Wha-wh…what!?" Ark squeaked.  
"Don't get all excited; nothing's going to happen," Florella assured him. "Oh, and Link?"  
"What?" he asked, getting over his surprise.  
"It seems she _was_ trying to eat you after all," Florella told him calmly.  
"_WHAT!?_" Link gasped. "I knew it! What did I tell you!?"  
"Oh hush," Florella snapped. "She wasn't actually _going_ to do it. Her instinct is telling her that you'd be prime feed for her children, but she'd never go that far. She's changed it into the urge to play and beat you up a bit."  
"Probably because you eat so much," Saria murmured out of the side of her mouth.  
"Anyway; Ark, you need to make sure you aren't in a situation where you're along with Nyara for a prolonged period of time. I'm not saying that she'll do anything; we just need to be careful in case instinct takes over." Ark nodded, his face as white as a sheet.  
"Don't worry Ark," Shera chuckled. "I'm sure you'd have lovely children."


	27. Dream

**Chapter 26 – Dream**

"Ch-children!?" Ark exclaimed. "But I- we…her _mate?_ _Me?_ I thought it was supposed to be toughest and strongest who became mates! I don't fall into either category!" The boy's chest looked like it was about to burst from the amount of rapid breathing he was doing.  
"Ark, calm _down_," Florella told him. "She'll only be like this for a little while longer and then she'll be back to normal again."  
"But _me?_ Why didn't she pick Talen? He's the strongest one on the _planet_ most likely!"  
"Well…I don't know. Perhaps it's because you've managed to pull off one of the strongest lightning spells around _and_ fend off that girl that's out to get you. You don't give yourself enough credit," Florella told him. Ark made some sort of groaning sound and looked around awkwardly. "And it's not like you're actually _going_ to be her mate, Ark. It's just Nyara's instinct trying to take the reins."  
"You poor, _poor_ individual," Link whispered. Florella's foot seemed to lash out of its own accord, striking Link solidly in the shin.  
"You be quiet," she told him crossly. Link hopped around with a contorted look of pain on his face.  
"Now Ark," Florella said sweetly. "Don't mention this to Nyara, okay? It may make her upset _or_ it'll send her over the edge and, well…you know what could happen, right?"  
"I think he's been scared enough for now," Saria giggled. "Come on, let's get back in the room before Nyara wakes up and finds us all gone."

The rest of the day was very tense for poor Ark. The information given to him by Florella had spooked him a fair bit, making dinner quite a jumpy affair. He nearly shocked everyone at the table, but managed to suppress his outburst as Nyara tried to feed him yet again. He flinched away horribly, much to Nyara's surprise and stated that she didn't have to bother herself with such trivial matters before digging into his meal with forced gusto. Nyara looked visibly deflated and turned back to her own meal before eating it without much enthusiasm. Link was busy making sure Nyara didn't suddenly try to eat him.  
"Oh dear," Saria said sadly to Zelda. "Look at them both." Zelda nodded in agreement.  
"Ark's gone paranoid and Nyara doesn't know what she's done wrong. Oh I can't wait until she's back to normal again; I miss seeing them doing their little thing together," the princess sighed out of earshot of the boys.  
"It is my belief that things will be the way they were before you know it," Isabella murmured quietly. "There are many things that I have felt in the air since all of you arrived; many interesting things that have been singing out from your souls. And before you ask, I shall not tell you of them for they will become known to you when the time is right."  
"That isn't fair, mother," Shera frowned. "That's like dangling a pie in front of Link's nose and then throwing it out the window."  
"Excuse me!?" the boy called from the other end of the table upon hearing his name spoken.  
"Nothing, Linkie-do, just keep eating," Fura called sweetly. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and went back to his meal.  
"It's what you do best," Florella muttered.

Link slowly opened his eyes and gazed at the barren land around him.  
"What the- where am I?" he groaned, getting up off his side. He stood and found himself to be on a dusty, cracked piece of earth that dropped off sharply on every side. The sky was a dirty, dull orange colour devoid of anything that resembled blue. The wind ghosted eerily around him; moaning through crags that stuck up in the distance and stirring the dry dust at his feet. He turned quite suddenly and found Ark standing there just as unassuming as he.  
"Ark?" he asked. Ark blinked and looked around.  
"Link? Where…are we?" Link shook his head and looked at his hands.  
"I don't know, but…I think we're dreaming," he mumbled.  
"Dreaming? But…how can this be a dream? You're in it too, unless…you're just a part of it…"  
"I'm real!" Link protested. "But this place feels like it…isn't."  
"I don't like it, I want to wake up," Ark frowned. Link pinched his arm, receiving a yelp for his troubles.  
"Well that didn't work," Link frowned.  
"No," Ark said, rubbing at the spot Link had pinched. "What's our purpose to being here, I wonder?" He walked to the edge with Link and looked down the sharp side.  
"Well I guess we won't be going down there," Link frowned, looking at the ground far, _far_ below. "If we're supposed to be doing something, then I don't know what it is." Link sat heavily on the hard ground and Ark took a seat next to him.  
"Are many dreams like this?" Ark asked him curiously. Link shook his head with a slight chuckle.  
"No, not all of them. This one's a stupid doesn't-make-any-sense dream that for some odd reason we're sharing," Link told him.  
"Oh," Ark said simply. Silence permeated the two for a while as they sat doing nothing. Link idly kicked a pebble over the edge of the edge of the piece of mesa-like land they were on and listened as it bounced down the side.  
"Ugh, I never thought that being asleep could make me so bored," the Hylian grunted after a while. "Let me wake up so I can go back to sleep again!" His last shout echoed out over the wasteland. Link sighed and flopped onto his back only to find the face himself looking into the face of the very irate-looking black-haired girl.  
"Waugh!" he squawked, rolling forwards and jumping to his feet in a battle-ready stance.  
"What's the matter?" Ark asked, looking up at Link.  
"Hello _Ark_," the girl snarled. A great shiver ran up Ark's neck and he turned his head slowly.  
"Ahh!" he cried, leaping up in a similar fashion to Link. "You!" The girl folded her arms across her chest and scowled at the two boys.  
"_So_ nice to see you again," she told him insincerely. "Miss me?"  
"What are you doing here?" Link demanded. He reached for his sword, but found that it hadn't taken the trip with him. For that matter, neither had the Key or any of his other equipment. "Damn! Oh well, I can still smack you around with some magic if you try anything!"  
"Oh, is that right?" the girl scowled, readying herself to fight. Neither of them, however, managed to do anything.  
"What?" Link grunted. "My magic's not working! What's going on?" The black-haired girl seemed to be having similar troubles.  
"Damn it! This is _your_ doing, isn't it!" she spat at Link, holding up her fist threateningly.  
"_My_ doing?" he laughed. "Hah! If it were me doing this, why can't _I_ use my magic either, you harpy!"  
"_Harpy!?_" she exclaimed. "Listen here, you little _skunk!_ I chew up people twice your size and spit them out again!"  
"Oh yeah? Then why is _he_ still standing around?" Link snorted, pointing to Ark. "He's never had combat experience before he met you, yet you couldn't beat him." The black-haired girl seethed at Link and clenched her fists. Ark stayed silent behind his friend.  
"Pure chance!" she barked. "I underestimated him!"  
"Whatever you say," Link shrugged, turning his head.  
"As soon as I'm out of this place, I'm making it my personal _mission_ to wipe you off the face of the planet…after I've taken care of _you_," she spat, pointing a finger at Ark.  
"Please leave me out of this, Miss," Ark squeaked, backing away.  
"Yeah, leave the poor guy alone," Link said defensively. "What's so valuable that you keep hounding him all around the world?"  
"That's of no concern to the likes of you!" she spat. "I'll drop you off the side of here if you don't shut that mouth of yours!"  
"Oooh, scary! Go cook some more kids inside your gingerbread house!" Link taunted.  
"_That does it!_" she screeched. Her hands whipped out and wrapped around Link's neck and she began choking him.  
"Is that all you got?" Link gurgled defiantly. He grabbed her cheek and twisted it in his fist. The two of them stumbled about before falling to the ground and rolling about, pulling and choking each other until they broke apart, exhausted.  
"Excuse me Miss," Ark spoke up in a small voice. "But…how did you get here?"  
"What?" she said flatly.  
"How did you get here? This place…how did you wind up where we are?" he repeated. She sat up and glowered at him.  
"I went to sleep," she said simply.  
"Funny," Link muttered. "I thought you stayed out at night, you misery vampire." The girl lashed her foot out and kicked Link solidly in the side.  
"I see," Ark frowned.  
"I woke up at the bottom of this thing you two were on. A rock hit me and I came up to investigate," she grumbled. Link looked rather pleased for some reason.  
"On your broomstick?" he muttered.  
"Shut up!" the girl barked, flailing with her foot again, Link rolled to the side. "I flew up, of course."  
"So not all of your magic has gone in this dream," Ark mused.  
"If that's so, then I'm out of here!" the girl cackled. She leaped over Link and grabbed Ark from behind. "And you're coming with me!" Nothing seemed to happen.  
"Bravo," Link clapped. "We're in a dream, stupid. Ark's still laying in bed as am I, you can't take him away by poofing out of here like you usually do."  
"Damn it!" the girl raged. "I hate this place! Especially since I'm stuck here with, _you!_" Link made a face at her and then folded his arms thoughtfully.  
"I guess we could just wait until we wake up," he shrugged.  
"Grr, I don't want to be stuck here another _second_ with you! I'm going to do something about it!" the girl growled. With that, she leaped off the side of the mesa and plummeted to the ground.  
"Stop!" Ark called, running to the edge. Link beat him there and looked down as the girl hit the ground. He winced and turned away, but as he did so there was a flash and she reappeared beside them.  
"Oh," Link frowned. The girl blinked.  
"What the hell am I doing here again!?" she demanded of nobody in particular. "I should be awake by now!"  
"Looks like the regular get-out-of-dream routes don't work," Link frowned. "Pity."  
"It's a pity all right! I want out of here!"  
"Hey, look at this!" Ark called suddenly. Link looked over his shoulder at his friend.  
"What is it? You found something?" he asked, leaning over Ark's shoulder as the boy crouched in front of something. It was a previously unnoticed stone tablet barely visible in the dust. Ark had swept the surface clean and was reading it.

"_If you want to end the dream  
__Then you must work as a team.  
__To get back where you're sleeping sound  
__Six feet must set upon the ground."_

"What?" the girl demanded. "What does that mean?"  
"More riddles," Link grunted. "It means, Madam Snappy, that we have to work together so that we're _all_ on the ground down there. That's what I can make of it."  
"Me help _you!?_" she gaped. "That's ludicrous! We're enemies!"  
"I…don't think we have much of a choice," Ark said quietly. "If we don't help each other out, then I don't think we'll ever get out of this dream."  
"I won't do it!" the girl declared hotly. Link frowned and glanced at Ark.  
"Look at it this way; if you don't help, you don't wake up which means you can't get rid of Ark and you don't get your payment for doing so, understand?" Link asked flatly. The girl looked a little less sure of herself and narrowed her eyes at the two boys.  
"If this is a trick, I'll make you pay!" she snarled, balling her fist in Link's face. He held his hands up innocently. "Fine! I can carry you down one at a time…but don't try anything funny! And nothing's changed between us; we're still enemies and I won't hesitate to fight the next time I see you!"  
"Of course," Link murmured. The girl narrowed her eyes dangerously and then shifted her gaze to Ark.  
"I'll take you first," she grumbled. "Get over here." Ark reluctantly stepped forward and allowed the girl to grab him roughly by the back of his clothing. She dragged him over to the edge of the mesa and jumped off the edge while Link cautiously watched them. The girl slowed hers and Ark's descent so that they wouldn't simply smack into the ground and appear at the top of the mesa again. It didn't take too long until the two arrived at the bottom, whereupon the girl dropped Ark to the ground. He turned around and found her looking at him with a stony face.  
"Erm…thank you," he said politely. She curled her lips slightly and returned to the top of the mesa to fetch Link. After a short time, she drifted back down and dumped him roughly on the ground.  
"Ow! Watch it!" he grunted.  
"Quiet!" she snarled at him. "Okay, we're all down…now what?" Nothing seemed to be happening.  
"Hmm," Link murmured. "Maybe I got it wrong."  
"You mean I helped you out for no reason!? You _moron!_ I'd blast you right here if I could!" the girl seethed, her eyes alight with rage. "I can't _wait_ to get a hold of you in the real world!" Link suddenly snapped his fingers.  
"I know what's wrong!" he exclaimed. "Get on the ground." The girl looked at him like he was mad.  
"What did you say!?"  
"I said get on the ground, you cretin! It said that six feet must be on the ground; you're still floating!" he told her. The girl blinked and looked down before muttering a silent curse under her breath. She dropped a few feet to the ground and landed with her arms folded.  
"There," she grumbled.  
"_DONE!_" a great voice rumbled out of nowhere, causing Ark to squeak and jump slightly. The three children looked around sharply as the earth began to buckle and shake.  
"Wha- what the hell's going on?" the girl growled, trying to keep steady.  
"I-I think the d-dream's over!" Ark stammered, falling over backwards. The ground beneath their feet suddenly split apart and the three of them tumbled into a gaping chasm. The girl moved through the air towards Ark as they fell. She grabbed the front of his clothes with both hands and brought his face close to hers in a hostile fashion.  
"You got lucky this time, Ark!" she hissed. "But next time we meet, I guarantee you _won't_ be dreaming!"

"God! Wake up!" the voice barked gruffly. Link groaned something and rolled over and away from the annoyance. "Link, it's already midday! Get your cute, albeit lazy backside out of bed!" Now _that_ remark prompted a reaction from the boy, since only one person would say a thing like that…well maybe two, but Ruto wasn't there. Link opened one eye and rolled it in the direction of the voice.  
"Oh…hello Fura," Link mumbled. "What's the matter?" She put her hands on her hips and leaned forwards.  
"You've been sleeping all day! Get up! You have to go and pick out your clothes for the Spring Festival!" she told him irritably. Link's mind took a little bit of time processing the information.  
"All day?" he asked sleepily. "Why didn't you wake me up?"  
"That's what I've been _trying_ to do! So has everyone else! You've just been snoring away and muttering insults in your sleep!" she blared.  
"Oh," Link mumbled.  
"Oh? Don't just "oh", get out of bed and get dressed!" she barked. Link couldn't figure out for the world of him why she was so snippy.  
"What's wrong with you this morning? You get up on the wrong side of bed?" he asked.  
"It's not morning! You slept through that!"  
"Right, right," Link mumbled. "Okay, I'm getting up." Fura stood by his bed and waited, but Link didn't do anything other than take what looked to be a quick check of the Key.  
"Well? Hurry up."  
"I'm not getting out of bed with you in here. Wait outside or something," he told her, holding the blankets a little defensively. Fura tutted and rolled her eyes.  
"Okay fine, but hurry up," she told him, walking out the door and closing it behind her. Link blinked and watched her go.  
"Great, that'll give me about ten more minutes' worth of sleep," he breathed, flopping back down on his pillow.

Link hated shopping for clothes, especially since they were for him. If they were for the girls then at least he wouldn't have to wear them and look stupid. What compounded Link's discontentment was the fact that ever since his daring escape the first time he had been to Windhill, the girls had been especially careful with choosing a place for him to try his clothes out. As expected, Ark and Talen had been dragged along for the ride, but they were much less vocal in their complaints than Link. In fact the pair of them stayed quiet for practically the entire duration of the event. Both Link and Ark said nothing about their shared dream with the black-haired girl, but rather reached an unspoken agreement that it would be better to bring it up at a more opportune time.  
"This one," Zelda said, handing Link her selection of clothing. "It'll look good on you."  
"Whatever you say," Link sighed, taking the clothing off her and trudging into the changing booth. The sounds of material swishing could be heard as he pulled off his tunic and put on the new clothes. He stepped out from behind the curtain dressed in a dark blue doublet and hose. The girls looked at him critically.  
"Hmm, maybe it isn't as good as I thought it was," Zelda frowned. "It's that arm and the side of your face; the black's throwing the colour off!"  
"Well sor-_ry_," Link snapped sarcastically. "Maybe I should just do some self-amputation so that the colours match."  
"No need to get like that," Fura tutted. "Goodness knows why you're in this terrible mood; you got more than twelve hours sleep last night."  
"I'll tell you why…" Link started.  
"No need," Florella sighed. "Come on girls; keep looking." Link trudged back into the stall and got changed back into his tunic before coming out to sit with Talen and Ark, both of whom were looking decidedly fed up with things.  
"How are you two managing?" he asked them glumly.  
"I know it's only once a year…but even that's too often for me. I'm exhausted," Talen groaned.  
"I must say…even I'm considering sneaking away," Ark said. The three boys took deep breaths and sighed collectively.  
"What matter with Ark?" Nyara's voice suddenly chimed from behind them. Ark jumped several feet in the air with a surprised shout and Link flinched violently.  
"Eeh! Nothing, Miss Nyara! There's nothing wrong with me at all!" he babbled. "Y-You can go back to whatever it is you were doing now if you like!" His tone was panicked. Nyara's face fell the tiniest bit and she held out a bundle of clothing.  
"Nyara just think Ark like these," she mumbled. "Nyara go find something to do now." She didn't seem like she wanted to leave, but she beat down her urge to stay and trundled off to find someone else to talk to. Ark looked very pained when she had gone.  
"Oh dear," he groaned.  
"What's the matter?" Talen asked.  
"I think I've upset her," Ark sighed. "I don't mean to, but…" He fumbled for the right words.  
"I wouldn't worry too much about it," Florella said from behind him. Ark jumped again and squeaked. "When she's back to normal, a simple explanation will have her feeling bright and chipper again in not time."  
Surprisingly enough, Nyara's selection of clothes for Ark had been absolutely perfect. His attire for the festival consisted of a blue-grey formal wear tunic and dark grey pants to match his unusually coloured grey hair. He didn't seem too enthusiastic about wearing it, however; stating that he wouldn't feel right in wearing such finery. The girls quashed his protests by stating that he had to look his best in public with two princesses and a Gerudo Fire Witch. Even after Ark's selection was out of the way, the task of Link and Talen's clothing was still at hand and it took them a further hour to finally find something.  
"Well _that_ took long enough," Link grunted as the procession moved back to the palace.  
"Hey, it's _your_ fault," Fura told him. "It's hard to match things when you have two-toned skin."  
"And don't even bother asking what's wrong with your tunic; you wear that every single day of the year. You can go one or two nights with something different," Zelda said. Link frowned and stayed silent.  
"Any complaints from you, Talen?" Florella asked, looping her arm around his.  
"None, Florella," he told her in a level tone.  
"Good boy!" she giggled girlishly. Link pointed his finger into his open mouth and made gagging sounds, receiving a swift flick to his ear from Saria.  
"Don't," she told him sternly. "You've been in a rather foul mood today, and I think it's because you haven't had a good bath in a while."  
"Oh no," Link groaned.  
"Oh yes," Saria grinned with a glint in her eye. "Boys, you're all going to have a good long bath when we get back to the palace. Then you can get all spruced up to show off your clothes."

"Oh don't the three of you look absolutely precious!" Isabella told the boys as they reluctantly stepped into the dining room wearing their new clothes after a very long bath. Drawing inspiration from Ark, Link and Talen had been given similar formal style tunics to wear. Link's was white, a colour he didn't really want to wear because it would make him stick out like a sore thumb, but his complaints had fallen on deaf ears after the girls had decided that it would contrast his shadowy arm and neck. Talen's was dark red and all three of them had the same colour pants. Neither one of them looked particularly thrilled.  
"Hey, you're not wearing the full outfit!" Florella exclaimed.  
"We're not putting the capes on," Talen said flatly. "This is as far as we go."  
"But the capes make you look so-" Saria started.  
"Stupid," Link finished for her. "Please, all of you, haven't you crushed our spirits enough?"  
"Okay, you don't have to wear the capes…even though we got them especially," Shera pouted.  
"Great!" Link said cheerfully, heading over to his chair. "They looked really, _really_ not good." Shera looked instantly annoyed.  
"You were supposed to feel guilty!" she exclaimed. "And then offer to wear them!"  
"You think I'm stupid or something?" Link snorted as Talen and Ark sat in their designated spots with highly amused expressions on their faces.  
"You two should know better than to encourage him," Saria frowned. Ark looked remorseful, but Talen only grinned even harder.  
Dinner took all too long for the boys; each of whom wanted to get out of their festival clothes as soon as possible. The instant they were allowed to leave the table, they practically fought each other to get out of the room, though it was mainly Talen and Link.  
"I don't know _what_ their problems are," Fura sighed. "They looked absolutely dashing in those clothes."  
"They didn't wear their capes, though," Shera pouted.  
"They could have strode in and swept them around their arms like dashing heroes," Zelda sighed.  
"Hah! Good luck getting them to _ever_ do that," Saria laughed. "Link's too stubborn, Talen's too practical and Ark's too…well, you just can't picture him doing a thing like that. He's too quiet." There were soft chuckles from around the table.  
"If this is going to be women-talk, then I'll take my leave," Morgan rumbled. "There are some papers that need signing in my study."  
"Yes dear," Isabella smiled. The portly monarch rose from his place at the head of the table and ambled out of the room to leave the females in peace.  
"Where were we? Oh yes! Ark…yes, he's far too quiet and shy to do anything like that, no matter how hard we try," Zelda giggled.  
"He may be quiet, but he can certainly throw some pretty powerful magic around. There have been many that have ended up killing themselves trying to cast a lightning spell like the Skybreaker," Florella mused. "He doesn't seem to like using his magic, though."  
"He's a gentle soul at heart, all three of them are," Isabella smiled. "But like Talen and Link he has a fire inside that can burn as bright and as fierce as the sun itself should the right fuel be added…"  
"Have you…?" Fura left it hanging, wiggling two fingers at the side of her head.  
"Oh no, child," Isabella laughed. "It's as plain as the nose on his face; I didn't need to look on the inside to find that out."  
"So how did you meet him again?" Shera asked. Saria twiddled her fingers and leaned back in her chair.  
"It was odd," she frowned thoughtfully. "Link and I were sledding- well, _I_ was sledding and Link was pulling me around- when there was this explosion from out in the forest. We ran to investigate and there he was; propped up against the base of a tree after blowing several others into pieces along with someone that had been trying to kill him."  
"Poor boy," Shera sighed. "He's been hounded by one enemy or another ever since it all began, hasn't he."  
"That girl with the black hair _really_ has it in for him," Fura muttered. "Ever since he refused to kill her after he beat her at their first meeting. She took it as some kind of personal insult and has been popping up all over the place throwing purple magic like it was going out of style."  
"But," Zelda spoke up. "She turned up when we were all separated and attacked him and Nyara. From what _I_ was told, Ark split up from Nyara and he and that girl got into a fight. One of her attacks didn't go as planned and they were thrown off the side of a cliff, but Ark managed to grab onto something _and_ the girl too."  
"Ark tell Nyara to go different way so she not get hurt," Nyara said. Her tone was wistful, almost a little sad. "Nyara can't stop mean girl's magic, but Ark can."  
"So he saved her?" Shera asked, completely engrossed in the story since it had merely been glossed over briefly when everyone had first arrived. "What happened next?"  
"Well any normal person would be thankful for being saved, but she got pretty angry with him," Fura frowned. "But, as Impa told us, the act of saving her life didn't go without some kind of leverage. She won't kill him anymore at least…now she just wants to put him somewhere he can't escape from so she can get some kind of reward from the person, or persons, behind all of this." Shera sat back and ran her fingers through her hair.  
"It all sounds so surreal," she whistled. "Do you even know who this girl is?" Florella shook her head.  
"None," she said almost bitterly. "She's a mystery I'm afraid. We don't even know her name." Silence descended upon them for a time and a soft rain began to patter lightly against the windows. Shera looked out at the dusky sky and frowned and then her expression brightened slightly.  
"Oh! Florella, what were you talking about before? Something about Link and the Spring Festival?" she asked, trying to move the subject onto a brighter note. It seemed to work quite well and Florella clapped her little hands together.  
"Oh yes!" she giggled gleefully. "Now just make sure he isn't listening at the door…nope? Good."  
"Why, what is it?" Saria asked. Florella lowered her voice to a whisper.  
"What Link doesn't know about his shadow magic is that it took away one of his previous abilities. Shadow magic is very rare, as is light magic like yours Zelda. Anyway, before he was changed, Link was another type of rare magic user: a neutral-type user," she whispered.  
"Neutral?" Fura asked.  
"Meaning he could basically use any type of magic should he learn the correct incantation, though it would not be as powerful as a pure magic user of that type. In any case; he cannot use his masks anymore, he cannot use his arrows anymore-"  
"And he can't use Nayru's Love anymore! He can't shield himself from your spell!" Zelda exclaimed. "He'll try to use it during the festival and nothing will happen!"  
"Correct!" Florella cheered. "Victory; it tastes so much damn better than wine! Ahahaha!" Her cackling laughter rang out through the room.  
"He won't even know what hit him!" Fura cheered. "This is going to be the best Spring Festival ever!"  
"And I'll finally get my sweet, sweet revenge for all the years of stubbornness and difficulty he's given me!" Florella almost wept. She jumped up and put one foot up on the table in a dramatic pose. "Fura, Zelda…get your lips ready, 'cause they're going to have a full workout at the Spring Festival when Link finally gets his come-uppance!"

"A dream?" Talen asked. "And that girl was in it too?" Link and Ark nodded.  
"It was like…a shared dream," Ark frowned. "We needed her help to wake up."  
"I don't know what to make of it," Link murmured. "I know it really happened- we were all there as separate entities; neither of us dreamed the other up. The fact that we both know about the dream now is proof of that." Link shook his head and scratched just above his ear.  
"Somebody up there has a very twisted sense of humor," Talen frowned. "Well I have no idea what it means. Florella or Isabella would be out best bet for figuring it out."  
"It's important," Ark said quietly. "You heard that voice, right Link? We had that dream for a reason…and sooner or later we'll find out what that reason is."


	28. Boy Vs Girl

**Chapter 27 – Boy Versus Girl**

"No! Not you! Anybody but you!" Florella snapped angrily, shoving the checkers game away. Link frowned at her.  
"Why?"  
"Because I said so! Ark? Care to play?" she asked the boy sweetly.  
"Don't answer her, Ark," Link told his friend before turning back to the fairy. "You only won't play me because I always beat you even when you cheat."  
"I do not cheat!" Florella huffed. She looked appealingly at Talen as the smith sat by the fire. "Tell him Talen, tell him I don't cheat."  
"I'm not good at lying, Florella," he murmured with the faintest hint of a smile. "That's your forte." Florella took a sharp intake of breath.  
"You're mean!" she said accusingly. "So are you!" She jabbed at Link with her finger.  
"I didn't do anything!" Link protested.  
"You laughed!" Florella told him.  
"I couldn't help it," he said lamely. Florella stood brusquely and turned her nose up at him.  
"Just for that, _you_ don't have the pleasure of playing against me," she sniffed. Link shook his head.  
"Maybe some other time, Link," Zelda smiled. "Florella doesn't take losing easily."  
"The scars on my shins are proof enough of that," the boy muttered, glancing at the fairy girl as she tried to convince Talen to let her sit on his lap. She didn't seem to be having much success.  
"Who could believe that the person supposed to spread love through Windhill could be such an ill-tempered little brat?" Link sighed, shaking his head.  
"I heard that!" Florella snapped from across the room. A brief argument between that pair ensued, much to the amusement of everyone else in the room. Shera shook her head with a heavy sigh, catching a glimpse of Ark as she did so. She frowned at him as he sat gazing out the window with a thoughtful expression on his face.  
"Ark, you've been awfully quiet since dinner…what's the matter?" she asked. He snapped out of his gaze and blinked at her.  
"Huh? Oh! I'm sorry, Miss Shera…did you say something?" he apologized.  
"It's nothing, Ark," she laughed. "You just looked a little pensive over there."  
"Oh, no I'm just thinking about things," he assured her, but his eyes twitched warily over to Nyara for an instant. The animal girl was curled up by the fire, her tail twitching and flicking in her sleep. The fact that Nyara had more or less decided- in her current state- that Ark would be the ideal mate had been like a punch in the face to the boy and, as such, he had been avoiding her as of late. It was strange though; Ark and Nyara's was an odd relationship. Nyara was hell-bent on protecting him from any harm and even extended that to feeding him and washing his face. And Ark- perhaps because he was far from home, had come to accept Nyara as someone who made him feel looked after, even if he held apprehension to the more embarrassing quirks of Nyara's looking after of him. Shera sighed through her nose as Ark turned his attention back to the window.  
"They'll be fine," Zelda whispered to Windhill's princess. "Just wait and see."

Bedtime rolled around and Impa appeared at the door to herd everyone off to bed like a responsible adult. The boys went willingly while the girls protested that they wanted to stay up a little bit longer.  
"No," Impa said firmly. "Bed. You don't want to get circles under your eyes, do you?" That ended any further arguments. They all said goodnight to each other, with Ark mumbling something to Nyara and quickly ducking into his room and locking the door before she could come any closer.  
"Be up early tomorrow!" Zelda called to Link as he stumped into his room.  
"Yeah, yeah," he yawned. "Goodnight everyone."  
"Nightie-night, Linkie-do," Fura giggled, receiving a grunt in response.  
"Be civil!" Saria barked as he closed the door. She gave an annoyed little grunt and shook her head. "_Boys!"  
_Ark curled into a tight little ball as he lay under his blanket. The immediate area around him was warm, but if his legs ventured away from his body, then they were chilled by the still-cool sheets. He yawned and scrunched his head deeper into his pillow. Unlike Link and Talen, sleep wasn't a favorite part of the day for him. The threat of more bad dreams was ever-present and it also meant that he was alone in the dark. He almost wished that someone were there to keep him company- even Nyara.  
"But…that's out of the question right now," he murmured to himself, blushing slightly. A sudden gust of wind rattled the window slightly, making the boy flinch. "Oh I'm such a wimp sometimes." He stuck his legs out as if it were some show of bravery against the chill of the sheets.  
"Oh well, the sooner I get to sleep the sooner the night's over," he yawned, closing his eyes. His breathing gradually slowed, serving to notify the second occupant of the room that the boy had gone to sleep. The figure stepped out of the shadows having spent a good deal of the afternoon lying in wait. The black-haired girl stood in a sliver of moonlight that shone through the window, her appearance visibly different. Her hair had been cut so that it was shorter and the back tied into three feather-like pigtails that ran up the middle of the back of her head. A tight fitting, sleeveless black top covered her chest and left her midriff bare. Her skirt had been replaced by tight leather pants that ended with a pair of light boots. She walked to the side of Ark bed and looked down at him as he snuffled in his sleep, blissfully unaware of her presence.  
"A perfect opportunity," she smirked. She bent over him and reached out her hands to grab hold and vanish along with him. She fastened one hand around his neck and clamped the other around his mouth. As expected, the boy woke with a start and took only a few seconds to recognize who it was that had disturbed him. Ark's eyes went wide and he let out a muffled cry from behind her hand. She showed her teeth in a wicked grin, holding him down forcefully.  
"Just stay still and it'll all be over quickly," she purred. Blue electricity began to crackle around Ark, but girl had expected it and quickly let go of his neck and pressed her knee down onto his chest. In her hand a purple scythe suddenly appeared and she brought its tip to his throat.  
"Settle down unless you want a new breathing hole," she growled. The crackling electricity subsided and only the sound of Ark breathing through his nose remained. He looked up at her with his wide, green eyes; not daring to move a muscle lest the scythe's sharp end bite into him. The pair stayed immobile, staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity until the girl took the scythe away from Ark's throat. She didn't let up any pressure on his chest, however, but she slowly took her hand away from his mouth to let him breathe properly.  
"Good boy," she told him. "Now don't try anything funny or I can finish my job the _other_ way and collect my reward right now." Ark nodded, but his mind was furiously searching for some way to escape or alert the others to the girl's presence. The girl folded her arms across her chest and glared at him as he sat up in bed.  
"I'll allow you to put some clothes on before we go," she told him. "But hurry up." Ark nodded and went to move, but stopped suddenly and looked at her helplessly.  
"Erm…Miss, I…" he stammered. Her eyes hardened.  
"What?" she grated.  
"Could you…turn around? I'm not wearing very much and it would be…improper to…" he trailed off as the girl regarded him for a while. Her gaze switched to some clothes draped neatly on the back of a chair and she hooked them up with her scythe and dropped them on his blanket.  
"I'm not letting you out of my sight," she told him. "Put them on under your blanket if you're so embarrassed."  
"O-Okay," Ark said in a small voice. He did as he was told with his face rather red under the girl's intense gaze. Once he was dressed, he slid out from under his blanket and stood rather self-consciously on the floor. She grinned triumphantly and walked towards him as Ark backed towards the window slowly, keeping his eyes averted from her figure. He bumped into the glass and stopped as the girl reached for him hungrily. Just as she grabbed hold of him, however, he let off a sudden surge of electricity that he had been charging very slowly since she had let go of him beforehand.  
"Sorry!" he squeaked. The girl let out a startled oath as she was flung back across the room and that's when Ark made his move. He threw the window open and slipped out onto the balcony before jumping up and scrambling onto the roof. Since the moon was full, he didn't have to worry about watching where he was going, but the wind was fairly strong and threatened to throw him off balance. He heard the girl growl something from below, so Ark took off as fast as he could in search of somebody else's window.  
"You can't get away!" the girl's voice shouted over the wind. Ark turned and saw her scrambling onto the roof. Jumping down onto someone's balcony had become out of the question since the girl would simply catch up much to fast when he tried to open a window, especially if he found it to be locked. His only choice was to flee and hope that he could find somewhere to hide. Ark took off at a dead run, his feet pounding over the palace roof.  
"So it's a chase you want, eh?" the girl laughed from behind him, ghosting her scythe away. "Well that's all right with me! I like working for what I want!" He heard her break into a run after him, her footfalls clattering over his own. Ark skidded around the base of a turret before dropping down the side of it onto a lower section of roof. He stumbled slightly as he landed, but managed to regain his equilibrium as he scrambled away from the girl. She appeared at the side of the turret and glowered down at his retreating figure before gliding down after him and hitting the roof at a run. A purple ball of magic whistled past Ark's ear and he ducked slightly. The girl was taking pot shots at him; not to kill him but to get him off balance so he'd fall. If that happened, however, she'd be on him in a second and he'd be once again trapped in the strange place in which she lived. The boy shook his head and with fresh determination he gave a burst of speed and ran behind a raised section of roof. He slid down the sloping shingles to the edge of the roof and took a chance at peering down while he scuttled along. He was still quite a fair way up, but he could see that the roof tapered down before dropping to a much lower section further up ahead. From there he could probably get into a tree and climb down to the ground where things were less dangerous. Ark changed direction and ran away from the edge so he wouldn't fall in case the girl behind him got a little too close with her attacks. Another purple ball whizzed overhead as the girl leaped out behind him from the corner he had taken previously. She gave a shout, firing off two more attacks near the boy. He ducked and stumbled slightly, but managed to keep going as the girl's feet hit the roof behind him, cracking the shingles and making him quicken his pace.  
"Keep running Ark!" she called. "The faster you run, the faster you tire!" Ark gritted his teeth together and ploughed forward, arriving at the edge of the roof as the wind whipped at his clothes.  
"Oh no!" he cried out in dismay. The lower section of roof had been further away than he had been able to see; dropping away sharply before running along and up again to create a wide gap. He ran his fingers through his hair and looked around wildly for another escape route, but all he saw was the girl advancing on him with a victorious glint in her eye.  
"Run out of places to go, have we?" she laughed, slowing to a walk. Ark looked from her to the gap and back again. "You could try for it if you want…but I don't know if I could get there in time to grab you. And you wouldn't shock me dead now, would you?" Her tone was mocking, but she had just given Ark an answer. His mind clicked. Lightning! He held his hands apart from each other and created a large ball of electricity that expanded to become about half a metre in diameter. The girl stopped, her expression wary. Ark, however, had no intention of using the electricity on her. He jumped off the side of the roof and the electricity ball seemed to hang him in midair for a second before he swung himself on top of it. He gave a shout of effort and the ball of electricity suddenly burst, sending out an arc of electricity from its point in the air with Ark riding the tip of it. He sailed out across the gap, much to the shock of the girl, and thudded down on the far section of roof.  
"You're mine!" she growled loudly. Ark whirled around, his victory short-lived as the girl soared over the gap with her arms outstretched. She slammed into Ark and grabbed him with an iron-like grip, tumbling off the side of the roof and into the top of a tree. The pair bounced down through the branches, the girl doing her best to float them out of the way until they emerged and landed in a heap on the grassy ground. They both groaned and Ark managed to get to his feet before the girl did. Unfortunately for him, she tripped him up with a sweep from her leg and grabbed hold of his foot when he hit the ground for the second time.  
"I have you!" she declared triumphantly, pulling her arm back and dragging him back towards her. Ark's fingers dug into the turf as he tried to crawl away, but he was already in her clutches. He looked over his shoulder with a look of panic before the girl rose slightly and crawled up his downed form. She succeeded in pinning him to the ground with her arms, legs and body pressing down on his flailing limbs. Ark tried with all his strength to wriggle out from under her, but the girl was far too strong for the boy.  
"You can't get away from me, Ark," she hissed into his ear as he tried to pull away from her voice. He strained his eyes to the side to look at her as best he could. "I'm your shadow; your fate. Wherever you go, I go too…and the only place you're going is somewhere you will not escape from again. But first of all…" She opened her mouth to reveal that she too had pointed canine teeth rather like Nyara's. Ark gasped, half in surprise that he hadn't noticed them before and half in fear of what she was going to do with them. He began to build up electricity in panic, but the girl moved fast and clamped her jaw onto his neck just below his ear. The boy felt something like a pinprick and all of his strength started to ebb away as the girl began to gulp all of the magic from his body greedily like she was drinking from a bottle.  
"N-No! Stop…please…" Ark said in a panicked tone as he tried to buck her off. She was relentless, however, and with a throaty growl she opened her mouth even wider and pressed it even harder against him. His struggles became weaker and the buildup of electricity stopped and slowly pulsed away as his energy left him for the girl. He felt her warm breath against his skin as she held her face there for a while longer to devour every last bit of his strength. When she was sure of it, she pulled away with a slight popping sound and rolled him onto his back, but she made sure to keep him pinned in case he had any surprises. After all; he had evaded a firm capture for longer than anyone she had ever come up against.  
"Wha…you…vam-" Ark breathed in utter exhaustion. The girl licked her lips and gave something of a satisfied sigh.  
"No, I'm not a vampire, Ark. There's no such thing," the girl told him in a steely voice. "All I did was drain you of all of your strength so you couldn't give me any trouble…you do taste rather sweet, though." Her cold, hard eyes burned into his own like agates, and all Ark could do was stare back up at her. He was feeling heavy-lidded and his breathing was labored, which wasn't being helped by the fact that the girl was sitting on his ribs. She made to say something, but stopped suddenly and stared even harder down at Ark. It was as if she had seen something inside his deep, green orbs and she was unable to look away. Her expression remained firm, however, but her own eyes betrayed a certain doubt. She shook it off suddenly and quickly stood, picking Ark up like he was a limp ragdoll and slinging him over her shoulder.  
"Time to go," she said flatly, preparing to vanish along with him. Suddenly, there was a rush of air and the girl was knocked clean off her feet. She landed on her back with a grunt before rolling onto her stomach and looking around. Ark was no longer in her possession, but rather in that of Link. The Hylian stood by the foot of the tree the girl and Ark had tumbled through and he was holding her quarry.  
"Well look who showed up and decided to torment my poor friend," Link snorted. "Trying to get him while he's asleep? Kinda cowardly, don't you think?" The girl's eyes blazed.  
"You!" she hissed angrily. Her eyes narrowed and she held out her hand and grabbed her scythe out of thin air. "Oh well, at least I can pay you back for that dream before I take him away." She gestured towards Ark as Link propped his weak friend against the base of a tree. He turned back to the girl and reached up over his shoulder. The Ragnarok slid from its sheath and into Link's dark hand before he spun it like a pinwheel and pointed it diagonally to the ground.  
"I don't like fighting women," he muttered to her. "But it looks like I'll have to this time. Navi, stay with Ark and make sure he isn't hurt." Navi nodded and fluttered over to the barely-conscious boy. The girl drew her lips back into a snarl.  
"Then all the more easy for me!" She lunged at Link, swinging her scythe with full force in a horizontal direction. Link was already in the air, however, having bounced up with the Key. The girl quickly followed, taking flight and preparing to strike again. Link was ready for her and swung his weapon. The two blades met with a loud clash, sending sparks showering in every direction. The force behind the blows knocked the two combatants away from each other; with Link spinning back towards the ground and the girl back through the air. Link used the Key to soften his landing; extending the rings out below him to act as shock absorbers. He wasted no time and took of at a run towards the girl. She allowed him to come before she began hurling her purple energy balls down at him. His sword flashed, bouncing the attacks away with quick swipes of his blade before he dove forwards with the Key straps out in front of him. He landed on the rings, the straps bunching up like springs before launching him straight up feet-first. The girl swore, and moved a little too late. Link's boots slammed into her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending them both reeling down to the ground. Link managed to wrap the straps around the branch of a tree and swung away from the girl, landing on his feet some distance away.  
"You seem to be a worthy adversary," she grunted, picking herself up off the ground. She flashed her teeth at him and lunged forwards with her scythe held out behind her. Link sideswiped his sword and the girl feinted back, allowing the blade to pass in front of her harmlessly before whipping her scythe out. Link rolled backwards, but not before catching a nasty cut across his shoulder. He winced and was forced to leap back as the girl's scythe plunged straight down into the ground. She raked it back and glared at him as they both caught their breath.  
"What's so…important that you keep coming back over and over?" Link asked her. "What is Ark worth to you?"  
"I am under no obligation to divulge that information to you!" the girl spat. "But it's something more valuable than jewels or treasure, _that's_ for sure." That being said, the girl let out a shout and fired three of her magic attacks at the boy. Link shot straight up and took aim with his black arm before hurling his own shadow magic at her. She gasped and dodged his assault, flipping and spinning out of the way with the grace of an acrobat.  
"You…you're a strange one," she muttered. "But you still don't have enough skill to beat me!" She charged forwards as Link came down. Link watched in horror as she leaped up to meet him and whipped her weapon around, slicing completely through his dark arm. He cried out and hit the ground, his weapon landing nearby with his hand still holding it.  
"My arm!" he cried. "It-" He stopped suddenly. There was no pain, not even any blood for that matter. The place just above where his elbow used to be was just an inky black stump. It quivered suddenly and before he could blink, it grew back into an arm. He stared at it in disbelief, as did the girl.  
"Wha-what the hell was that!?" she demanded. "What are you!?" Link clenched his fingers and rolled to the side, picking up his sword as he went. The arm that had still been attached to the weapon dissolved like smoke when he got near it. As quick as a flash, the twin rings of the Key surged out and struck the girl in the stomach and sent her crashing into a tree. She shook her head and looked up just in time to see Link charging straight for her. She closed her eyes, thinking that she had lost.  
"Don't kill her, please!" someone cried suddenly. The girl opened an eye and saw the tip of Link's sword an inch from her throat. The owner of the voice was Ark. He stood behind Link on very shaky legs looking for all the world like he was about to collapse.  
"She…may be an…an enemy, but she's still…a lady. Please…don't kill her," he pleaded, barely able to get his voice out of his mouth. Navi fluttered worriedly around his head. Link nodded.  
"I'm not going to kill her, Ark. I don't believe in killing people that have a shred of decency in them, _especially_ women," the Hylian said flatly. He turned back to the pinned girl. "Drop your weapon." She scowled at him and made her scythe vanish in a puff of purple smoke. Carefully, Link released her bindings and allowed her to step away from the tree. She looked furious, but made no move to attack either Link or Ark. The latter swayed suddenly and collapsed onto the ground.  
"Ark! Are you all right?" Link asked, rushing over to his friend and helping him up. Ark nodded.  
"Tired…" he murmured. "But…okay." Link breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at the girl.  
"You lost this battle," Link frowned at her. "Go away." The girl scowled at him.  
"I'll be back, you know that," she growled.  
"I do, and I'm sure Ark does as well." At the mention of her target's name, she shifted her eyes to him and received a heavy-lidded gaze from his deep green eyes.  
"You're mine, Ark. Perhaps I'll have another chance to taste you, but I'll let you go this time." With that, she vanished in a ripple of air and left the two boys to head back into the palace.

"What on earth happened!?" Impa demanded as she, along with Florella, marched into the sitting room in their dressing gowns after being fetched by Link.  
"That girl showed up again," he told them. "We were lucky." He gestured to Ark, who sat in a big armchair looking very pale and weak.  
"Oh dear," Impa said. "What happened to you, Ark?"  
"She…bit me," he mumbled, trying his best to stay awake. "Took…all…"  
"Shhh," Florella told him, patting his head. She frowned and turned to Link and Impa. "The poor dear's had all of his strength literally sucked out of his body. It looks like that girl has a few surprises we weren't expecting."  
"Will he be okay?" Link asked worriedly. Florella nodded.  
"He needs rest. He was lucky; many things that are able to drain people like that usually don't stop like she did with Ark."  
"I don't think she would have gone all the way," Impa frowned. "No…remember she doesn't want him dead, she wants him imprisoned, and what better way to do that than to weaken the prey before striking." Florella and Link silently agreed.  
"Here, drink it all up," the fairy said suddenly, holding up her hand. A small cup filled with pinkish-coloured liquid materialized in her palm and she helped Ark get it to his mouth. She tilted the cup and trickled it into his mouth, watching in satisfaction as his throat bobbed, drinking down the liquid.  
"Sweet…" Ark sighed, his eyes closing as sleep overcame him.  
"That should help him recover," Florella told the other two. "Impa, carry him back to his room and put him to bed." The Sheikah woman nodded and lifted the sleeping Ark into her arms before walking carefully to the door.  
"I'll watch over him too," the tall woman said without turning around. "In case anything else happens.  
"Good idea," Florella said before turning to face Link. "Now…let me see that cut." Surprisingly enough, Link didn't raise any objections and sat quietly in the chair Ark had been in while Florella peeled back his tunic sleeve and examined his wound.  
"This is nasty," she frowned, wiping at it with a cloth she had conjured up. "You're lucky she didn't sever any muscles or ligaments."  
"You should have seen the other one," Link murmured.  
"What other one? I can't see any other injuries," Florella told him.  
"She cut this arm clean off," he said, holding up his dark arm. "It grew back a few seconds later."  
"What!?" Florella demanded, looking him in the face. "Your whole arm?"  
"Clean off. Cut it with a dirty great scythe."  
"Amazing," Florella whistled, her attention immediately moving to Link's other arm. She poked and prodded at it with her fingers, muttering things under her breath the entire time.  
"There's no bone, blood or anything inside it. It's just…what you see there," Link told her, trying to explain it as best he could. Florella pursed her lips thoughtfully.  
"Well we can look at it more a little later," she told him, returning to his wounded shoulder. "Hold your sleeve back while I clean it up." Link obediently did so while Florella dabbed the blood away before she began healing it. Once she had closed the gash up she produced another cup of pink liquid and thrust it at Link.  
"Drink up," she told him, holding it under his nose. Link took it from her and gulped it down.  
"Whewf, what is that?" Link asked, smacking his lips. "Are you sure it's sweet enough?" Florella grinned at him.  
"That'll help you sleep, boy-o, and it'll make sure you don't feel worn out tomorrow morning," she informed him. "By the way…how did you know Ark was in trouble? Not even Nyara woke up and she's got the best hearing out of all of us." Link frowned.  
"I haven't even thought about that," he said. "I woke up and felt that something was wrong…so I went for a bit of a walk. As luck would have it, I saw Ark and that girl out in the gardens."  
"Hmm," Florella grunted. "Oh well, probably just luck. Go back to bed now, Link. You need to be well rested."  
"Why?" he asked, blinking at her.  
"It's the Spring Festival the day after tomorrow," Florella said, giving him a nudge with her elbow as he stood. "Remember? Your favorite time of year." Link winced."Ugh," he grunted. "The day of a thousand hells. Ergh, yeah, whatever you say. Goodnight Florella." With that, he stumped off to his room with the effects of Florella's drink already being felt. The fairy girl watched him go with Navi circling around his head. She suddenly rubbed her hands together menacingly.  
"Yes Link, and when the dust settles in two day's time I'll at last have my revenge for all the years of immaturity you've put me through," she chuckled darkly. "Mess around while you can, my boy! Ahahaha!" Her laughter bounced around the room and out into the hall. She stopped suddenly after realizing what she was doing. With a small cough, she composed herself and skipped girlishly from the room, humming the tune to the Spring Melody as she went.


	29. Spring Festival

**Chapter 28 – Spring Festival**

Talen yawned loudly and kicked his blankets away from himself. The rising sun was beginning to stream through the curtains that wafted slightly in the morning breeze. His stomach rumbled quite loudly and Talen reasoned that breakfast was probably a good idea. Link's room was just down the hall and it was usually there that he'd join up with his friend since their stomachs were more or less synchronized in terms of important meals. The muscular boy quickly yanked on his clothes ad boots before stepping out into the hall and closing the door behind him. He had gone but three steps when a great, booming voice rumbled down from behind him.  
"Talen, my boy! So _this_ is where you've been hiding!" Talen turned his head and saw a tremendously big red beard with a person attached to it.  
"Undrak!" Talen smiled. "How have you been?"  
"Just fine," the big man grinned from behind his beard. "Though my access to the palace wine cellar has become significantly reduced thanks to our little Princess Shera." He looked remorseful.  
"Being sober doesn't agree with you?" Talen humored him.  
"It's not that, it's the principle of it," he said, striking his chest. "In any case, how's our little fairy been treating you? I'm surprised you haven't collapsed from exhaustion from the number of times she's had you going back and forth between here and Rockvale." Talen winced.  
"Well this is the time of year she's busy with other things," Talen grinned awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Like trying to outwit Link during the festival."  
"Doesn't that usually end with a few kicks?" Undrak laughed. "That poor boy's really on Florella's black book."  
"I'm actually on my way to get some breakfast with Link. Care to join us?" Talen invited the big man. Undrak grinned.  
"Sounds like a good idea to me," he laughed. "Where is he anyway? I want to see how big he's gotten."  
Link was happy to see Undrak again. The blonde boy had been wrestling with his boots when the big man entered his room along with Talen. Then, once breakfast had been mentioned, the three of them set off to get something to eat.  
"Hey wait!" Link exclaimed suddenly. "Let me see if Ark's feeling all right first."  
"Why? What's the matter with him?" Talen asked.  
"Who's Ark?" Undrak rumbled. The two boys filled Undrak in on their grey-haired friend as they doubled back to his room before Link filled Talen in on what had happened during the night. Link rapped his knuckles on the door and Impa answered it.  
"Oh, good morning," she greeted them. "Have you come to see Ark? He's a bit tired, but it's nothing a bit of rest won't solve. Undrak, please don't offer him whiskey or something like that to make him feel better." Undrak looked slightly hurt.  
"Ark!" Link called to his friend cheerfully. "How are you feeling?" Ark was propped up against his pillow looking slightly tired.  
"Good morning Link, Talen. I'm all right," he told them before looking questioningly at Undrak.  
"Oh! Ark, this is Undrak. He's the head of the Royal Guards here," Link introduced. Undrak lumbered forwards and held out a massive hand.  
"Nice to meet you, Ark," he grinned. "So, how are you liking Windhill so far?"  
"It's a marvelous city," Ark said. "And the people seem very nice."  
"Looking forward to the Spring Festival?" The three boys suddenly looked like they had just eaten something that didn't agree with them. "Oh, I see." Undrak rumbled out a laugh.  
"Yeah," Talen sighed.  
"Oh come on, it isn't that bad," Undrak grinned.  
"Easy for you to say! You don't have…the hell beasts," Link told him.  
"Who's a hell beast?" Florella demanded from the doorway.  
"Oh no, I've summoned one of them," Link gasped in feigned horror. "Quickly! Grab Ark and escape out the window, I'll hold it off!"  
"Very funny," Florella grumbled, kicking him as she sauntered past. She was all dimples, however, when she arrived at Ark's side. "How are you feeling today, Ark?"  
"Much better, thank you Lady Florella," he said, nodding his head.  
"Wonderful!" she clapped. "Now take it easy today and don't exert yourself. You need energy for all the festivities tomorrow!" Link and Talen whispered the funeral march and earned themselves a frosty glare from Florella.  
"Well you rest up here, Ark," Link told his friend. "We're just off to get some breakfast. You want anything?"  
"Ark will have something special I've prepared that's good for him. You boys run along now," she told them, flicking her hands to shoo them away. Once the three males had been ushered back into the hallway, they decided that the kitchens were the first port of call. Several seconds after they headed off, however, an angry shout stopped them in their tracks.  
"_Link!_" It was Saria. She had just exited her room up the opposite end of the hall and she didn't look particularly happy.  
"Yes?" he answered timidly. "Something wrong?"  
"Your arm? _Your whole arm!?_" she raged, stalking towards him.  
"Uh-oh," Link squeaked. "How did she find that out? Damn Florella!"  
"Get over here now!" the Kokiri girl ordered him. Link looked at Saria and blinked before sprinting off in the opposite direction. "Hey! Get back here you irresponsible little weasel!" She took off after him and left Talen and Undrak standing quietly by themselves.  
Link had a _severe_ ear bashing from Saria and he was quite amazed that such a lot of shouting could come out of one little Kokiri girl. He sat there and submitted to the verbal onslaught, only piping up to say that his arm did in fact grow back and no lasting damage was done. Saria then shifted the entirety of her tirade onto the gash that he had gotten on his shoulder. Then, to make things even worse, Zelda turned up and decided to join in the fun. Needless to say, Link was feeling like he'd been through a meat tenderizer afterwards and he slunk off to a quiet corner of the palace to recover with a number of vittles stolen from the kitchen.

"It's not like anything bad happened," he grumbled to himself, holding his precious hoard of food in both arms. "I mean, I've still got my arm…what's the problem?" He continued grumbling and muttering until he halted in front of a flight of narrow stairs. It was the entrance to the private chambers of Oltran; the adviser who had actually been a part of the Geddon Cult and who had actually succeeded in killing the boy. Link shivered slightly at the memory of it.  
"Wonder what's up there now?" he mused, changing direction and heading up towards the old tower.  
"I don't know why you want to go up here," Navi told him, buzzing around his head. "I, for one, don't want to remember anything about that man, let alone go into his chambers."  
"Oh what harm can it do?" Link told her, waving her off. He reached the door and opened it to find, surprisingly, Nyara sitting in the middle of the bare room. "Augh! Plenty of harm!" He whirled around to run for his life, when a loud sniffle made him stop. He half turned and looked once again at Nyara to find that she wasn't trying to gobble him up or anything like that. She as just sitting in the center of the room with her ears drooped and her tail limp.  
"H-Hey, what's up with you?" Link asked cautiously. Nyara mumbled something, but Link couldn't hear her properly since she had her head hung. She sniffed again. "Nyara? Have you been crying?" She looked up at him that time with one of the saddest faced he'd ever seen in his life. Her face looked slightly puffy and her eyes were watering.  
"Come on Nyara, what's the matter? It's not like you to get down over anything," Link told her, coming closer. He handed her a portion of his food. "Here; eat this." She snatched the food up eagerly and chomped it down in mere seconds before a great huccuppy wail erupted from her throat.  
"Ark no like Nyara anymore!" she bawled. Link blinked as she began to cry great rivers of tears.  
"H-Huh? What are you talking about?" he asked.  
"A-A-A-Ark no like Nyara…h-he avoid Nyara for past few days b-buh-because something wrong with Nyara!" she cried. "And Nyara no there t-to help Ark last night w-when he get attacked. Ark no like Nyara even more now!" Link shook his head and sat on the floor near her.  
"Look Nyara; I don't think someone like Ark is capable of hating _anybody_," he sighed. "And he certainly doesn't hate _you_." Nyara's sobbing subsided somewhat.  
"R-Really?"  
"Yes, really." Nyara sniffed loudly.  
"T-Then why has Ark not let Nyara look after him…or why does Ark stay away from Nyara?" Link winced and scratched his head before reluctantly explaining Ark's behavior in relation to the explanation Florella had given everybody. Nyara looked slightly embarrassed when he finished and she squirmed uncomfortably.  
"Nyara can't help it," she mumbled. "Nyara do her best to be normal…but it hard! Ark so nice to Nyara and Nyara like Ark so much! Nyara no like this time of year…especially now it make Ark stay away from Nyara."  
"Erm…I think we're getting into Florella country here," Link said. "But…Ark got a little panicky. I mean, I know _I_ would if I found out that someone decided I'd make a good mate. Look, you'll be back to normal again in no time, right? It's only the…whatever it is making you go funny." Nyara nodded.  
"Nyara sorry for trying to eat you," she mumbled sheepishly. Link rubbed the back of his head through his cap.  
"Aw, don't worry about it," he laughed. "It's kinda funny when you think about it. Just snap out of this mood of yours…you're even more disturbing when you're sad."  
"Link just started smelling…delicious all of sudden," Nyara continued. She leaned over and gave him a long sniff. Link's whole face tweaked and he jumped up suddenly.  
"Well there you have it!" he said quickly. "Here, have the rest of all of this. Fill yourself up!" He dumped all of his food into her lap and zipped out of the room with Navi laughing her head off after him.

Link spent the rest of the day being reminded how lucky he was to still have his arm attached to his body, seemingly by everyone. He was well and truly fed up with it by the time lunch rolled by and he made it quite clear that he didn't want any more people to tell him off. Fura was merely glad that his dominant arm- the one he used most- had grown back; stating that it would most likely be the arm he'd use to pat her on the backside…when he got his act together and started doing it like he should. Link was silenced by that remark and he retreated to the safety of Talen's side.  
"Oh get a sense of humor, Link," Shera tutted. "She's only joking."  
"I _do_ have a sense of humor," Link muttered. "Throwing Florella into the pond is funny, _that_ wasn't."  
"Hey!" the fairy shouted indignantly.  
"Seriously though," Fura said. "A quick squeeze every now and then would be much appreciated."  
"Fura!" Link cried. "Please don't _do_ that!"  
"Why not?" she pouted. "It's not fair that my boy doesn't act like other boys."  
"I think it's a blessing," Zelda said. "But yes, you are a little…underdeveloped." Link smacked his face into his hand and started sobbing. Talen patted his back.  
"There, there," he said comfortingly.  
"Come on boys," Shera said. "The Spring Festival is tomorrow! Get in the mood!"  
"I'll tell you what mood I'm in right now," Link snorted, snapping out of his faux-breakdown.  
"We know what mood you're in, Link," Florella sighed. "Irritable. As always."  
"Damn straight," Link grunted. "Come on Talen, let's go kill some plants or something."  
"Ooh!" Talen said, his eyes brightening. "Let's see if Ark wants to come along." They left the room in a hurry, leaving behind a room full of frustration.  
"Why do they have to be so immature!?" Florella exploded. "I could _kick_ that little blonde weasel sometimes!"  
"You do kick him. Frequently," Saria reminded her with an amused smile.  
"He deserves it!" Florella exclaimed defensively. "Oh well, no matter. Tomorrow my sweet, _sweet _victory shall be complete!"  
"It's our victory too," Fura grinned. "Oh yes indeed."

Link spent the majority of the afternoon attacking random bushes with his sword along with Talen. Ark was happy to snooze in the sun nearby since he didn't use weapons and he was still rather tired.  
"You know…" Link said, pausing in his assault on a helpless shrub. "I've been getting a funny feeling around the girls for the past few days."  
"Like what?" Talen asked. Link groped for a word.  
"…Doom," he frowned.  
"Oh. Well that isn't too strange," Talen shrugged.  
"More doomish than usual," Link added. He sighed and scratched his nose. "Oh well, at least I don't have Fura out here telling me to grope her or something." The two of them laughed as they headed back over to Ark and plonked themselves down on the grass. Ark opened an eye and yawned sleepily.  
"It's really quiet without the women-folk around," Talen said, kicking his boots off.  
"I agree. It's fantastic," Link sighed blissfully, flopping onto his back.  
"Do you…like it when they aren't around?" Ark asked in a slightly confused manner.  
"Huh? Oh, no, no, no," Link laughed. "Nothing like that. Life would be very boring without them and it'd be a lot less colorful. No, it's just a lot more noisy and hectic with the whole lot of them and it's nice to get some peace and quiet."  
"I see," Ark sad thoughtfully.  
"Like you and Nyara," Talen murmured, sticking a long blade of grass in his mouth and chewing on it. "It's nice that she's so concerned about you, but all that…stuff she does could get a little hard to cope with all the time. A little break every now and then is exactly what a person needs sometimes." Ark frowned.  
"That is true," he mumbled. The grey-haired boy bit his lip and began chewing on it.  
"Hey…I talked with Nyara a little while ago," Link said. Ark looked at him. "And…she was feeling a little bit down."  
"Down?" Ark blinked. "Why? Miss Nyara's never down."  
"That's what got my attention. Anyway…I think it'd do her the world of good if you gave her a brief explanation about things." Ark stared at him, his face turning a slight pink colour.  
"B-But I-" he stuttered.  
"You don't have to go into any real detail. Just…I don't know, talk to her. She thought you didn't like her anymore."  
"P-Pardon? But I don't! I mean…yes! I don't _not_ like her at all!" Ark protested, his words falling over themselves.  
"Well just go tell her that yourself. I've already told her a little bit to cheer her up, but she'd be much happier hearing it from you. If you want, we'll go along too to make sure…" Link left it hanging.  
"Y-Yes, of course," Ark stammered. "I'll get to it right away."  
"Good. I'll lead the way, come on Talen." Talen looked wistfully at the ground.  
"But…nap…oh well. A friend in need is a friend who'll no doubt return the favor one day," the smith sighed as he followed Link and Ark towards the palace.

"Ow, _OW!_" Link yelped as Fura slapped a hunk of steak against the side of his face.  
"Shush," she told him, pressing his hand to it so he would hold it in place. "It'll make it less sore."  
"Why did this happen to me!?" he demanded nobody. "I was trying to do the right thing!"  
"For once," Florella giggled, trying her very hardest not to break out in peals of laughter.  
"Shut up!" Link snapped, instantly regretting it as a fresh throb of pain went through his face. He looked over at Nyara, who had Ark help prisoner in her lap in the afternoon sun by the window. The poor boy had spent the afternoon being licked senseless, much to the approval of the girls who were happy to see them back to almost normal. As it had turned out, Nyara _had_ been much happier upon hearing Ark's reasoning for avoiding her slightly. She was so happy in fact that she went to jump him, but the boy had panicked and dashed from Oltran's room and down the stairs. Link and Talen, who were both waiting at the bottom, saw Nyara chasing the boy and calling out his name repeatedly. Link had attempted to restrain the animal girl with the Key, but had merely ended up being dragged along behind her at top speed. Ark veered into the sitting room to seek refuge with somebody and Nyara had followed closely. Link, unfortunately, was dragged straight into the frame of the door with a resounding crack.  
"It _was_ pretty funny," Fura chuckled. "Seeing you come sliding out of nowhere."  
"Well remind me to put an arrow through my foot for my next act!" Link snapped irritably.  
"Oh no, no, no," Fura chided him. "Try to get out of that grumpy mood. It's the first day of spring tomorrow."  
"Yeah!" Florella cheered noisily. "The best day of the year! Who's excited!?" The girls all shouted the affirmative.  
"Nyara?" Florella grinned.  
"Nyaa!" the animal girl mewed enthusiastically.  
"And boys?" Ark and Talen looked at each other.  
"Sure, Florella," Talen murmured. "Anything you say?  
"And the most excited of them all is…Link! Come on, we all know you secretly love the Spring Festival! Let it all out this year!" Florella whooped. She was suddenly smacked in the side of the head with Link's hunk of steak. "Eww! Disgusting!"  
"How do you like them apples, Florella?" Link snorted. "The only good thing about the festival is all the food." Florella glowered at him as she wiped the side of her face.  
"I'll get you for this," she growled. "You're already doomed…you just don't know it yet."  
"He's only teasing you, Florella," Talen told the grumpy fairy.  
"Oh Talen!" she pouted. "You're always on _his_ side. Leap to my defense for once, _please?_" Talen winced at her wheedling tone.  
"I am on your side, Florella. You just don't know it yet," Talen told her. He and Link snorted with suppressed laughter.  
"Come on, stop picking on Florella," Saria told Link. "Here, sit and I'll brush your hair." Link obeyed and sat on the floor while Florella looked at Saria with envy.  
"How can you exert so much control over a person like _him?_" she asked the Kokiri girl. Saria smiled mysteriously.  
"It's a secret," she winked.  
"I'll teach you how to move your hips when you walk. It'll drive the boys wild!" Florella pleaded.  
"You don't really have any hips, Florella," Talen told the fairy. Florella looked suddenly indignant and she whirled around to face Talen.  
"Ta-_len!_" she told him reprovingly. "Don't say things like that! Just you wait until I grow up a little! I'll knock your socks off!"

Night rolled along all too quickly for Link; who was dreading the following day. Since the black-haired girl's attempted kidnapping of Ark was still fresh in everyone's mind, Link and Talen both moved sleeping mats into his room so they could be there should she come back. Nyara had desperately wanted to be in there herself, but the others had decided that it was better that she didn't. Still, the animal girl's spirits were high and she skipped off to her own room after giving Ark a particularly vigorous face-clean.  
"Do you think she'll turn up again?" Ark murmured as he lay in bed. "That girl?"  
"Hard to say," Talen replied through the darkness. "She usually doesn't turn up for a little while after she's appeared once."  
"Try not to think about it," Link yawned. "And get some sleep. You'll need all of your strength to survive tomorrow."

He was running through absolute darkness; running from shapeless, invisible monstrosities that pursued him relentlessly. Nightmares were the exact reason Ark went to sleep in fear every single night. His heart pounded like it was about to burst from his chest as the continuous laughter of some invisible foe echoed out endlessly from somewhere above. Suddenly, he found himself standing on a single, narrow pillar above an endless mass of churning water. Waves crashed against the pillar, gnawing and fawning at the base of it, threatening to surge up and swallow the boy into its churning depths. Quite suddenly, the pillar quivered and then disappeared altogether, sending Ark plummeting towards the water.  
"No! Somebody! Anybody! Help me!" he cried in sheer terror as the water boiled up to accept him. The laughter overhead intensified. "Miss Nyara!" With a brilliant flash, everything disappeared with a rush of air and sound and Ark stopped falling. He was suspended by something soft; something warm. He opened his eyes and found that the darkness had changed to soft blue colour; almost like that of the sky. He couldn't see what was holding him up, but he could feel it beneath him.  
"H-Hello?" he called out nervously. "Is anybody there?"  
"_Do not fear, dear Ark,"_ a feminine voice sounded from all around him. Ark spun around and tried to find the owner of the voice, but all he could see was the soft blue colour. _"Go back to sleep, dear Ark. Your dreams shall no longer be troubled from this point on. They shall be…protected."  
_"W-Wait!" he called out. "Who are you? I've heard you before…in another dream! What do you want? How do you know me?" But the voice didn't return and the dream slowly disintegrated into a deep sleep, taking Ark with it.

"Waaaaake uuuuuup," a soft voice hummed in the early hours of the morning. Link rolled over with a mumble and did his best to get back to sleep. "Boooooys!" Link pulled his blanket over his head. Quite suddenly, the peace and quiet of the morning was lost as something thumped on top of him.  
"Wake up! It's the Spring Festival!"  
"Augh!" Link wailed, flailing his arm about and sitting up with a start. He came face to face with both Fura and Zelda, both of whom were jumping excitedly on his sleeping mat and doing their very best to disturb the peace.  
"Oh God," Link groaned. Talen and Ark were in similar situations, though Ark had once again accidentally shocked Nyara onto the floor after his sudden wake-up. Talen simply held Florella in the air and did his best to ignore her excited babbling and wriggling.  
"Come on! Get up!" Zelda urged Link, yanking at his arms.  
"Ugh…what time is it?" Link mumbled.  
"Before sunrise!" Fura told him. Link looked at the window blearily.  
"Just how long have you all been up for?" Link asked.  
"A few hours at least. We were too excited to sleep properly!" Zelda giggled.  
"Where's Saria?" Link asked.  
"She's getting breakfast organized with Shera."  
"Ugh, I'm going back to sleep. Wake me when the sun comes up," he grumbled, descending back onto his pillow and closing his eyes.  
"Nooo!" Fura whined. "Get up _nooooow!_"  
"Ahh! Stop being so loud so early! All right, I'm getting up," he groaned, shooing them away.  
"Yes! We'll be waiting in the sitting room! Hurry up now boys!" Zelda giggled, skipping out the door with Fura. Florella and Nyara followed. Link got up and locked the door before returning to his bed.  
"I move for a motion of going back to sleep," he yawned.  
"Motion granted," Ark groaned.  
"The court finds you guilty of being the smartest man alive," Talen said, raising his hand as the three boys chanced a sleep-in.

Furious Fura returned a short while later and threatened the three boys with a sizeable ball of fire until they gave in and got out of bed. They shambled out into the sitting room where the rest of the girls were waiting patiently. Though they all seemed excited, they couldn't help but shake their heads at the lazy boys and give them some stern words. Ark looked completely ashamed, earning him the good favor of the female side, but Link and Talen were still frowned upon.  
"Well look who's become the little favorite," Link sighed, shaking his head at Ark. "You're a disgrace amongst men."  
"It isn't my fault," he mumbled.  
"That's right; Ark _is_ our favorite…because he knows what manners are all about!" Florella huffed at Link. "Learn a thing or two from him."  
"Oh not this again," Link sighed, rolling his eyes.  
"Humph, I'm not going to waste my breath with you," Florella huffed, turning her back and striding away.  
"Oh good," Link smiled. His look suddenly became almost tired. "So what do we have to do today?"  
"Oh don't say it like that!" Shera told him. "You should be excited! The Spring Festival is the highlight of the year for Windhill!" Link didn't say anything and gave Talen a sideward glance. Shera narrowed her eyes at him and pointed her finger threateningly before grumbling and sitting down on the floor.  
"Now we've written up a list of all the things we're going to do today," Zelda coughed, breaking the silence. "First, we're all going to watch the parade. After that we'll have a chance to get something to eat and enjoy all the festivities. That should take us until late afternoon, when we all go to the lake to watch the performances until it's time for Florella's little appearance."  
"It's going to be a doozy this year," Florella laughed wickedly, looking particularly at Link.  
"Have you got all of that, boys?" Fura asked.  
"All I heard was blah, blah, not allowed to have any fun, blah, blah," Link muttered. Nyara bopped him on the head and growled at him threateningly. Link thought it best to cooperate, lest the animal girl decide that he'd make a good snack.

For the three unfortunate males, the day was long and hard. The parade had started out well enough, but it soon grew rather taxing to watch streams and streams of dancers dressed in clothing made of what appeared to be flowers skipping down the streets. Then Florella, not wanting to miss out on anything, had charged up to the head of the parade to lead it, much to the delight of all Windhillians. In turn, that meant that the group had to follow her until she decided to stop, which of course she didn't until the very end of the parade. Impa, who accompanied them, took it upon herself to keep them all together as a group. After that it was time to wander around aimlessly and look at all of the various stalls, games and other activities arranged for the festival. Link kept his mouth shut, not wanting to incite any of his female companions into telling him off or, in Florella's case, kicking him. Unlike at Alujah, they didn't separate into smaller groups because nobody really wanted to leave Nyara alone with Ark lest the spring fever take over. The three boys kept trying to have a little private conversation about what they were going to do about protecting Ark from Florella's spell. Their efforts were constantly foiled, however, usually by Nyara who seemed to suspect them of being up to no good. As such, Ark spent a goodly amount of time hanging from Nyara's jaws by the back of his clothing. The rest of the girls, of course, found it utterly adorable and Shera in particular found it almost impossible to keep her fingers away from poor Ark's cheeks. Needless to say, Link, Talen and Ark had seen better days.  
"Pretty blossoms!" Nyara squeaked happily, pointing at a street lined with trees covered in beautiful, white flowers. It looked almost like snow, with tiny petals littering the ground and floating in the many fountains and canals. The excitable animal girl scooped her hand into one such canal and withdrew it, allowing the blossoms to stick to her hand like a white glove. She laughed and patted Ark about the face with it and leaving him to look like he had some kind of skin condition.  
"There, Ark look pretty now," Nyara smiled. "Pretty like trees!" She laughed again and Ark went slightly red at being called "pretty", wiping his face as best he could.  
"Erm…thank you, Miss Nyara," he winced as she began dancing around him. Oddly enough, Nyara didn't really look that much out of place. People were dressed in all sorts of odd costumes and dancing about to the music that played throughout the streets. Children ran about with their faces painted, carrying pinwheels and long streamers while couples walked holding hands by canals and other such "romantic" locations. Florella was beside herself; bouncing around excitedly with her little hand holding tightly onto Talen's larger one.  
"Ta-_len!_" she whined. "Let's go get our faces painted! Come on!" She tugged pathetically at him.  
"Uh…"  
"Pah-_leeeease?_" she wheedled, drawing a circle on his arm with her finger. Talen groaned and looked up at the sky as if salvation was going to rain down upon him, but instead of coming from above, it came from behind Link.  
"Well what a nice little gathering we have here!" a cheerful, feminine voice sang. Link jumped a few feet in the air, since the owner of the voice was leaning in over his shoulder. Three women stood behind the startled boy, wearing clothing of red, blue or green. The woman dressed in red was the owner of the voice and she stood quite tall.  
"Jeez," Link muttered. "Who are you?"  
"We," said the woman dressed in red. "Are the Three Golden Goddesses." They received some puzzled looks.  
"Oh!" Saria gasped. "You're in costume for the festival!"  
"Hah! Of course we are, child," the blue woman laughed. "We aren't really Goddesses!" The group looked slightly sheepish.  
"Now I remember," Fura said with a click of her fingers. "I saw you in the parade before."  
"Ahh, a Gerudo…and so far from home!" the green woman smiled. "Is the Spring Festival known even to the people of the desert?"  
"Oh no, I happened upon this by chance along with my companions here," Fura said, gesturing to everyone. "I liked it so much I decided to return every year…with him!" Fura snapped her arm around Link's neck and hauled him over to be displayed proudly.  
"Aha! A young couple!" the red woman clapped.  
"He's here with me too," Zelda spoke up, stepping over and holding the boy's arm.  
"Oho! _Two_ young ladies! So, young man, are you looking forward to tonight?" Link opened his mouth to speak, but Florella silenced him.  
"No," Florella sighed. "As much as I've tried I simply cannot get that boy to see reason." The three women looked at Florella with expressions of recognition.  
"Great Fairy Florella! What an honor it is to meet you," the women said in unison. Florella blushed and squiggled her foot on the ground.  
"Well…I'm not _that_ great-"  
"Damn straight," Link snorted. Fura tightened her grip, causing him to choke. The women seemed to regard Link with some amusement.  
"So, Great Fairy Florella, are you here with that young man we've heard about?" the woman in blue asked. Florella yanked Talen forwards and gave the biggest grin she could manage. Talen looked like he wanted to disappear.  
"Congratulations are in order, young lad. It's a lucky man to be able to wed a Great Fairy such as this one."  
"Erm…yeah," Talen winced nervously.  
"And over here! Who are you missy?" the red woman asked Nyara.  
"I Nyara!" the animal girl stated proudly. "And this Ark! He Nyara's pet!" She grabbed the aforementioned boy and plopped him down in front of her. Ark blinked, suddenly finding himself as the centre of attention.  
"Ahh…A-A pleasure to meet all of you," he stammered, bowing as he did so.  
"Such manners! You'll go far, good lad," the green woman smiled. She tapped the tip of his nose and smiled before straightening up. "Well it's been a pleasure meeting all of you, but we really must be going." The red woman suddenly frowned down at Link as he tried to pull his head out of the crook of Fura's arm. She looked over at Impa.  
"Is he yours?" she asked. Impa shook her head with a wry smile.  
"I'm not that unlucky," she chuckled.  
"Hey!" Link said indignantly. The three women leaned down and looked closely at the struggling boy.  
"Perhaps tonight is just what you need, you stick in the mud," the woman in red told him. Link frowned at her. "Anyway, farewell all of you!" The three women waved to them as they walked back into the crowd.  
"Well they seemed very nice," Florella smiled. She turned to Link and flicked his nose. "And they had you pegged."  
"Oh shut up," he grumbled.

The time had finally arrived. The entire populace of Windhill had gathered around the edge of the lake for the highlight of the Spring Festival. Link, Talen and Ark were all tense, with Florella about to make her appearance and having sat through hours and hours of performances. They wore their new clothes, albeit grudgingly, and sat in the Royal Box with the King and Queen. The girls, unlike the boys, were practically bursting with excitement. Nyara bounced in her seat, her eyes alight with enjoyment as she gripped Ark's arm tightly.  
"I'll take care of Ark," Talen whispered out of the corner of his mouth. Link gave a small nod and patted Ark on the shoulder.  
"What are you doing?" Zelda whispered.  
"Nothing, why?" Link asked innocently. Zelda didn't reply.  
"Ooh! Here she is!" Shera squealed suddenly as the crowd quietened down. The center of the lake began to ripple as something big and white began to rise to the surface. Florella's lotus slid smoothly from the surface of the lake, standing pure in the night. It slowly opened, its large petals sliding against each other until Florella was revealed at its core. She wore an elegant little dress of the whitest white with her wings fluttering from her back. She rose into the air.  
"Greetings people of Windhill!" she intoned, going through the exact same procedure as in previous years. "It brings me great joy to see you all again on this wonderful night!" The crowd cheered.  
"Ugh, here we go," Link muttered.  
"And now the moment you've all been waiting for! Happy Spring Festival!" she cried. She began to hum a soft tune as tiny particles of pinking light swirled around her body. Suddenly, the particles shot out for the far corners of the floating land mass and the dome of magic began to slowly form over the city.  
"Boo-Yah!" Talen called. "Come on, Ark!" Talen yanked the grey-haired boy out of Nyara's grip.  
"Oh damn!" Fura hissed. "Talen, drop him!"  
"Hey!" Nyara yowled as Talen vaulted over the edge of the box. As he landed, the ground opened up and he dropped out of sight along with Ark, giving a cocky grin and wave as he went. Link smirked as the gap closed over, keeping the two boys safe.  
"And now it's my turn," Link said. He made the incantation of Nayru's Love and released the spell, but to his surprise; nothing happened. He blinked.  
"What the…:" he gasped. He tried again, ending up with the same result.  
"Hah!" Florella said from behind him. Link whirled around, surprised that the fairy had made it back over so quickly.  
"You! What have you done!? Why isn't it working?" Link demanded.  
"Surprise, surprise, Link! I think you'll find that _none_ of the magic you could use before works! Not your masks, spells or arrows!" Florella laughed. Link gaped at her, and then at the rest of the girls sitting behind him.  
"N-No! You all knew, didn't you! You knew I wouldn't be able to do anything!"  
"Pucker up, stinker," Fura laughed at him. "We told you this would be a festival to remember."  
"Argh! Navi!" he growled. Zelda held up a bottle with the little fairy inside.  
"Navi understands, even though she _is_ obliged to be on your side," the Princess nickered at him. Link looked up at the sky helplessly.  
"No! This isn't fair! _AAAAH!_" he wailed as Fura and Zelda held him down with victorious grins.  
"Yes! _Yes!_ Sweet, glorious payback!" Florella cackled. "This is what you get for messing with me! I told you I'd get you someday! And _today_ is that day!" And Link, powerless to do anything, cried out in utter frustration as the pink dome slowly closed overhead.


	30. Spring Festival Aftermath

**Chapter 29 – Spring Festival Aftermath**

Link's head started to feel slightly fuzzy and his body numb. His loud, agonizing protests had subsided to pathetic whimpering that Florella seemed to revel in as she hovered above him with taunt after taunt spilling from her mouth. Zelda and Fura hauled him up into a sitting position and shook him slightly. His black skin tingled fiercely, almost to the point of becoming unbearably itchy and he closed his eyes as tight as possible.  
"Come on, you little pest!" Florella laughed. "Give in! Feel it seep into your skin, your bones!"  
"Now you're getting creepy," Saria muttered. Florella grinned sheepishly.  
"Sorry, got carried away there."  
"How do you feel, hot lips?" Fura cooed at the boy.  
"Urgh, don't call me thaaaaa…" he trailed off, turning to look at her. His mouth hung open and his eyes blinked open wide. Zelda shuffled over next to Fura and the two of them smiled sweetly at him. Though a voice inside him was screaming to stop gawking at them, he just couldn't bring himself to do it.  
"Do you like something you see?" Zelda asked innocently, batting her eyelashes at him. Link didn't move, the conflicting forces inside him rendering him immobile.  
"Well? Yes or no, Link," Fura whispered, her voice tickling at his ears. Link's head scarcely moved, but the two girls were able to make out the tiniest of nods. Florella, in the meantime, had dismissed her spell and was busy hopping about in a kind of warped victory dance. Shera was on the edge of her seat watching the nail-biting exchange between Link, Zelda and Fura while her parents dismissed themselves for some private time.  
"Come on! Do something!" Windhill's princess urged the stationary Hylian.  
"Ah…" Link said hesitantly, unable to drag his eyes away from the two girls in front of him. Zelda turned to Fura and held up her fist, with Fura doing the same to Zelda. They shook them three times in a game of rock-paper-scissors. Fura got paper, Zelda got scissors. Her resulting expression was almost manic, and she turned back to Link before leaning forwards and gluing her lips to his while Fura pouted in the background. In an instant, his dark skin began to swim with the little pricks of light. Florella and Shera gazed at them in wonder as Zelda cupped her hand against the side of Link's neck. Link couldn't tell how long he and Zelda kissed for; his inner-voice shouting over and over that kissing was disgusting, and that boys shouldn't be doing such things. Try as he might, he simply couldn't pull away from Zelda's soft hold. Suddenly, with a mumble of what he considered to be defiance, he toppled backwards onto the floor and lay there gasping for breath.  
"Oh shoot," Zelda frowned, putting a finger to her lips.  
"Huh? What are you doing?" Florella demanded.  
"You won't beat me!" he told the fairy before sticking his tongue out at her.  
"What!?" Florella growled. "Oho! Trying to fight it, are we?" Link wriggled around on the floor of the box and got onto his hands and knees.  
"Ugh," Link groaned. "Mushy garbage. Think about…food, climbing trees…"  
"Look at them, Link!" Florella goaded. "Those features! One a copper-skinned beauty from the desert with mysterious, smoldering eyes and curvaceous figure!" Link's head shuddered up and he gazed stupidly at Fura.  
"Gggh," he mumbled, staring at the Gerudo as she winked and fluttered her eyelashes. Florella was right, though; Fura was drop-dead gorgeous. No! That was Florella's idiotic spell talking! "Rrgh! Shut up, tubby! Your mind games won't work on me!" Florella narrowed one of her eyes.  
"But wait, there's Zelda too. Just look at that porcelain skin; so smooth to the touch. Her golden hair, those lips! So soft against yours!" Florella continued, absolutely wrapped up in herself. Link was drawn to Zelda, who looked over her shoulder doefully. Link whimpered and bit his lip.  
"Come on! Make a move on 'em!" Shera told him.  
"Don't you think we're pretty?" the two girls asked him simultaneously.  
"W-Well…of course you are…augh! Damn you Florella!"  
"Come onnnn!" Shera begged. "Just…do something! Romance!" Link suddenly stood up and turned his back on all three of them rather dramatically, the straps from the Key twirling with him.  
"Hah! Try all you want!" he told them all haughtily. "No matter how strong your magic is, Florella, it can never match up to the will of _LINK!_"  
"You mean the power of stubbornness!" Florella snapped, her temper flaring. "All right, fine! Fura, Zelda…teach the little worm a lesson!" Link blinked and turned as the two of them suddenly dove forwards and tackled him to the floor while he squealed in terror. Shera, Nyara, Saria and Florella watched in amusement as the three struggled around on the floor of the box. Impa merely sat in her seat with her eyes closed, listening and smiling. Suddenly, Nyara's head snapped up and she sniffed at the air before her mouth stretched into a toothy smile.

As the crowd dispersed, the grassy ground shuddered slightly and a small mound reminiscent of a molehill appeared in the spot Talen and Ark had taken refuge underground. Ark's torso popped out and he shook his head to remove some clods of dirt.  
"It's okay, Talen," Ark called back down beneath himself. "We can go back up." Ark suddenly rose up, borne into the air on Talen's shoulders as the smith emerged as well.  
"Oh well," he sighed. "Time to face the music I suppose." He climbed out with Ark still balanced on his shoulders, when there came a loud yowl from above.  
"Nyaa!!!" Nyara landed on the ground in front of them with a feral look in her eye.  
"Oh! Ark, watch out there," Saria called from the edge of the box. As quick as lightning, however, Nyara pounced and clipped Ark from Talen's shoulders in the blink of an eye. Talen blinked and moved his hand up to the empty space above his head. He turned and saw Nyara crouched over the fallen Ark. She swaddled him up in her arms and began to gleefully lick his face. He spluttered out incomprehensible phrases as the exuberant animal girl's tongue hampered his ability to talk. She suddenly lifted him up and crushed him to her in a great hug that popped his back quite audibly. Talen winced as she began to twist left and right, flapping the boy about like a doll.  
"Oh…well I suppose it's fine if she doesn't go too far, and Ark would just shock her if he couldn't handle it anymore," Florella said, fluttering down next to Talen. "We'll just have to keep an eye on them…_together_." She looped her arm around Talen's and leaned heavily into him.  
"Whatever you say, Florella."

The walk to the feast took longer than expected, with Zelda and Fura frequently stopping to have a tug of war with Link. Fura usually won, being physically stronger than Zelda, but the Hylian Princess soon got tired of losing and resorted to using magic to draw the boy towards her, evening the odds. Link kept his eyes closed during the exchanges in an attempt to not look at either one of them, knowing he'd merely end up staring like some gobsmacked idiot. The two girls didn't complain though, in fact; they enjoyed his vapid gaze of wonder immensely and did their best to flirt away. Florella kept trying to draw his attention to their features from atop Talen's shoulders, making special note of the chest and backside areas. Never before had Link been so infuriated with the conniving little fairy and, had she not been in the protective custody of Talen, he would have long since dumped her in the lake. At least when they finally arrived at the huge feast, Link could concentrate on the task of eating. The feast was much the same as it was in previous years; with very long tables lined with more food than anyone had ever seen in one place. The tables sat on a grassy stretch of ground near the lake and were surrounded by flaming torches to provide light. The end of the biggest table had been reserved for the Royal Family and their guests. Link hurriedly sat down along with Talen and Ark, whom with a minor bolt of electricity, had managed to pry himself away from Nyara's vice like grip that held him to her chest. The three boys fought to be the one who sat in the middle of them, but were stopped short by Zelda and Florella who both levitated them to where _they_ decided were the ideal places for them. Namely; Link between Fura and Zelda, Talen next to Florella and Ark with Nyara.

Link's plan of keeping his attention wholly on his plate worked marvelously at first. Then, once dessert arrived, Fura stepped in to ruin everything.  
"Liiiink," she sung in a voice that caught on his ears and just begged for his attention. "Doesn't this look absolutely _delicious?_" She held up a little custard tart; perhaps one of Link's favorite desserts of all time. His eyes zeroed in on it and he reached out to grab it, but Fura yanked it away at the last second.  
"Hey!" he protested. "Fura, ple-" He stopped suddenly as she brought it up so he was forced to look at her. Once again he gave her a look of vapid idiocy. Grinning, she picked off some of the glazed fruit and stuck it in his mouth.  
"Is it good?" she asked. He nodded blankly, unable to stop staring.  
"What's wrong with Link?" Talen asked Saria curiously. The Kokiri girl snickered quietly.  
"He got caught in Florella's spell," she told him. Talen looked horrified.  
"Holy jeez! How'd that happen? Oh the poor wretch!"  
"Hush," Florella told him.  
"Link! How are you holding out?" he called.  
"Kill me," Link said, not looking away from Fura. The Gerudo girl quite suddenly moved the custard tart so that it was between her face and Link's.  
"Go on…have a bite," she told him. Link, against his better, yet clouded, judgment, moved in to plough through the morsel. Fura, however, moved in at the same time.  
"Oh God, I can't watch," Talen groaned, covering his eyes. Their mouths mashed together through the dessert, with custard, fruit and pastry getting smeared all over their faces as they shared a furious kiss. Truly, such a grizzly display of passion had never been seen by anyone at the table. They toppled back off of the bench seat and wrestled on the ground, their teeth clacking together as Fura went a little overboard. Finally, when they either ran out of air or energy, the two came apart and clawed back up to the table. Fura looked wholly satisfied and sat back with a dreamy look on her dessert-covered face.  
"Augh! God, what have I done!" Link wailed. "That was cheating! The lure of such a delicious morsel shouldn't be used for evil!" He paused, blinked, and licked his lips clean.  
"Wow!" Florella squealed, slamming her palms down on the table. "Link, I never knew you had it in you!"  
"But…!"  
"Oh no, even though you are _suffering_ at the hands of my spell, you were participating in that little smooch just as much as Fura was! Ahahaha!!!" she laughed. "This is the best night ever!"  
"I hate you!" Link declared. "Curse the festival that soiled my mind with all of this sickly sentiment! Augh! I need more food!" He began to shovel desserts into his mouth with great gusto in another attempt to keep his attention diverted from the two girls.  
"Liii-" Florella began in a singsong tone. She was silenced instantly by one of the Key straps as it flicked over the table and wound around her head.  
"Not another word out of you, you…conniving pork-cow!" Link told her, waving a danish at her like some kind of weapon. "This is all _your_ fault! If you hadn't kept my magical disability a secret, then I wouldn't be in this mess! Revenge..._REVENGE!_"  
"Easy there," Talen told his friend. "Just take a few deep breaths." Link blinked and took in a few large gulps of air before giving a long, loud sigh.  
"Oh boy," he breathed. "What a night." Florella's muffled grumblings of disapproval reached his ears and he unwound the strap from around her mouth. She glared at him briefly.  
"Florella, please, just don't agitate him any further, all right?" Talen pleaded. Florella's eyes shifted up to Talen.  
"But…"  
"Please, Florella, just mark this one down as a victory and take it gracefully. You don't need to rub it in any further; Link will be feeling this one for years to come, no doubt." Florella glanced back to Link and he mashed his hands over his ears while Zelda and Fura whispered things to him.  
"I guess you're right…but can I ask for something in return?"  
"Err, I guess so…what do you want?" he asked hesitantly.  
"What _was_ that thing you got from Seavale? I've been trying to find out for over three years and you _still_ won't tell me!"  
"And today won't be any different. I'm not going to tell you what it is until I'm ready," he grinned.  
"S-Somebody…help…" a pathetic voice warbled from across the table. The occupants looked down to see Ark looking hopelessly stuffed with Nyara trying to cram even more into his mouth. "I-I think I'm going to die."  
"Whoops," Talen winced. "Forgot to keep watch." Nyara smiled innocently and scoured the table for more desserts to feed Ark. The boy tried shuffling away, but she whipped out her arm and slid him back along.  
"P-Please, Miss Nyara…I can't eat any more!" he bleated.  
"Ark need to eat lots to get big and strong!" she told him. "Here!" Fruit was shoved under his nose and he reeled back.  
"N-No more…please!" he begged. Nyara frowned and looked from the fruit in her hand to Ark's face. She reluctantly put it down after Talen asked her to and she sat twiddling her thumbs for all of about ten seconds while Ark attempted to recover.  
"Nyara want 'nother hug!" she suddenly mewed. Ark looked suddenly pained.  
"B-But…you squeeze too tight…and I've just eaten," he protested. Nyara didn't register his complaint and lurched over before locking her arms around the boy and crushing him with all of her might. Unfortunately for the both of them, Nyara had come in a little too high and managed to crush Ark's head against her generously proportioned chest.  
"Oh no!" Florella groaned. "Quick, Talen get Ark away befo-" The familiar buzzing, followed by a flash of electricity followed and Nyara and shocked onto the ground. She lay there with a dazed look on her face and her tail twitching.  
"Miss Nyara! Are you all right? Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to do it!" Ark babbled apologetically.  
"Oh what a wonderful night," Saria chuckled.

The feast had finally come to a conclusion, much to the relief of Link and Ark. Talen was feeling particularly pleased with the way things had gone for him, since Florella had been busy focusing on goading Link and watching out for Nyara.  
"Hey Ark…are you all right?" Talen asked his friend. Ark looked up from where he was draped over Nyara's shoulder backwards.  
"Yes, I'm fine," he replied somewhat tiredly. "I think I need to go to bed."  
"I think you all do," Impa murmured. "It's very late."  
"But…Link said he'd go on a moonlight stroll with me!" Zelda protested.  
"Yes…what!? No I didn't! Grr, curse this spell of yours, Florella!" the Hylian grumbled. "No, I'm going to bed as soon as I get back to the palace and I'm not leaving my room until I'm one-hundred and _fifty_ percent sure that I'm no longer infected!"  
"You're making it sound like a disease," Florella told him with a level gaze.  
"It _is_ a disease! A disease that-"  
"All right, Link. Just _please_…no more rants tonight," Saria begged.  
"Fine," he grumbled. "But remember this, _fairy!_ I'll get my revenge on you! I don't know where, I don't know when…but you'll regret the day you ever crossed me!"

Once back at the palace, everyone said their goodnights and wandered off to their own rooms. Nyara had to be forcefully dragged back to hers by Talen while Ark fearfully ducked into his before she could grab hold of him. Saria gave Link a brief hug around the waist before skipping off to bed while Shera gave him a quick tease before leaving also. Link scowled after her before turning to go back to his own room, but Fura and Zelda barred his way. He instantly looked at the floor.  
"Erm…goodnight you two," he mumbled. "Ah…can I get by?"  
"You can," Zelda smiled.  
"But first you have to give us a goodnight kiss," Fura finished. Link blinked.  
"What!? Didn't you get enough at dinner?" he asked. "This isn't fair!"  
"Fura got one with cake, _I_ didn't get any. You at least owe _me_," Zelda pouted. An almost uncontrollable impulse hit the boy and he was torn between agreeing to their requests and…not.  
"W-Well…maybe just…"  
"Yay!" Zelda squealed gleefully. She skipped forwards, causing Link to flinch back and bang his head against the wall.  
"Hey, not so fast!" he protested as Zelda's lips met his own. They stayed in that position for a while, with Link backed against the wall and Zelda standing with her hands clasped behind her back. Link kept his eyes closed to that it'd be easier for him to finish it. He could feel Zelda's warm breath tickling his face from her nose and he almost had to move her away to stop the itching. But, as quickly as it had started it finished and Zelda was skipping off to her room, whistling a jubilant tune. Link shook his head and tried to clear it of the effects from the spell.  
"Yah! My turn!" Fura declared suddenly.  
"Huh? Wait! Give me a rest fir-" Link's head once again banged into the wall as Fura swept in. Unlike Zelda's soft little effort, Fura's was much more aggressive and involved a lot more clothes grabbing. Once she'd finished savaging him, she pulled away, winked at him and then slapped his backside and sauntered away. Link stood stock still with his mouth hanging open before he regained his senses and bolted into his room, glad that the night was finally over.

Dusky, pre-dawn light filtered in through the large glass panes of the palace conservatory. A blonde-haired boy rolled over and woke quite suddenly to the sensation of falling and cracking his head against a potplant.  
"Owww," he groaned, rubbing his forehead. He pawed at the spot that had hit the ceramic pot to see if he had cut himself, but found that the skin hadn't been broken. "Ugh, what a way to start the day…where am I?" Link sat up and looked around before finding, to his surprise, the slumbering forms of Fura and Zelda. He blinked and then gasped. He wiped at his mouth and then looked at his hand.  
"What! Nooo!" he wailed upon seeing that it was covered in white lipstick. "What the hell was I doing last night?" Zelda blinked her eyes open along with Fura.  
"Who's doing all the shouting?" the Princess mumbled sleepily. She looked over and saw Link holding his hand like it was burning. "Oh, it's only you."  
"Good morning," Fura yawned.  
"What happened last night?" Link demanded. "Why am I here and not in my room?"  
"Hey, calm down," Fura told him, blinking groggily. "We went for a little walk last night is all."  
"A _walk?_" Link asked.  
"That's right," Zelda said. "You see, I just so happened to wander on over to your room after you had gone to bed. Fura must have had the same idea because she arrived at the same time I did. Anyway, you answered and were half asleep, which is probably why you even agreed to go with us in the first place."  
"Augh!"  
"Don't look so horrified," Fura smirked. "You were really something when it came to ki-"  
"I don't wanna know!" Link cried, cutting her off. "I must have been in some kind of…semi-awake Florella spell trance thing!" He clutched at his head with both hands.  
"Calm down, you get so worked up sometimes" Zelda told him. She closed one eye and smiled. "Hot lips." Link's eyes practically bugged out of his head as he looked at Zelda and Fura in horror.  
"You _fiends!_ Taking advantage of me when I was hopped up on Florella's stupidity!" he ranted, pointing an accusing finger. "Well it's not happening again! The spell's worn off, I can look at you without going gaga, and so I'm off to exorcise the _foulness_ from my mind! And give me back Navi!" Zelda gasped.  
"Oh Navi!" She pulled the bottle out from her clothing and pulled out the stopper.  
"Well it's about time!" she huffed. "Keeping me in there all night…have you no shame?"  
"No, they don't!" Link declared, catching the fairy and holding her protectively. "Come on Navi, _I'll_ protect you from these _beasts!_" Fura rolled her eyes as Link turned on his heel and raced out the door.

Talen snuggled deeper under his covers as birds chirped outside his window. He let out a contented sigh as he basked in the serenity of such a peaceful, quiet morning. It was all shattered in an instant, however, as Link slammed the door of his room open.  
"Talen! It was awful! Horrible!" he wailed, stumbling about like he'd been shot with an arrow.  
"What's horrible?" Talen asked groggily. Link proceeded to explain exactly what had happened to him, stopping occasionally to groan and wail. Talen sat through it and put his hands to his mouth at appropriate intervals.  
"You poor, poor unfortunate," Talen said with a shake of his head. "Here." He tossed Link a piece of cloth.  
"What's this for?"  
"You can wipe Fura's lipstick off your face." Link did so quickly and held the rag by a corner between his thumb and forefinger. "Just throw it out the window." Link let out a heavy sigh before plucking some of Zelda's hair off his tunic.  
"I'll never trust that fairy again," he grumbled. "Stupid festival. Look at what it did to me."  
"Well it's over now at least," Talen shrugged. "Come on, let's go get some breakfast. We can bring Ark along too and have a whole day of doing things that the girls wouldn't want us to do." Link's eyes brightened.  
"Just what I need."  
"You can let out all of your pain to Ark and me over some stolen food."

Ark was more than happy to leave the confines of his room with Link and Talen. He dressed quickly and tiptoed down the hall with his two friends so as not to wake anybody, particularly Nyara. Once out of range of the guest rooms, they snuck down to the kitchen to raid some food and headed outside into the morning sun. The three boys mucked around in the gardens for awhile, attacking plants with the exception of Ark, who didn't have any weapons. Once they got tired of that, Link got the brilliant idea of carving "Florella stinks" into as many trees as possible with the tip of his sword. He made sure to make the writing as big as possible so she was sure to notice it. After that, they left the palace grounds to wander around the city, quite deliberately not telling anyone where they'd gone. Of course, Florella could track them using Talen's ring if she really wanted to find them.  
"Hey Ark," Link said as they wandered along the side of a canal. "Where's the Compass pointing to?" Ark blinked.  
"I'd forgotten all about the Compass," Talen frowned. "Too busy worrying about the Spring Festival I suppose." Ark pulled the compass out of his clothing and held it up for all of them to see.  
"Down?" the grey-haired boy murmured out loud. "It's beneath us?"  
"Do you think it's buried somewhere in Windhill?" Link asked.  
"That or it's in the lake underneath this place," Talen frowned. "Either way it's not going to be easy trying to find it."  
"Oh well," Link frowned, scratching his head. "Why don't we try to find the spot where it points straight down? It's at an angle at the moment so if we get it straight we'll know that the next Lock is directly below us." Talen and Ark agreed and the three boys were soon wandering through the streets with the Compass held out in front of them. They received a few curious glances from passers by, but were left relatively undisturbed. But because Windhill was quite a large city, it took them quite a while to make progress. Sometimes a canal would be in their way and they'd have to walk the length of it to find a bridge to cross. Link could have flown over with the help of Navi, but he didn't want to attract any more attention other than that directed at his peculiar dark skin.  
"Look where we're headed," Talen said suddenly, looking over at something. Link and Ark followed his gaze to the tall library tower.  
"The library? Could it be under there then?" Ark wondered out loud.  
"Well I guess there's only one way to find out," Link told them. "Let's go."

The library was very quiet- more so that usual since there were not many people inside. For that reason it seemed even bigger that the last time they had been in there. The air was cool as they moved about, following the Compass' pointer as it directed them to a spot in the center of the huge cylindrical tower.  
"Here then," Ark said. "It's somewhere under this spot." He held the Compass up to show his two companions that the pointer was directed straight down.  
"But how exactly do we _get_ under here? The floor's in the way of the ground and I don't want to go breaking up all the tiles. They look expensive," Talen frowned. He knelt down and put his palms to the floor. "Besides…I can't feel the ground directly underneath here. There's more construction…like the rest of this place."  
"Could there be a way down then?" Link mused. "Perhaps we should ask the librarian." The boys walked up to the librarian's large circular desk in the center of the tower.  
"Is there even anyone here?" Link asked out loud. The middle of the desk held a space in which the librarian could move around and organize book records and such, but the librarian didn't seem to be present. A small bell sat atop the counter. Link frowned and reached up to ring it when a shockingly ancient old lady suddenly popped up from behind the counter.  
"Don't even think about it!" she snapped.  
"Ahh!" Link screamed, jumping back where Talen caught him. He let out a deep breath. "Shhh!" she hissed at him. "Quiet in the library!"  
"Sorry," he whispered. "Erm…"  
"Spit it out!" she snapped. Link flinched and she peered at him like a bespeckled old vulture.  
"Is there a room under the library?" he asked quickly and quietly. He closed his mouth and waited for her answer. She leaned forwards and Link did the same.  
"Don't ask such stupid questions! Talk to me if you want to know about books, not buildings!" she snarled. Link leaped away and covered his ringing ears with his hands. The three boys quickly fled from the terrifying lady and hid behind a book case.  
"What are we going to do now?" Link asked. "I don't think I can survive another encounter with _that_."  
"True," Talen murmured. "Well we'll just have to look around for a door or something. It'll have to be on this floor because the walls are too thin for a stairwell to lead down behind them."  
"I suggest we split up and look around then," Ark said.  
"Good idea…just don't go near the specter at the desk out there," Link shivered, peeking out from behind the book case.

After a long and arduous search, the boys met back behind the book case and each of them had found absolutely nothing.  
"There's nothing," Talen frowned. "And the librarian kept looking at me."  
"She was looking at each of us. I swear she should be dead by now," Link grumbled. Ark's eyes brightened and he smiled.  
"Wait…the librarian! We haven't looked behind her desk yet!" he said.  
"Why would we want to do that?" Link asked. "I don't want to go anywhere near that scary old lady."  
"Think about it; there's a space behind there where there could be a trapdoor leading to a cellar. Where better to put it that in a place where it would always be under watch?"  
"Of course!" Talen exclaimed, clicking his fingers. "But…"  
"How do we get in behind there with that animated corpse in the way," Link sighed. The three boys stood in contemplation for a while.  
"Well…we could go all the way back to the palace and get an official order to have a look," Talen suggested.  
"I vote we distract her," Link said. "Do you really want to go _all_ the way back to the palace?"  
"Hmm, good point."  
"How do we get her away from the desk?" Ark asked curiously.  
"Ah…hmm," Talen frowned thoughtfully. He turned and looked up at another book case before grinning. "Link, Ark…you'd better hide and get ready to run over there." Link and Ark scuttled away and ducked in behind a book case three rows along while Talen waited by the one they had just been standing at. Link flashed Talen a thumbs-up from his hiding place. Talen nodded and rocked the book case back and forth until it toppled over and crashed to the floor sending books everywhere.  
"What's going on over there!?" came a horrific screech from the librarian's desk. Just in the nick of time, Talen dashed over to Link and Ark as the librarian appeared at the fallen case.  
"Quickly!" Talen hissed. The three boys ran over to the librarian's desk and into the middle section.  
"See anything?" Link asked.  
"Aha!" Talen exclaimed. "Look; hinges." He reached down and hooked his finger into a metal eyelet and pulled up. A small trapdoor creaked open and revealed a steep set of stairs that led down into darkness.  
"Good thinking Ark," Link grinned. "Now let's get down there before the monster woman comes back." Ark went down the stairs first and allowed the tip of his staff to flare into brightness before Link and Talen followed. Talen closed the trapdoor behind him and turned to his two friends.  
"Well, shall we go?" he asked. With Ark in the lead, the three boys walked down the stairs towards the next Lock.


	31. Gravity

**Chapter 30 – Gravity**

Nyara staggered out of her room mewing softly. She looked rather disheveled and carried herself like a person who had drunk too much the night before. As she made her way slowly and steadily down the hallway, Florella burst out of her room and twirled like a ballerina before swiping the door closed with her raised foot.  
"Well good morning Nyara, how are you today?" she sang.  
"Mrrr," Nyara groaned. Florella paused in her odd little dance and looked more closely at her.  
"Oh, I see," she frowned. "Here, follow me." Florella led Nyara to the sitting room where she found Fura and Zelda lounging around.  
"Good morning, you two," Florella greeted them cheerfully.  
"Hello Florella, have you seen Link anywhere? He ran off after he woke up in the conservatory with us," Fura asked.  
"And we can't find him," Zelda added.  
"I wouldn't worry about him for a little while," Florella shrugged. "He's probably doing something with Talen or Ark…maybe both." Nyara's ears pricked up at the mention of Ark's name, but she still looked rather out of it.  
"Oh! Sorry Nyara," Florella apologized. She waved her hand and a cup of green liquid appeared. She held it out to Nyara. "Here you go. Drink it." Nyara took it and had a sip.  
"Cold!" she hissed.  
"Yes, it's very cold. But you need to drink it all; it'll get rid of that headache." Nyara pouted, but glugged down the green liquid before coughing once finished.  
"What was that for?" Zelda asked.  
"Nyara's feeling a little bit delicate today," Florella told the curious Princess.  
"Did she drink or something last night?" Fura asked. "Undrak usually tries drinking even more the following morning…if that's any help."  
"No, no, no," Florella laughed. "The spring fever's worn off."  
"Huh?"  
"I guess my spell sort of put everything on full for her and it just…burnt it all out. That's why she's feeling a little bit tender today," Florella explained. "You know…if she _had_ gotten into Ark's room last night…"  
"Oh my," Zelda blushed.  
"Yes, oh my indeed," Florella laughed. "Right Nyara?" Nyara blinked.  
"Sorry, Nyara not listening," the animal girl grinned. She yawned suddenly. "Is Ark up yet?"  
"I don't know, why don't you go and see?" Florella said. Nyara was out of the room in a matter of seconds.  
"Is that a good idea?" Fura asked.  
"There's nothing to worry about. Nyara isn't in the mood for making babies right now," Florella chuckled. "And Link isn't on the menu…unless he does something really stupid and gets in her bad books."  
"Speaking of Link…do you think we went a _little_ too far last night? I mean…he did seem a bit hot under the collar," Zelda murmured. "You think he's angry with us?" Florella smiled.  
"Has Link _ever_ been seriously angry with you in the years since you've met him? Well, besides that one time with Fura, but that doesn't count." Fura and Zelda looked at each other.  
"Well…"  
"As much as he yelled, complained and threatened me with revenge…the spell wouldn't have had any effect on him if there wasn't something there in the first place. Whether he shows it or not, he _does_ have some feelings for you in that way; _both _of you. Just wait and see; he _won't_ start yelling at you or anything like that. Take my word for it."

As the girls sat in the sitting room eating breakfast and talking, the door suddenly flew open and Nyara came skittering in looking rather breathless.  
"Everybody go quick! Find Ark!" she yowled.  
"Calm down, Nyara," Saria told the animal girl. "He's probably just with Link and Talen doing boy things." Nyara shook her head.  
"Nyara know that, but Ark in trouble!"  
"What? Why?" Impa asked, looking suddenly serious.  
"Nyara went to Ark's room to wake Ark up for breakfast," she babbled. "But when Nyara get there, bad girl in Ark's room!'  
"What!?" Fura growled, standing up suddenly. "Where is she now?"  
"She see Nyara and say that she go find Ark because he not in room, then she vanish! She say that she going to take Ark away again!"

"How are you feeling?" Talen asked Link as they walked down the narrow staircase under the library.  
"Huh?" Link grunted, confused.  
"You know, after the festival. You were really frothing at the mouth for a while there."  
"Oh, that," Link snorted. He suddenly shrugged. "I guess I can only blame myself for being careless. I _should_ have figured out that I couldn't use my old magic after not being able to put the Zora mask on." He sighed and scratched the back of his head.  
"You're not angry at them then?" Talen asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.  
"I guess not," Link said. "I suppose they should be applauded for how persistent they are at least."  
"Hah!" Talen laughed. "The persistent part is right; Florella's been trying to get that spell to work on you for near four years."  
"At least it wasn't a complete victory for her," Link grumbled. "I was able to stop myself from being a _total_ idiot." The three boys shared a laugh as they shuffled down even further.  
"How about you, Ark? How did you like the festival?" Link asked the quiet boy.  
"It was all right," he shrugged. "Miss Nyara got a little bit…um…too friendly a few times, but…I did enjoy the feast."  
"Yes, the feast," Link grinned. "It makes all the garbage we put up with worthwhile."  
"Well I got off lightly last night," Talen said haughtily. "I'm the lucky one this year."  
"Shut up," Link told his friend. Talen merely laughed at him.

They reached the bottom of the stairs and stood in front of a dusty old door that looked like it hadn't been used in a very long time. Ark rattled the handle.  
"It's locked. How do we-" The sound of the doorhandle falling apart and hitting the floor cut the boy off. Ark pushed the door lightly and it creaked open.  
"Oh," he said. "I guess we don't have to worry about that then." The room beyond the door was very large and was filled with numerous rotting crates filled with parchments and books.  
"Whewf! It stinks in here!" Link exclaimed, covering his nose.  
"Mildew," Talen frowned.  
"You mean Florella's soul, don't you?" Link snorted. Talen and Link slapped their hands together and laughed inanely. Ark shook his head and held up the compass to look at it. His eyes widened.  
"Wha- it's going crazy!" he gasped.  
"Huh?" Link grunted. He and Talen came up on either side of Ark and looked at the blue sphere to find the white pointer spinning erratically.  
"What's it doing?" Talen frowned. "How are we supposed to find the Lock now?"  
"Something must be interfering with it…like metal with a regular compass. Keep an eye out for anything strange; that's not a normal compass, so it must be something equally strange that's throwing it off," Link warned his two friends. Talen followed Ark around the musty cellar and Navi helped Link to search by flaring up to provide more light. The three boys searched as many crates as they could, prying off the tops with either Talen's strength or Link's sword. It then came down to rifling through all of the parchments and other assorted literary garbage in search of the Lock. Whenever a crate as opened, however, the pungent stink of mildew wafted up to assault the boys' sense of smell.  
"This stuff reeks," Link frowned, wrinkling up his nose as he sifted through some old parchment. "You two found anything yet?"  
"Not yet," Ark called back. "There are only parchments in these crates."  
"Look around for something else then, it could just be lying on the floor or something," Link told them. "Ark, is the Compass still acting funny?" Link saw the dull glow of the Compass as Ark withdrew it from his clothing.  
"Yes," he said. "I wonder what could be making act that way?"  
"It'd be a lot easier if the damn thing was working properly," Talen grumbled, digging through a crate. "I-" He suddenly stopped.  
"What is it?" Link asked.  
"Did you two hear that?" Talen asked. Ark brought his staff up to illuminate Talen's face.  
"Hear what?" the grey-haired boy asked. Talen held his finger up to his lips and shushed them. As the two boys strained their ears, a slight scuffling sound could be heard.  
"There!" Talen hissed. "Hear it?"  
"I do," Link frowned. "Sounds like a rat or something." He looked around and eventually spied a dark shape scuttling around the big room.  
"I see it!" Ark exclaimed. "And it has something."  
"The Lock!" Talen said, clicking his fingers. "That's why the Compass was acting funny; the rat kept moving it around the room. Some powerful interference." Talen gave Link a mocking, sidelong glance.  
"It could have been!" Link said defensively. "Navi, stay with it and we'll get that Lock off of it." Navi flitted over to the rat and hovered above it so that the three boys could see it.  
"Quickly!" Talen barked. The boys tried herding it so they could get the Lock out of its mouth, but the rat was too quick and kept slipping through them and hiding. If it weren't for Navi, they would never be able to catch it. Finally, Ark struck it with a mild burst of electricity. The rat squeaked, dropped the Lock and scuttled away into a corner.  
"Good thinking," Talen congratulated him. "Now quickly, lock that thing so we can get out of this place." Link nodded and picked up the Lock and held both of the Key rings in his dark hand.  
"Key, Lock!" he commanded. As had happened before, the Key transformed into the large key-like weapon he had held back at Alujah City. The Lock floated up in front of him and he twirled the Key in his hand before grasping it. He thrust it forwards and a bright, glowing keyhole appeared in front of the Lock. The tip of the Key plunged inside and he twisted it sharply, a loud click sounding from the keyhole. The keyhole disappeared, leaving the restored Lock floating on front of him. It was shaped like a plain circle and coloured leafy-green. Link plucked it from the air as the Key returned to its original form.  
"Hmm, which one do you suppose it is?" he asked. Ark frowned.  
"Tranquility?" he murmured.  
"How do you know that?" Talen asked.  
"I don't," Ark shrugged. "But they seem to be shaped after what they represent. Love was shaped like a heart, and this one's a circle; plain and without any distinguishing features. Seems like tranquility to me." Talen and Link nodded as the blonde Hylian tucked the Lock into his tunic.  
"Well come on," he sighed. "I guess it's back to the palace to tell the others about or find."

The walk back to the palace was rather pleasant. The sun was high in the sky and basked the three boys in spring sunshine. It hadn't been easy getting out of the library, thought. Talen had popped up the trapdoor, only to knock the old librarian off her feet. She had then put two and two together and blamed them for knocking over the book case. The three boys had ended up running from the tower with the old woman swiping at them with a cane she kept under her desk for reasons unknown to anyone.  
"Well that certainly was an experience," Link said, rubbing a spot on his back where he had copped a blow from the old lady's cane.  
"Well at least we got another Lock," Talen said. "We've got four more to go."  
"By the way," Ark began. "What made you suddenly think of searching for the Lock?"  
"Huh?" Link grunted. "Oh…well I guess I needed something to get the thoughts of the festival out of my head. It just kinda…jumped into my brain. I don't really know if it was just that or something else." He shrugged and shook his head.  
"What's wrong?" Ark asked.  
"Oh, it's nothing really," Link frowned. "They really got me a good one this year. I don't know if I can keep getting away in future."  
"Aw, don't be so glum," Talen laughed, clapping him around the shoulders. "Just make sure you have Navi safe and sound, and if worse comes to worse; you can always hide with Ark and me." Link grinned and Navi flitted around his head. His grin suddenly faded to be replaced by an almost vacant look. Talen noticed it and stopped walking.  
"What is it?" he asked curiously. Link's eyes narrowed.  
"There's something…" he muttered, looking up at the sky. "I don't know exactly what…can you feel it? On the breeze." Talen blinked and waited as something seemed to whisper at him. The people walking around them almost seemed to slow down and things became a little dimmer.  
"Yeah…there it is," he frowned. "I don't like this."  
"Something is wrong," Ark said. "I don't know what, though."  
"Come on," Link said, shaking his head. "We'd better get back to the palace."

Things were eerily quiet when they arrived at the gates of the massive palace. For one thing; the guards didn't even acknowledge their arrival and it was left up to them to let themselves in through the front gate. No birds chirped in the grounds and the doors to the palace simply wouldn't open.  
"Something's seriously wrong here," Link muttered as Talen tried with all his strength to budge the door, but to no avail. Finally, out of frustration, he landed a terrific blow against the wood, but his fist merely thunked into it without making a dent.  
"I'll say," Talen grimaced. "I can't even make a scratch." Link frowned.  
"Let me try." He opened his palm against the door and released a burst of magic that detonated against the wood rather loudly. But, like Talen's efforts, it yielded nothing. "Damn!"  
"I suggest we look for an alternate route into the palace," Ark said quietly. "We should try to find an open window; there's bound to be one somewhere."  
"You're right," Link sighed. "Come on." The three boys waked around the side of the palace with their eyes looking for any possible opening. It took them a fair amount of time since the palace was so huge, but they finally came across a small open window. It was fairly high up and it was left up to Link to ferry Talen and Ark up with his ability to fly with Navi. Ark slipped through without any problems, but Talen took a little bit more pushing since his shoulders were so broad. Once inside, they set about searching for the rest of their party.  
"Look at that," Talen hissed, pointing at a group of people in the hall. They were comprised mostly of servants, but they were all collapsed on the floor with their eyes closed.  
"A-Are they dead?" Ark asked fearfully.  
"Uh-uh," Talen said, checking for pulses. "They're alive, but unconscious."  
"We _must_ find the others," Link said with his jaw set. "Come on; let's get to the sitting room."

The first thing the boys noticed when they burst into the sitting room was Impa's crumpled form. The Sheikah woman lay on her side in the center of the room.  
"Impa!" Link called, running over and kneeling at her side. "Impa! Can you hear me? Are you all right?" He shook her gently.  
"Th-The…roof," she groaned. "H-He took them…the roof…save…"  
"Someone took the others?" Link asked. "Who, Impa? Who took them?" She struggled to rise as if something were exerting a tremendous pressure upon her body.  
"H-Half burnt…man…scarred…" she mumbled.  
"Impa, stay down," Link told her. "We'll go and get the others. Don't try to move."  
They sped as fast as their legs could carry them. Up the stairs, along the corridor, through the window and, finally, out onto the balcony of Link's room. They hoisted themselves up onto the roof and looked around.  
"Over there!" Ark exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the crumpled forms of their companions. The three boys dashed up the roof and to a flatter section where their friends lay. As they neared, Shera managed to turn her head and look at them.  
"No!" she called. "Stay away!" The air rippled towards the approaching trio and they were blasted back by the unseen force. They hit the roof and Talen slapped down his hand and ground to a halt, catching Link with his other hand while he in turn caught Ark.  
"So we meet again," a recognizable voice said dryly. Standing in the air above them was the man who had pretended to be the Regent of Alujah and the one responsible for luring the Kraken to the ship to Windhill. He looked quite different than they had remembered him, though. Half of his face looked badly maimed, indeed; half of his body did.  
"He come back for Ark!" Nyara growled, trying to get up. The man gave her a contemptuous look and she was crunched down again with a yowl of pain.  
"Miss Nyara!" Ark called in concern. He turned to the man. "Why are you doing this to them?"  
"To make it clear what will happen to them if you don't surrender yourselves immediately, Ark and Bearer," the man told them in a quiet voice. "Especially _that_ one…the one that did this to me." He stared at Zelda and she seemed to press harder against the roof of the palace. She opened her mouth in pain.  
"Release them!" Link demanded crossly, his sword spinning from its scabbard and into his dark hand.  
"Be careful!" Florella warned from where she lay. "He's manipulating gravity! He'll crush you!"  
"Don't speak out of turn," the man told her. He waved his hand and she, like Zelda, was crushed even more.  
"You leave them out of this!" Talen growled. Stone formed up his arms and his hands turned into vicious claws. "Or I'll tear your arms from their sockets!" Talen was suddenly flung into the air and sent crashing back down onto the roof with tremendous force. He sunk into it slightly and groaned.  
"Talen!" Florella wailed.  
"Listen to me _very_ carefully," the man told them. "I'm not in the mood to play games right now. The little Princess over there has caused me a _great_ deal of pain and the only way she's going to get away from here without incurring some very serious damage is if you two surrender, understand?" Link narrowed his eyes.  
"How _did_ you survive anyway?" he asked curiously.  
"She only destroyed my mirror-image," he snorted. "But in doing so scarred me like this."  
"Mirror-image…" Link murmured. "So that's how you did it! You came out of the mirror! The one that Ark saw at Alujah!"  
"Very good," the man chuckled. "But not just any mirror; it has to be one of _my_ mirrors. All I had to do was have a merchant deliver one to Alujah, then take one on the ship and, finally; to have one delivered here."  
"We were about to go and find you," Fura groaned. "Nyara saw that girl…she was looking for Ark and we were going to warn you."  
"Ah yes, _her_," the man frowned. "No matter. Now, the two of you; step forwards!"  
"Wait," Ark spoke up. "What about a fair fight?"  
"Mmm?" the man grunted, quirking his remaining eyebrow.  
"I'll go willingly and you let them go," Ark said, pointing to the girls trapped on the roof. "And you fight Link in a duel. Sound fair?" The man seemed to consider it.  
"Ark, he'll kill you!" Saria shouted. "Are you insane!?"  
"I'm sorry," Ark told them. "But your lives take precedence over mine." Ark turned back to the man and looked at him questioningly.  
"Very well," he smiled coldly. "Step forwards then." Ark walked slowly forwards as Link and Talen watched with their muscles tensed.  
"Ark no go!" Nyara wailed, scrabbling desperately. "Ark get hurt!" Just before Ark reached the man, however; an eerie song began to play from a flute-like instrument. It drifted out over the palace and weaved through the air.  
"What is this!?" the man demanded. He looked down at Ark and his eyes widened. "No!" He sent a great wave of crushing gravity at the boy, but with dexterity unbecoming of the grey-haired boy, Ark leaped away and landed across the roof with his eyes blank. The sky darkened and the sun was replaced by the moon and stars.  
"Wha-What's going on!?" Fura demanded. Laughter suddenly rang out, loud and harsh. A figure materialized in front of the moon from tendrils of inky black smoke that coalesced together to form a demon-like girl. In her hand she held a flute and she twirled it like a baton before slapping it into her palm.  
"Well hello Gravan," she laughed at the man. "You look a little shocked. Things not going your way?"  
"You! What are you doing here!?" he snarled. "You'll not interfere! It is _I_ who will bring them down, not you or anyone else!" With that, the man flicked out his hand and a wave of gravity bored a hole through the gardens that passed all the way through the ground so that the lake below the city could be seen. With another flick of his wrist, Ark was caught and hurled off the roof and towards the hole.  
"Ark!" Link exclaimed. Navi zipped into his tunic and his wings appeared. Before he could get very far, however; he was sent crashing down with a blast of gravity. Screams issued from the girls as Ark plummeted into the hole. He suddenly seemed to regain his senses and looked down to the water he was speeding towards. He let out a terrified wail and Nyara screeched in panic and clawed her way to the edge of the roof as Ark plummeted to his doom. Suddenly, there was a ripple of air and the black-haired girl appeared in Ark's path. She caught him with ease and he clung to her desperately like a frightened child. She wavered and vanished along with Ark before reappearing near the demon-girl.  
"What the heck's going on!?" Link demanded.  
"Who's that other girl?" Talen asked, looking up at the green-skinned demon. "Is she with the other one?"  
"So _you've_ decided to show yourself too!" Gravan spat. "You little witch!"  
"Hahaha! What a dope! Did you just fall off the turnip wagon?" the black-haired girl laughed. "A real hunter doesn't let someone else get what they're after!" Gravan shook with rage.  
"How dare you! My Master will hear about this! You'll never get your re-"  
"I believe your _Master_ said he'd reward whomever took care of Ark first!" the girl growled. "And I'll be damned if I'll let anybody take that reward away from me!" The girl turned and looked at the demon beside her sternly.  
"Looks like it's time for me to say goodbye," she chuckled darkly. "I'll be seeing you again one day, Ark." With that, she disintegrated into thick smoke and disappeared. Link shook his head and stood up, his sword gripped tightly. He advanced on Gravan, who watched him come. Then, with contempt written all over his face, he thrust his palm towards the helpless girls and clenched his fist. They instantly began to scream as they were squeezed by gravity.  
"No!" Link cried. "Stop it right now!" Gravan slammed Link to the floor with his other hand and Talen too as he growled and charged forward.  
"It seems that I have run out of options," Gravan snarled. "If I cannot dispose of Ark, then I shall at least get rid of all of you!" He increased the amount gravity and the girls' screams became louder as they writhed in agony.  
"Florella!" Talen bellowed. Link's eyes widened and he managed to bring his head up as Zelda's and Fura's screams burned into his brain. Something suddenly burst inside him. With a roar of anger, Link ripped through the oppressing layer of gravity and stood with his eyes burning.  
"What!?" Gravan exclaimed. The Key straps writhed around and Link catapulted into the air as they spiraled around him and formed a spherical cocoon. Intense darkness radiated from within until the straps exploded into shreds and something crashed down onto the palace roof. It was Link; his entire body the blackest of black like it had been back at Alujah. The straps had been replaced by chains and he stood a little taller than usual. His eyes suddenly opened burning white and blue. They locked on Gravan with fierce intensity.  
"Wha-What is this!?" Gravan gaped. Link said nothing, but clenched his shoulders as a wave of shadow swept out and dissolved the terrible pressure holding everyone down.  
"Oogh," Zelda groaned, sitting up. She shook her head and noticed Link. She, like everyone else, gaped at him. Even the girl holding Ark showed some surprise. Gravan swept his arm and sent a concentrated ball of gravity reeling at Link. With incredible speed, he moved to the side and a pair of ragged black wings exploded from his back and took him into the air. He swept around and bore down on Gravan, who raised his hands just as Link slammed into him. Gravan retaliated by kneeing Link in the gut and then kicking him away. Link spun and then halted without showing any signs of pain at all.  
"Yaaa!" Gravan bellowed, sending a wall of power at him. Link brought his wings up in front of him as the invisible wall struck. Wind roared past Link, but he held his ground against the crushing gravity before unfolding his wings as it passed. He whipped out his hand and a large black sword emerged from his palm before he grabbed the handle. Gravan reached into his clothing and drew his own sword before charging. The sound of the two weapons clashing rang out through the sky as the duelists swung and slashed at each other. The two combatants twisted and spun as their weapons flashed and screeched at each other. Gravan swung his sword down in a vicious strike and Link backed away. Gravan suddenly brought it up again and it clashed against Link's in a shower of black sparks.  
"What _are_ you?" Gravan demanded as they fought. Link didn't reply and instead lashed out with a sword-spin that forced Gravan to reel back. He didn't have any time to catch his breath, however; as the chains from the Key came racing towards him. He dodged one, but the other slammed into his jaw and crunched him against one of the palace spires. Link sped towards him with his eyes glowing terribly. In a move of desperation, Gravan slipped down the spire and sent a wave of his magic upwards. It struck Link and sent him spinning into the air. Gravan saw his chance and shot straight up with his sword at the ready. Link suddenly righted himself and looked down as Gravan came towards him.  
"I've got you!" he laughed in triumph. Then, to his surprise, Link seemed to flicker and reappear right in front of him. In reality, Link had actually sped towards him faster than Gravan could see. As Link reappeared, Gravan saw that he held his arm across his front. He suddenly swept it out and backhanded the man straight down to the ground below. He hit it hard and groaned in pain. He felt something grab his arms and he opened his eyes to see Link standing above him. He swore as Link twisted to the side and tossed him back up into the air with extreme force. Gravan looked down helplessly as Link flicked his wrist and sent his sword shooting at him like an arrow. It plunged into Gravan's stomach and sent him even higher into the sky. Gravan, near death, finally slowed and stopped. He hovered in the air for a moment before smiling a crooked smile as Link landed back on the palace roof.

Link walked over to the girls as they regarded him almost fearfully. The darkness slowly drained away from his body until only his arm and part of his face remained stained. He blinked slowly.  
"What? Hey, what's happening?" he asked in confusion. "Where's that Gravan guy?"  
"Y-You just beat him!" Shera exclaimed. "Don't you remember?" Link looked at her in confusion.  
"It happened again! Like in Alujah! You went completely black and…" Fura left it hanging. Laughter from behind him made Link whirl around. Gravan slumped onto the roof.  
"You don't even realize the consequences of your actions, do you?" he chuckled, blood seeping from his mouth. "You've only served to anger my Master for killing me. He'll wipe you from this world without even blinking."  
"I'd like to see him try," Link growled. "If I can beat you, then I can beat him." Gravan laughed and fell forwards.  
"You'll…pay…in…the…end…" he gurgled before falling silent. Link looked at him as Talen walked over.  
"Filth," the smith spat. He turned and went to Florella to see if she was unharmed.  
"Hey," somebody grunted. Everyone turned and saw the black-haired girl with Ark hooked onto the end of her scythe by his clothing. "Take him."  
"What?" Fura asked in confusion. "I thought _you_ were after him."  
"I am," she said casually as Nyara snatched Ark away and crushed him against her protectively. "But I don't need Gavan's or anyone else's help in doing so. I'll do it on my own." She turned and vanished. Everyone stood in silence for a while.  
"Are you all okay?" Link asked, breaking the silence.  
"Yes," Zelda nodded. "A little sore, but otherwise unharmed."  
"Good," Talen frowned, walking over with Florella on his back. "We should get back inside and see if everyone's okay." There were murmurs of agreement as the battered group headed down to Link's balcony.  
"Oh, sorry about all the damage, Shera," Link said apologetically, glancing at the large impact marks on the roof.  
"Who cares about the damage," Shera snorted. "I'm just glad that we're all alive, as will my parents. Don't worry about the damage, it can be repaired."  
"I'll help," Talen offered almost cheerfully. "There's no better way to recover than to build somethi-"  
"Talen," Florella groaned from over his shoulder. "Hush."


	32. Moving On

**Chapter 31 – Moving On**

The girls were rather shaken by their ordeal and, as it had turned out; Shera and Zelda had even suffered some cracked ribs. Florella tended to them as best she could, but she was too drained to be able to completely heal them right away. The populace of the palace had woken up feeling only dazed and confused, Morgan and Isabella included. Their number one concern had been their daughter and they rushed about the palace in a panic trying to find her. It didn't take them too long since Shera was on her way to her room with Link and company. It took a little while to explain everything and then all explanations had to be repeated as Impa burst into the room looking for Zelda. There was much relief when it was discerned that nobody was seriously injured, though Isabella made some fuss over her daughter's sore ribs. Link merely sat on the floor to catch his breath.  
"You all right?" Talen asked, squinting at him as Florella snored over his shoulder.  
"Yeah, I'm fine," he said with a shake of his head.  
"You look a little winded," Talen frowned.  
"I am." He groaned and scrubbed either side of his head with the tips of his fingers. "You know I can't remember anything of what happened there at all."  
"You can't remember anything?" Fura asked incredulously.  
"Not a thing?" Saria asked. Link shook his head.  
"Just like the first time it happened," he mumbled. "Oh well; so long as the job gets done I'm not complaining." Saria frowned at him.  
"You should go to bed," she told him.  
"That's what I plan on doing," he yawned, standing up with some effort.  
"I think you should _all_ go to bed," Impa told them. "Especially you, Zelda." Zelda pouted at being singled out, but couldn't really find the effort required to protest.  
"I wonder who that other girl was…" Ark pondered out loud, managing to get his face away from Nyara long enough to speak. "The girl with the black hair seemed to know who she was."  
"We've got enemies popping up all over the place," Fura grumbled. "And they're interested in both Link and Ark."  
"Well I've got the Key to the Eternal Ark wrapped around my neck," Link frowned. "They get rid of me then it can't be locked up." Shera, who seemed to suddenly remember something, looked over at Ark.  
"Ark, how did you move like that before?" she asked curiously. Ark looked at her blankly.  
"Move like how, Lady Shera?" he asked politely.  
"When Gravan was about to grab you…you jumped away. It was just before your were thrown off the roof."  
"Ah…" Ark mumbled in a confused tone.  
"Don't tell me we have _two_ amnesia sufferers," Fura frowned.  
"I-I'm sorry, Lady Fura," Ark apologized. "I only remember falling…I can't recall being thrown from the roof at all."  
"Oh Ark," Fura groaned. "I wasn't angry with you. There just seems to be too many things we need answers too."  
"Well you can all start finding them in the morning," Isabella told everyone. "Bed is the most important thing right now. Come along, Shera."

Since the night had come prematurely, everyone awoke rather early. Ark was among those who woke first. He yawned loudly and sat up, rubbing at his eyes as he did so. He felt the big, feathery tufts of hair that stuck up from his fringe bending as he shook his head to clear his senses. He shuffled to the edge of his bed and hopped out before dressing quickly and heading for the door. He pulled it open and was quite surprised when Nyara fell in backwards since she had obviously been sleeping against the door.  
"M-Miss Nyara!" he gasped as she rubbed her head. "I'm sorry, are you all right?" She nodded and looked up at his concerned face from the floor. She smiled and her ears twitched.  
"Good morning Ark!" she greeted him enthusiastically. "Nyara keep watch."  
"Did you sleep there all night?" he asked. Nyara nodded. "Really, Miss Nyara…you shouldn't put yourself out so much for me."  
"But Nyara _likes_ to!" she laughed, sitting up and getting to her feet rather quickly. "Nyara think that looking after Ark is most exciting thing in world!" Ark blinked and faltered slightly.  
"Oh…all right, Miss Nyara," he mumbled. "I was just on my way to get some breakfast…are you coming too?" The instant the words left his lips, Ark knew he'd made a mistake. Nyara's face lit up and her eyes sparkled with anticipation.  
"Ark very nice to invite Nyara!" she laughed. "Nyara come and help Ark with breakfast!" Before Ark could say anything, Nyara wrenched him into a bone-crushing hug that managed to pop his back, before tossing him over her shoulder and parading off down the hall with her tail swishing happily in her wake.

"She's being a little bit difficult, I'm afraid," Impa told Link apologetically as she herded him towards the Princess' room. "She said she wanted to see you."  
"Thanks for telling me," Link muttered dryly as Impa shunted him into Zelda's room and closed the door. He frowned at the doorknob and turned back to where Zelda waited patiently, propped up on the covers.  
"Oh! Link, you're here!" Zelda clapped.  
"Impa said you wanted to see me…what can I do for you?" he offered, scratching his head.  
"Oh…nothing really," she shrugged. "I'm just bored waiting for Florella to come along. Impa won't let me out with my ribs cracked." Link couldn't help but feel just a _little_ disappointed. If she had at least wanted him to perform some kind of task; he'd at least have something to do. He didn't let his disappointment show, however; lest he upset Zelda.  
"Fair enough," he said in the most upbeat tone he could manage. He looked around the room with some disdain. Clothing and all manner of items lay strewn about the floor and over the lonely dresser by the wall.  
"It's not that bad," Zelda pouted upon noticing his gaze. "You're welcome to clean it up if you like." Link shrugged and did just that; happy to have something to do. He worked carefully and tried his best to avoid Zelda's unmentionables that lurked beneath larger items of clothing. Once everything _but_ those particular items had been cleared away, Link picked them up with the Key straps and deposited them into one of the dresser drawers. Satisfied, he dusted his hands together and turned back to Zelda only to see her shaking her head at him.  
"They're only undergarments," she told him.  
"They're yours though," he said a little defensively. "And they…well…" Zelda rolled her eyes.  
"Does it really matter?" she asked. "I thought boys were supposed to like stealing and looking at girls' underwear and such."  
"Zelda!" Link exclaimed. "Stop that! You're as bad as Fura! I swear she's rubbing off on you in all the wrong ways." He folded his arms and looked determinedly at the window. Zelda giggled and kicked her feet underneath her blanket before she winced and hunched forwards. Link moved his eyes to look at her.  
"A little sore, are we?" he asked.  
"A little, yes," Zelda muttered. "We're lucky the three of you arrived when you did or we'd have been smooshed completely." Silence descended upon the room bar the ambient sounds from outside the window.  
"Erm…" Zelda began. "Are you mad? About the festival?" Link looked at her.  
"Oh, no," he said casually. His tone unnerved Zelda for some reason.  
"Are you plotting some kind of revenge?" she persisted. Link shrugged. "You are! I know it!"  
"I don't know what you're talking about," Link said innocently. Truth be told; he didn't really have any kind of master plan of getting back at the girls. Florella, however; was a _very_ different story.  
"You aren't being fair!" Zelda cried. "_Please_ tell me!"  
"Princesses should never beg, Princess," Link told her.  
"Don't call me that," Zelda huffed. "Look what you've done! You've made me irritable!"  
"No, I think you did that all by yourself," Link pointed out. Zelda balled her delicate hands and pounded away at her blanket.  
"Tell meeeeeee!" she demanded.  
"There's nothing to tell," Link insisted. Zelda paused and eyed him suspiciously.  
"I'll let you see some royal thigh," she told him as if she were bargaining. Link blinked and then brought his arm up almost defensively.  
"What? No!" he gasped. "Zelda, Fura _is_ having a bad influence on you." He jabbed his finger at her accusingly.  
"You stink," Zelda pouted, kicking her feet again and tenting her blanket.  
"That may be so, but at least I'm not the one stuck in bed," Link snorted at her. "I'm off for breakfast. Have fun waiting for Florella." Link turned on his heel and strolled out the door, whistling a jaunty little tune as he went.

Link happened upon the ever-suffering Ark being fed by the exuberant Nyara. He was more or less used to the scene, as was everyone else. Saria, Fura and Talen were also present at the table, each still a little groggy from sleep.  
"Good morning," Link greeted them. "Who didn't sleep very well?" They all put their hands up except Ark, who was trying to hold Nyara's arm back as she ploughed a ton of bacon into his mouth.  
"Ugh, how did she make night fall so quickly?" Fura grunted. "I know you _used_ to be able to do it."  
"Well…I don't think the Sun's Song quite did that," Link frowned thoughtfully. "I think it sped everything up except the player of the song. That's why nobody else noticed it, but the song doesn't work anymore."  
"Maybe it's one of those things that only works when it has to," Talen shrugged.  
"Perhaps. Oh well, I'm hungry," Link said, forgetting the conversation. He sat down and piled his plate up with food.  
"Have you seen Zelda yet?" Saria asked.  
"Huh? Oh, yes she's fine," Link told her. "Fine enough to whine and complain."  
"Why, what did you do?" she asked sternly.  
"Nothing! You always think _I've_ done something wrong!" he protested.  
"That's because you usually do," Fura told him pointedly. "You're a naughty, filthy, _wicked_ little boy."  
"Amen," Saria said from across the table. Link grumbled at them as he continued to eat.  
"Oh, by the way," the blonde boy added. He reached into his tunic and slapped the Lock of Tranquility down on the table.  
"Is that what I think it is?" Saria asked incredulously. Talen nodded.  
"We found it yesterday under the library. A rat must have found it and taken it down there; we had to corner the damn thing to get it back," the smith frowned. "But we got it in the end. It was just before we came back here yesterday."  
"That's fantastic!" Fura exclaimed, thumping Link on the back. The boy's head rushed forwards and bonked onto the tabletop.  
"Careful, Fura," he muttered, rubbing his forehead.  
"Sorry…but this is fantastic! We've got two, and that means there's four left!" The Gerudo girl laughed and flicked her spoon into the air before catching it again.  
"But we still need to be very careful," Talen murmured. "Trouble follows us wherever we go…particularly in the form of that girl who _now_ seems to have another friend."  
"I don't think she's a friend," Ark spoke up after Nyara had finished with him. "She's by herself…in that big place of hers. As for the other, I don't know who she is or what she wants, but…I think I've seen her before." Ark received a few sharp looks.  
"You've seen her before? Where?" Fura asked.  
"I thought that at first I was seeing things," Ark began, staring at the table. "But…at Alujah, in the trees when we were watching the fireworks; she was there. It was only for a moment that I saw her before she vanished, and I thought I was seeing things…a trick of the light from the fireworks. But now I know I really did see her."  
"For how long has she been following us, I wonder," Talen murmured. "She could have started watching us- Ark at least- from the very beginning." There were murmurs of agreement. The moroseness of the room was suddenly shaken off by the entrance of Florella, Shera and Zelda. The three girls scuttled in, happy to be free of their beds. Zelda gave Link a brief frown as she entered, but sat next to him quite happily and began to eat. Impa arrived soon afterwards after her morning ritual of speaking with the King and Queen. The four of them were brought up to speed on what had been discussed. Impa merely nodded and frowned thoughtfully while keeping an eye on Ark.  
"Don't concern yourselves with it right now," she told them. "Take things easy after what you went through last night. But…we'll be on our way tomorrow morning."  
"Oh no!" Shera protested. "Already?"  
"Impa's right, I'm afraid," Link said to the Princess. "Trouble follows us everywhere we go, and I don't want to see any more brought to Windhill." Shera went a little pouty, but quickly snapped out of it when Florella suggested they spend their last day doing something together. The Great Fairy glanced across the table and just happened to catch Link's eye. They watched each other with narrowed eyes; Link chewing his food ever so slowly and Florella pursing her lips cautiously.  
"Hey Link!" Fura called snapping him out of it.  
"Huh? What?" he grunted.  
"What about a walk?" the Gerudo asked. "We could all go for a walk around the city. You know; show Ark and Nyara around?" Link blinked.  
"Why not? I'd just be sitting around doing nothing all day otherwise…not that that's necessarily a _bad_ thing."  
"It would be a bad thing!" Saria snapped, cuffing his ear. "It's our last day in Windhill for a while, so we're going to do whatever Shera wants!" Link didn't like the sound of that.

As it had turned out, "whatever Shera wants" ended up being, "whatever all the females in the group wanted". Therefore; Link, Talen and Ark were dragged all around Windhill looking around the markets. They didn't mind all that much, though Link _did_ keep a tight hand around his wallet. The girls wheedled and pleaded for him to buy them something like a nice piece of jewelry, but the boy remained steadfast and refused, stating that he _would_ have loosened his grip on his wallet if they had told him about his inability to shield himself from Florella's spell.  
"Yep, looks like it's _all_ Florella's fault that you're no getting anything," he sighed sadly. "Florella's fault. _All her fault._" He walked away whistling as Florella stared after him with an unfriendly gaze.  
"Wow, Florella," Talen whistled. "You just screwed everyone out of a present."  
"Shut up, Talen," Florella grumbled, still staring after Link. Talen held back his laughter and wandered after his friend with Ark.  
"Oh dear," Saria sighed.  
"Ark please eat," Nyara mewed at the boy, holding out a sandwich rather pathetically. Ark leaned away and waved his hand.  
"B-But I'm full, Miss Nyara," he assured her. "I've already eaten enough. You made me eat three others." Nyara's eyes started to water and her bottom lip quivered.  
"I'll take it," Talen said, plucking the sandwich out of Nyara's hand. He winked at Ark and ate it quickly. Nyara frowned, but said nothing and instead attempted to get Ark to _drink_ something.  
"Ark and Nyara _have_ to come and visit again too," Shera said, watching the pair with amusement. Ark looked up at her in puzzlement before Nyara grabbed his head and tried to get him to drink a bottle of milk. "Because I definitely want to see more of _that_."  
"Poor Ark," Link sighed, shaking his head.  
"Silence, you," Shera frowned. "At least _pretend_ to be a nice-mannered boy for the remainder of the day." Link glanced around as he received frosty stares from all around. He thought for a moment before stretching his face into a great, sunny smile.  
"Terribly sorry, Shera," he apologized with a little too much enthusiasm. "I'll go and get you some fruit juice!" He stood and strolled off while Talen bit his lip to stop himself from grinning.  
"You're skating on very thin ice, Talen," Florella told him menacingly. Talen coughed and composed himself.  
"Sorry."

The day slowly drew to an end and the children returned to the palace quite exhausted. They had walked throughout the entire city, with the three boys surprising everyone by buying Shera a huge bouquet as a goodbye present. Fura, Zelda and Florella were insanely jealous and privately seethed as Shera giggled giddily out loud as she was presented with the tremendous mass of blossoms and blooms.  
"They're beautiful! Thank you, thank you, _thank you!_" she laughed, catching all three of them in a tight hug. She was extra-quick with Ark because her hair started to stand up on end and an odd humming noise began.  
"Sorry," he said, looking almost shamefully at his feet. Shera merely laughed and ruffled his hair before leading the way back to the palace.

For the first time in quite some time, the King and Queen joined them for a goodbye dinner. Due to the fact that the monarchs were present at the table, the boys were on their very best behavior, though for Ark it was just business as usual. Shera's flowers were on proud display at the center of the table, and she made sure to point them out to her parents on at least fifty occasions.  
"They're very nice dear," Isabella told her daughter. "And they were just as nice as the last time you pointed them out…and the time before that too."  
"We didn't get any," Fura pouted.  
"That's because we're still stuck with y- I mean…it would be inappropriate to give you a parting gift if you were not parting," Link told her. Fura gazed at him flatly and he grinned back at her before returning to the task of eating his meal. The remainder of the evening was spent talking and laughing, mostly about Link's unfortunate circumstances during the Spring Festival. When the festival was mentioned, Florella found Link staring at her in a manner that made her a little uneasy. She tugged on Saria's sleeve.  
"Look! He's doing it again!" she hissed. Saria glanced at Link and saw him speaking with Zelda.  
"He's just sitting there," Saria frowned, puzzled at Florella's behavior. "I can't tell him off for that." Florella grumbled under her breath and chewed her lip, glaring at the innocent-looking Link with terrible intensity. Link ignored her for the most part, pausing only to look over at her and smile before resuming his conversation.  
"Where are you headed next?" Morgan asked anyone who would answer him.  
"Wherever the Compass tells us to go," Talen replied. "Ark, which way is it pointing now?" Ark removed the blue sphere from his clothing and held it up. The little white pointer indicated straight at the wall.  
"North," Impa murmured.  
"Oh well," Talen sighed. "I was hoping to drop by home to see how my father is coping. Maybe some other time."  
"I wonder how Aarden is doing," Ark said quietly. "I hope…that nothing happened to the village." Shera stopped eating.  
"Who is Aarden?"  
"He's the man who raised me. He's quite old, but he knows a lot about the world," Ark told her. "He took me in when I was very little."  
"I see," Shera said in a subdued tone.  
"But don't bother yourself with it, Lady Shera," Ark said with a wave of his hand. "Aarden has a vast knowledge of all things magic. I'm positive he could defend the village if need be." Nyara reached over in mid-eat and patted him roughly on the head and smiled at him from behind the loaf of bread she was tearing into. Ark returned a small smile whilst Shera laughed along with the rest of the women at the table. Isabella, however; merely watched Ark with an unreadable expression.

Morning came and it was time for the group to leave Windhill and head north. They rose early, bathed and dressed before eating a quick breakfast and assembling at the main doors of the palace.  
"Goodbye everyone!" Shera said, hugging each of them. "Come back as soon as you can! Watch out for that nasty girl!"  
"We will," Impa assured her. "You look after yourself now, Princess." Morgan shook hands with the boys in turn and told them to keep everyone safe.  
"Will do, Your Majesty," Talen grinned. Isabella, like her daughter, embraced each of them, but paused when she came to Ark. The boy looked up at her uncertainly with his big, green eyes. Isabella smiled down at him and placed a fond hand on his head and allowed the feathery hair to stick up through her fingers.  
"And you take special care, Ark," she told him before kneeling down and touching her forehead against his so that their noses brushed together. She closed her eyes as Ark held his breath. "Your heart is very big, but in it you hold great sorrow. Dear Ark, I would very much like to see you come back to Windhill again." She spoke in a hushed whisper. She moved away, but not before kissing his forehead and smoothing his hair down. He blinked at her with wide eyes before nodding. Ark's friends looked at him and the Queen curiously for a moment causing Ark to blush and scurry over behind Impa.  
"Nyara take care of Ark," the animal girl said proudly, plucking him away from Impa and almost choking him with her arm around his neck. "Ark is Nyara's pet after all."  
"That he is, Nyara," Isabella chuckled.  
"All of you take care!" Shera called as the group left the palace grounds. "And make some moves, Link!" Link's shoulders slumped and he groaned. He gave the Princess of Windhill a halfhearted wave before shaking his head.  
"She tells me that every year," he muttered to Ark. "Without fail."  
"And you neglect her advice every year," Fura told him archly. "Without fail." Link made a face at her and Fura retaliated by rapping him across the head with one of her thick bracelets.  
"Wow, and we haven't even left the place grounds yet," Saria whistled. As they left, Ark looked over his shoulder at the Royal Family as they waved and he could have sworn that he saw tears in Isabella's eyes.

The group rode the gondolas back down to solid ground and took the road that headed north. The landscape was mostly small patches of woodland and grassy fields cut by babbling brooks and small streams. The sun was shining and a cool breeze was blowing; all in all creating a very pleasant atmosphere. The only thing that came even close to wrecking the mood was Nyara's attempts at catching small birds that twittered away in the lower branches of the woodland trees. She suddenly bounded up a tree and snagged one of the feathered animals. She climbed back down after gobbling it up and coughed out a few feathers that floated slowly to the ground. Zelda and Saria gagged whilst Florella looked utterly horrified.  
"Oh Nyara! How could you do that to a cute little bird?" she cringed.  
"Birds tasty," she shrugged. "Little ones best. They like little snacks."  
"That's horrible," the fairy winced.  
"Not as horrible as Link's stick-of-butter-covered-in-sugar snack," Fura murmured. "I'd rather eat a bird than one of those hideous treats." Link looked a little insulted.  
"Miss Nyara…if you don't mind, please leave the birds alone," Ark pleaded, looking a little seedy at having witnessed her crunch the bird down.  
"Nyara can share with Ark," she told him happily.  
"Oh! No thank you!" Ark declined quickly. "I'd rather not!" Nyara pouted.  
"Ark no like mice either. Ark have no taste," she told him despairingly. "But Nyara like Ark even if he have no taste!" She patted him fondly on the head, almost knocking him down.  
"Erm…thank you, Miss Nyara," he said in a rather strained tone.

The day rolled on rather uneventfully as the party journeyed along the worn road. Florella tried to encourage everyone into some singing, but nobody really seemed interested, particularly the boys. The following four days passed in much the same way, and since the mysterious black-haired girl hadn't appeared since they had left Windhill, Ark was feeling much less high-strung. To Link and Talen it also seemed that he was even sleeping much better, since he would drop off to sleep before his head even hit the pillow. Nyara seemed rather proud of it all, stating that it was all because he had a full belly for the first time in his life. She also deduced that making him eat even more would make him feel even better. Ark didn't look too happy at the prospect since he was usually on his own when it came to Nyara unless Talen intervened. It seemed to Ark that the other girls took some kind of odd enjoyment in watching Nyara feed him, and Link sometimes seemed actually scared of the animal girl.  
"We'll stop here," Impa said after the fifth day of walking. The rolling hills and sparse woodland had steadily thickened into forest populated by towering, knotty oaks. Nyara seemed to like the change of scenery, as did Saria. The former bounded into the trees and rustled away overhead as she scampered about with ease.  
"Ark climb too!" she insisted, gesturing for the boy to climb up with her.  
"I'd rather not," Ark declined. "Please, Miss Nyara, I'd probably just fall."  
"Nyara keep Ark safe!" she insisted. "Ark climb!"  
"Go on Ark," Florella told him. "What harm can it do?"  
"B-But I have to help strike the tents now," he protested. "I can't leave any of you to do it."  
"Ark's right; you girls would probably botch the job," Link said with mirth from where he was unrolling the tents with Talen. "He can help us like he has every other night. We work best as a team." Ark took that opportunity to race over and help out. Florella scowled at Link.  
"Listen you," she growled. "I know what you're up to."  
"Whatever do you mean?" Link asked innocently.  
"Don't play innocent! I can barely count all the ways you've vexed me!" Florella snapped. "Worms on my sandals, a caterpillar in my soup last night, and don't even get me started on _lunch!_" She ticked off each incident on her fingers.  
"Now Florella," Talen told her. "Did you actually _see_ Link do any of that stuff?" Florella glanced at Talen and narrowed her eyes.  
"Are you siding with _him?_" she asked. Talen held his hands up.  
"Never mind." Florella whirled back around to Link only to find that he was crawling around inside the tent he'd just put up, making sure everything was in order.  
"Hey! I'm not finished with you!" she barked. Link poked his head out of the tent with a look of complete innocence on his face.  
"All I'm doing is setting up _your_ tent, Florella," he protested. "Is that so wrong?" Florella's eyes narrowed.  
"Move," she ordered him. "You've probably rigged it to collapse on me in the middle of the night."  
"Now why would I do that?" Link asked innocently. "You share that tent with Nyara and Fura. I don't want to get them angry." If at all possible, Florella's eyes narrowed even further.  
"You're being paranoid, Florella," Zelda said. "Link wouldn't do anything to upset Nyara; he's too scared of her." Link looked indignant and disappeared back inside the tent as Nyara laughed at him from the trees.  
"I can make Link talk if you want," Fura told Florella nonchalantly. Florella looked immediately interested.  
"Now, now girls," Impa told them. "You can plot your plots _after_ camp has been set up. Fura, you get a fire going so I can get to preparing dinner with Saria." She turned to Talen.  
"I'll get some firewood," he said, anticipating her question. "I've just about put this up." He tied the tent down and dusted his hands off before walking off into the forest in search of dry kindling.  
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Ark asked having finished his task of erecting his tent. Impa looked at the boy thoughtfully.  
"Well…" she began.  
"Ark groom Nyara!" Nyara said suddenly, dropping down behind him and seizing him by the shoulders. Ark flinched slightly.  
"P-Pardon, Miss Nyara?" he asked hesitantly, turning his head. Nyara grinned at him.

A short while later, the group sat around a crackling fire after a satisfying meal. Ark's task of grooming Nyara hadn't actually been as bad as he had suspected. Instead, it consisted of him of untangling her coarse hair and removing twigs that had gotten caught during her tree-scampering. She purred contently as he sat on a log behind her and worked away very carefully. Saria watched in interest as the boy's facial expressions changed while he tried to work out some stubborn twigs and tangles.  
"Ark very gentle," Nyara told him. "Has Ark done this before?"  
"No, Miss Nyara," he told her quietly, untangling her hair seemingly by one hair at a time so as not to hurt her at all.  
"You're full of surprises, Ark," Impa laughed. "I bet you'd even give Saria a run for her money."  
"You've got that right," Link snickered. "She's far too rough. I'm surprised I'm not bald by now." Saria humphed indignantly at him.  
"Show some gratitude," she grumbled. "If it weren't for me, that shaggy mop you call hair would be down past your shoulders by now _and_ it would probably be as tangled as ivy." He fingers twitched towards her pockets.  
"I'd just tuck it under my cap," Link smiled, enjoying her reaction.  
"That does it! Get over here now," Saria ordered, bringing her comb out and waving it at him. Link laughed at her, but did as he was told. Florella, who sat next to Talen, pouted at the sight of Ark working away at Nyara's hair so gently.  
"Talen, why don't you ever do that for me?" she frowned.  
"You've never asked me to," he told her. "I probably wouldn't be much good at it either. I can forge steel and carve wood…but I'd probably end up tearing your hair out, and I wouldn't want to do that. It'd be a shame to see any harm come to such a wonderful shade of purple hair." He smiled as he said it. Florella squealed and hugged his arm.  
"Talen, you're so nice!" The smith looked across at Link and saw his blonde friend mouth the word "liar". The camp continued their chattering and laughing while, unbeknownst to them, a figure with large ears and reddish eyes watched them from the top of a particularly large tree.


	33. Gale

**Chapter 32 – Gale**

The fire had died down long after Impa had bustled everyone off to bed. The coals glowed dully in the night air of the forest, with all oblivious to them but one. The demon-girl sat high in the upper branches of a particularly large tree with her red eyes staring down at the small campsite. Her attire had changed slightly. Her clothing was much less fancy and had been swapped for a plain-looking dark red tunic. She still wore her black hose and shoes, however; except that the ankles of them seemed to have had a ring of bells added to them. Her hair had changed too. It was slightly longer and still had the large ponytail at the back, but two slightly smaller ones stuck out from either side of her head above her ears and were fastened with silver bands. The bells on her ankles gave out a barely audible jingling sound as she tapped her feet together in slow succession. Idly, she pulled her flute from her tunic and flicked it in swift circles in her fingers before bringing it to her lips. The eerie melody that she had played numerous times before wafted through the trees like a whisper. She played for a few minutes before Ark appeared at the entrance of the tent he shared with his two friends. His eyes held that familiar glazed look to them as he staggered away from the campsite. The demon-girl grinned and jumped from her tree, landing softly on the ground as Ark approached. He suddenly stopped and stood stock-still with his hair bending in the slight breeze. The demon-girl frowned and began playing her song again, but Ark didn't move.  
"I think you'll find that won't be working while I'm around," a voice sounded from the shadows. If the demon-girl was surprised, then she didn't show it.  
"Oh really," she queried. "And who are you to tell me so?" The owner of the voice stepped into a shaft of moonlight that broke through the canopy of the forest.  
"_I_ say so." It was Florella, but not the Florella that people were used to seeing. She looked older; quite a number of years older in fact. She stood taller than the demon-girl and was about the size of an adult. Her hair was very long and flowed down the back of her white dress that reached her bare feet. She almost seemed to glow in the moonlight as her dark eyes watched the girl carefully.  
"You…you're that fairy," the demon-girl frowned. "What do you want?"  
"I think it's obvious," Florella said. "I will not allow you to warp that poor boy's mind any more than you already have. Like the rest of them, he falls under _my_ care." Ark remained silent, staring straight ahead with his glazed eyes.  
"I'm curious, though," Florella said slowly, eyeing the demon. "What is your involvement in all of this?"  
"Hah!" the girl laughed. "That's for me to know and _you_ to find out. What I'm doing _is_ important, though; and I can't have you spoiling things." She grinned at Florella and folded her arms across her chest.  
"I take it I won't get any answers from you, then," Florella sighed. "Go away then, little girl. Leave this poor child alone." The demon-girl quirked an eyebrow before she suddenly whipped her had at Florella and threw a pulse of red energy at her. Florella focused her eyes on the blast and her pupils enlarged slightly. The attack bounced harmlessly off an invisible shield, wheeling off to the side and striking the ground. Florella shook her head and tutted.  
"Very well then," Florella frowned. She held out her hand quite slowly and curled her ring finger around so it rested against her thumb. Then, quite casually, she clicked her fingers. An invisible wind swept out and blasted the demon girl back, sending her tumbling along the ground. She stopped and shook herself to dislodge grass and turf from her clothing.  
"You're pretty strong," the girl muttered.  
"You'd best leave here now," Florella said ominously, seemingly growing darker. "I am _not_ a force to be taken lightly. I _am_ a Great Fairy and though my abilities are centered around healing, I can dish some damage out by other means. When I get angry, things get very messy very _quickly_." Florella stared at the girl and the girl stared back before the Great Fairy raised her palm.  
"Do you want me to reiterate?" Florella asked. The demon girl snorted and leaped straight up into the branches of a tree.  
"You can't baby-sit him forever," she smirked, jingling the bells around her ankles. "And you can't hold that form forever. For now I'll just sit back and watch." With that, she laughed and vanished in a whisp of black smoke. Florella stared at the spot she had vanished from for a while longer before turning to Ark. She smiled at him and the air almost seemed to warm.  
"Come on, Ark," she told him gently, drawing him close with an arm around his shoulder. "Let's put you back to bed."

Morning arrived just like any other, with Impa shaking the tents to rouse the children from sleep. The three boys were up before the girls, but only because they took much less care with how straight their clothes were put on or how neat their hair was…not that it mattered much for Ark anyway, since his hair was impossible to tame. Almost automatically, the boys began to hunt down breakfast in an almost zombified state and luckily enough Impa had already prepared it, setting it down in front of them.  
"Hey!" Florella said indignantly as she emerged from her tent. "It's polite to wait for us to get there before you start eating!"  
"Ark hasn't started," Link mumbled.  
"Well of course Ark hasn't," Florella grumbled at the blonde boy. "He has manners, unlike _you_. Talen, yours seem to have been slipping as of late."  
"Sorry," the young smith said. "I'm hungry."  
"What, from all the sleeping? You two boys are the worst sometimes."  
"You can be pretty foul yourself," Link muttered under his breath.  
"What was that?" the fairy asked archly.  
"Nothing, Florella," Link assured her with a smile. "I was just saying how good this breakfast is."  
"Why thank you, Link," Impa said before seating herself down to begin hers. Florella glared at the boy and ground her teeth together in aggravation. The way he acted so innocently _and_ managed to earn the defense of everyone else infuriated her to no end. She _knew_ he was up to something, but she couldn't do anything about it until she knew exactly what it was, and certainly not while everyone was on his side.  
"Come on, Florella," Fura called as she sat down. "You eating or what? No wonder you're so tiny." Florella blinked and cast one last look at Link before stalking over for breakfast.  
"She came back last night," Florella said suddenly as they were eating, as if she had just remembered.  
"Who came back? That girl with the scythe?" Link frowned. Florella shook her head.  
"No, the other one," Florella murmured. "And it seems that we're up against people who have some nasty tricks up their sleeves." Ark had stopped Nyara from feeding him and was listening intently- even a little fearfully.  
"W-What do you mean, Lady Florella?" he asked.  
"I found you with her out over there last night," Florella told the boy, indicating a little way off from the camp.  
"B-But I wasn't out here at all last night!" Ark protested. "R-Really, I wasn't!"  
"It's okay Ark," Florella assured him. "You couldn't help it. She was playing an odd song on a flute and it put you into some kind of trance. You just stood there like zombie, but luckily for you I arrived in time and got rid of her." Ark looked positively horrified.  
"S-She can control me? Who knows what could happen! I might attack all of you or something terrible like that!" he gasped.  
"Calm down, Ark," Florella told him. Nyara clamped her hand over his mouth and patted his head soothingly with the other. "I took certain steps after I brought you back. As long as I'm around then she can't do anything…but I can't say for sure that she hasn't done it before. She wipes your memory of it afterwards."  
"Oh dear," Ark mumbled from behind Nyara's hand. He looked at the animal girl and she sheepishly removed it.  
"They all seem to be interested in Ark and Link," Zelda frowned. "I know Link has the Key…but why Ark? I know he _delivered_ the Key to Link, but…" She left it hanging as the others nodded.  
"I don't think we're going to find out very easily, are we," Saria sighed.  
"I don't think so," Fura muttered. "But we'll just have to do our best at keeping the bad guys at bay. Don't worry, Linkie-do, I'll protect you." She winked at him and blew a kiss. Link's face blanched and he fidgeted uncomfortably.  
"Yes, you do that, Fura," Florella muttered, glaring spitefully at Link. "Do it however you see fit."  
"Yes, I'll _do it_ some time in the future, hopefully," Fura said in an offhand manner, glancing at the sky. The girls snickered and stifled laughs as Link frowned at them in confusion.  
"What?" he asked. "What's so funny."  
"Nothing at all, I'm just thinking of ways to," she snorted with suppressed laughter. "Do it." The girls all seemed to be having fits and the boys glanced at each other with puzzled and slightly worried looks.  
"How often do _you_ want to do it, Link?" Zelda asked, trying not to laugh.  
"Well…all the time, what do you think?" he said, confused. The girls all burst out laughing and Fura even fell over backwards and kicked the ground with her heels. Zelda was in tears, as was Saria and Nyara. Even Impa had a smile on her face. "What's so funny about protecting myself!?"  
"Nothing, nothing," Saria said, calming down. "Tell us again how often y-"  
"I'm not saying squat!" Link snapped. "Your sense of humor leaves a lot to be desired."

The group had resumed their journey through the forest shortly after breakfast. Nyara, as usual, had caused quite a commotion with Ark by dropping out of a tree and landing virtually right on top of him. The startled boy had shocked her by accident before letting out a torrent of apologies that ended with Nyara shoveling him full of food. Nyara never did seem particularly perturbed by the electricity that frequently bombarded her from the jumpy Ark. She'd merely shrug it off, get back up and carry on with her sunny disposition as if nothing had happened, mystifying Ark to no end. Fura and Zelda were still trying to get Link to participate in their odd joke that they found astronomically funny. There was an awful lot of blushing and laughing going on. Florella seemed to be trying to get Talen to carry her, but despite his strength the boy didn't seem to want to carry any extra weight. Ark trudged along with his hands resting on the straps of his pack while Nyara danced along next to him. Though she looked rather careless, she was always keeping an eye on Ark and the surrounding trees.  
"Are we headed in the right direction, Ark?" Link asked Ark suddenly. Whether or not his question was out of genuine curiosity or the desire to shut Fura and Zelda up was unknown. Ark dutifully pulled out the Compass and peered into it.  
"Yes, we keep going straight ahead," he informed everyone. "I don't know how far we have to go, unfortunately." His tone held an almost apologetic note.  
"Don't worry," Impa said. "We get there when we get there. Just stay close to Nyara and she'll protect you." Nyara beamed with pride and linked her arm around one of Ark's and marching on. Impa smiled and her eyes twinkled. Florella looked at the Sheikah woman questioningly.  
"She just looks so happy when she's looking after him," Impa chuckled. "I just wanted to see that look on her face again."  
"That poor, poor- ow!" Link yelped as Saria flicked his ear.  
"Enough moaning from you today, mister," she told him. "Don't spoil the mood."  
"Don't spoil the oppression, you mea- ow, stop! I'm sorry!" he yelped yet again.  
"No you're not," Saria grumbled. "Honestly Link, where would you be without somebody to keep you in line…and don't answer that."  
"Yeah, yeah," he sighed, rubbing his ear.  
"We'll have to go around them when we reach the base," Impa frowned, looking up at the mountains in the distance.  
"Why can't we go over them?" Talen asked.  
"Because they're virtually impassable and I don't want any more troubles on top of mountains," Impa told him. "Remember what happened the last time you were all up one?" Images of Glaciana's keep drifted back into the minds of those that had seen it.  
"We all got away safely, though," Fura grinned. She nudged Link in the arm with her elbow. "Remember?"  
"I don't really want to," Link said, grimacing slightly. Fura sniffed disdainfully and bonked his head with her gold band.  
"Ah what do you know," she snorted. "You'll come around one day."  
"To do it," Zelda snickered. The girls were instantly crying with gales of laughter again. Link's shoulders slumped and he shook his head.  
"Sweet Din" he grumbled.

The party hit a setback in the early afternoon in the form of a broken bridge. The bridge had spanned a sizeable gorge that cut its way through the forest like a gash. A fast-flowing river raged along at the bottom of it where the remains of the bridge could be seen wedged in between rocks.  
"Wonderful," Fura sighed. "How do we cross?"  
"I could probably fly each of you in turn," Link said a little dubiously. "But it may take a little while." Impa, who was frowning thoughtfully, shook her head.  
"There's no need. There's another bridge that we can cross to the east," she informed them. "Since we'd have to go that way to get around the mountain it isn't really all that much out of our way. Let's go." The tall woman shouldered her pack and jerked her head and the group began moving again.  
It took them a few hours to reach the other bridge, and by that time it was late afternoon. The group showed some signs of fatigue from a long day of walking so it was decided that they'd set up camp on the other side of the gorge. The bridge was quite narrow, but it seemed to be sturdy. Even so, Impa made them cross one at a time. Talen went first, since he was carrying by far the heaviest pack out of all of them. He held the two ropes on either side of the walkway and moved across without any troubles, aside from a slight swinging caused by the wind. One by one they went until only Ark and Impa were left.  
"Go on Ark," Impa told him. "It's safe." Ark hesitantly stepped up to the edge of the bridge and gulped loudly. He faltered when he saw the churning water beneath him and cringed away a little.  
"Come on! You can do it!" Link called from across the gorge. "Just look straight ahead and put one foot in front of the other!"  
"O-Okay," he stammered. Ark raised his foot and placed it carefully down on the first plank of the bridge. When it didn't snap and send him falling to a hideous, watery grave, he let out a huge breath and began to make his way slowly across. He continued in that fashion with the encouragement of his companions urging him on until he reached halfway. The bridge lurched suddenly as a gust of wind buffeted it and Ark instantly clung to the ropes, sank down and froze in place.  
"It's okay, Ark," Impa called to him. "It was only the wind." He didn't move and he kept his eyes closed tightly.  
"Ark almost there!" Nyara told him. "Ark keep going!" Ark opened an eye and then the other.  
"Do you need some help?" Link asked. Ark tried to shuffle forwards, but another gust of wind shook the bridge.  
"Y-Yes," he squeaked, sounding very ashamed. Link's wings sprouted with the help of Navi and he zipped out to where Ark clung to the bridge. With a little bit of coaxing, Link managed to detach Ark from the bridge and put him back on solid ground. The grey-haired boy breathed a sigh of relief as Link patted him reassuringly on the shoulder.  
"Don't worry about it," he told him. "You got as far as you did, and that's nothing to be sniffed at."  
"Yes…" Ark murmured, sounding rather dejected. Nyara came bounding up and helped him to his feet.  
"Nyara still proud of Ark," she laughed. "Ark still very brave. Ark will do better next time." Ark gave a wan smile, but his eyes betrayed a look of self-disappointment as they resumed their walking.

They camped a little way into the forest from the edge of the gorge. By the time the tents had been set up and a fire had been lit, everyone was just about ready to drop. Only Impa showed no signs of weariness along with Talen, to a lesser degree. Ark, in fact, was so tired that he sat down and fell right asleep in the heat of the fire. Nyara bundled his cloak around him and plopped his head in her lap before going through his hair with her fingers and humming to herself. The rest of the girls made various noises to indicate their general appreciation of the scene, but Link and Talen were too tired to really pay any attention to it. Link banged his head against the base of the tree he was leaning on a number of times since he kept dropping off, eventually doing so completely. He would have slid sideways from his sitting position onto the ground, but Zelda scooted over just before he did and allowed his head to bump against her shoulder as he snuffled and snorted in his sleep. Fura looked decidedly jealous, but said nothing. She'd get her turn some time down the track most likely.  
"There's a city up ahead that we have to go through," Impa informed the group as they walked. "There's nothing we really have to stop there for except supplies…"  
"And baths," Saria added, looking pointedly at the boys. Link scowled at her.  
"I think I've heard of this place," Talen said. "It's built in the valley that runs between the mountains."  
"That's right," Impa nodded. "But it's more like a canyon than a valley; very sheer sides. Unfortunately, I've forgotten its name." Impa looked a little sheepish about it.  
"Oh well, the name doesn't matter, just as long as it has somewhere for a bunch of dirty little boys to get clean again."  
"Hey, you're just as grubby as we are," Link told the Kokiri girl.  
"We don't make a habit of playing games that involve scrambling around it the dirt," Zelda smiled.  
"That was Talen's fault," Link frowned. "He threw the ball too hard and Ark dropped it."  
"Well you didn't have to dive at it, you know," Saria chided him. "Stooping to pick it up would have worked just as well." Link grumbled something under his breath and looked at the smudges of dirt on his arms and legs.  
"It's a protective layer," he then told them loftily.

The city gates lay between a narrow pass that the road they traveled along sloped up to. Strangely enough, the place was deserted. There were no soldiers occupying the guardhouses on either side of the gates and there were no people entering or exiting the city because the gates themselves were locked up tight.  
"Well…this is odd," Impa frowned, walking up to the gates. She pounded her fist against it a few times, creating a dull thudding sound. She waited patiently for a few moments, but received no response from the other side. "Is there anyone there!? We wish to enter!" Still she received no reply and the Sheikah woman huffed slightly and put her hands on her hips. She was about to try again when Nyara suddenly went on alert. She dropped down low and began sniffing at the air, her tail swishing from side to side.  
"What is it, Miss Nyara?" Ark asked. "Is there something wrong?"  
"Something coming!" she hissed. "Nyara smell it!"  
"Is it a person?" Talen asked, lowering his pack just in case. Nyara sniffed again.  
"Not person!" she hissed. "That way! It come!" She jabbed her finger at the trees behind them as the sound of something moving towards them caught their attention. The fighters in the party dropped their equipment against the gate while Impa got Zelda, Saria and Florella out of the way. Link drew his sword, Fura readied her scimitars, Ark swung his staff experimentally and Talen produced a set of sharp rock claws. Nyara continued hissing angrily away with her tail bushed out like an enraged cat.  
"Here it comes!" Link warned them as the trees began to sway. A large reptilian head suddenly burst into view followed by a clawed hand that grabbed the tree blocking its way, tearing it aside. It resembled a Lizalfos, but lacked weapons or clothing of any type. It was big, strong and looked very angry. The creature roared, flecks of foam spraying from its jaws.  
"What is _that?_" Fura demanded.  
"An Armalfos," Navi jingled. "They're like the cousins of the Lizalfos that we sometimes see, but they're wilder, stronger and a lot meaner. They're very tough too; their bones are very thick and lie just below the skin, your weapons may not be able to hurt it very much."  
"If that's so, then Nyara, you'd better get back with the others," Fura told the animal girl. Nyara looked around at her.  
"But Nyara-"  
"I know you want to protect Ark, but you wouldn't be able to hurt that thing with your claws alone." Nyara looked questioningly at Ark, as if seeing what he had to say.  
"She's right, Miss Nyara. You could get hurt," he told her. "I'll be all right, I promise." Nyara smiled at that and scampered back to where Impa and the rest of them were. The Armalfos followed her with its beady orange eyes.  
"Oh no you don't!" Fura growled. "You fight _us!_" She twirled a scimitar and a ball of flame appeared at the tip before she casually flicked it into the air and batted it at the beast with her blade. It whistled towards it and exploded against its shoulder. The Armalfos roared angrily and crunched forwards, its stocky legs thundering into the ground as it advanced on Fura. The four of them scattered, hoping to confuse the beast and they succeeded to a certain extend. The Armalfos stopped and shook its head before dropping down on all fours and charging at Link with a surprising amount of speed. The boy yelped and shot into the air via the Key and the Armalfos passed underneath. The monster, however; whipped its long tail around and snatched up the Key straps before slamming him into the ground. The boy grunted as he hit and lay stunned for a few moments as the Armalfos whirled around and came back for him. Luckily, Talen was already there and he met the monster head on. He headbutted the lizard and they were both knocked apart. The monster roared and clawed at its head as Talen brought his hands up to his.  
"Ow! I shouldn't have done that!" he groaned sorely. He didn't have time to nurse his wound, however; as the Armalfos opened its jaws and spat out a thick stream of flame. Link, who had partly recovered from his hit, managed to roll out of the way before he was toasted. Ark and Talen retreated to a safe distance, but Fura was unfazed and allowed the fire to roll over her. It was then that she ran forwards and attacked with her scimitars. Her blades flashed in the fire and sliced into the monster's cheek. It immediately stopped the stream of fire and growled at the girl as she jumped back. But the monster was quick and lashed out with its arm, striking her in the front. She was sent sliding back along the ground in a cloud of dust.  
"Fura!" Link called, rushing over. He scooped her up in mid-stride as the Armalfos lunged at her with its jaws open wide. It skidded as Link snatched Fura out from under its nose, roared, and gave chase. Link ran as fast as he could, but with Fura in his arms he couldn't get quite enough speed and the Armalfos brought up a clawed hand to strike them down. The blow never came as Talen came bursting out of the ground and landed a powerful blow to the underside of its chin. The Armalfos reeled over and landed on its back as shards of teeth fell from its mouth.  
"Thanks Talen," Link told his friend. Talen nodded, but then a scream got his attention. The Armalfos had spotted the girls hiding by the gate and was advancing on them with increasing speed. Talen acted quickly and raised his hand to create a rock wall between the monster and its prey, but the Armalfos bunched its powerful legs and leaped over it. Talen swore and crumbled the wall before rushing towards the monster along with Link, Talen and Fura. Link fired off a volley of shadow bursts, striking the monster repeatedly in the back. It hissed angrily and swept its tail in a wide arc, knocking all three of them off their feet. It turned and swung at the group by the gate, but its razor-sharp claws bounced off a shield created by Florella. It growled in frustration and tried again, but before it could make contact it began to writhe and convulse in agony as electricity wreathed throughout its body. Ark stood off to its side, a continuous stream of lightning connecting him with the Armalfos.  
"Go!" he shouted over the crackling of electricity. "Get away!" The girls by the gate didn't need any more prompting and fled from their position. The monster began to smoke as Ark strained to keep the stream unbroken. The Armalfos, however; suddenly bellowed in rage and blindly swung one of its massive hands at the boy. Ark was hit solidly in the stomach and sent rolling along the ground. Nyara, who had witnessed Arks hit, yowled in anger and dashed over before leaping up and clinging to the back of the Armalfos' head. She tore at its eyes with her claws, hissing and spitting the entire time.  
"Miss Nyara! Watch out!" Ark coughed from the ground. The Armalfos raised its hands and prepared to smash them together, crushing the animal girl. Fura had other ideas, however; and slid in front of the monster. She threw one scimitar to the ground and placed her free had to the butt of the remaining weapon. The Armalfos reared its head back and Fura lunged upwards. Her blade sunk into the underside of its jaw and crunched straight up into its skull. The monster stiffened in an instant and toppled forward just as Fura dove out of the way. It landed with a terrific thud, sending Nyara rolling onto the ground in front of it. She shook her head and looked around as everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief. Fura collected up her scimitar from the ground and, with some difficulty, pulled her other from the dead monster's jaw.  
"He was a toughie," the Gerudo groaned, nursing her sore ribs. "Owie."  
"Is everyone all right?" Impa asked, coming over.  
"We're alive," Talen panted. "Can't say the same thing for that lizard, though." They all limped in together, nursing their wounds. Luckily, there were no broken bones. Ark was at the mercy of Nyara as she told him off and congratulated him at the same time while Florella busied herself with healing everyone. Naturally, she picked Talen first and then moved on to Fura, Ark and finally, Link. After her efforts, Florella was quite tired and so she climbed onto Talen's back and promptly fell asleep.  
"Well, what do we do now?" Fura asked nobody in particular, looking at the gates. "Are we still going to try and get in?"  
"I can go over them and see what's happening," Link offered, but his suggestion turned out to be unnecessary as a face appeared over the top of the gates. It was an armored guard.  
"Hey!" he shouted down at them. "You shouldn't be out there, it's dangerous! There's a monster out there somewhere!"  
"You mean that?" Talen asked, pointing at the slain Armalfos. The guard looked at it in surprise.  
"Hey! You killed it!" he exclaimed, sounding very pleased. "Nice going!"  
"Excuse me, but can we enter?" Impa asked. "We need a place to rest." The guard blinked.  
"Oh! Sorry about that," he said. He looked down behind the gate and shouted something. In a matter of seconds, the large gates swung ponderously open to reveal a team of soldiers standing warily inside. They relaxed visibly when they saw the dead monster and motioned for the party to come inside.  
"My apologies about the gate being closed," the soldier that had been at the top of the gates said. "But that monster appeared a few days ago and nobody has been able to go in or out that way. Things are a little heated in the city at the moment." The city ay directly behind the gates and looked quite spectacular. The alpine valley stretched out in front of their eyes, with the site built up along either of its sheer sides. A river flowed along the bottom of the sun-dappled valley, supplying water to the pastures on either side of it.  
"Welcome to Gale City," the guard told them. "But I'd advise you to move on as quickly as possible."  
"Why's that?" Zelda asked. "It looks lovely."  
"Take a look," the guards sighed, pointing his finger towards the end of the valley. A huge, bulky shape rested between the mountains. At first glance it seemed to be just an oddly-shaped hill, but on closer inspection it was evident that it was very much alive.  
"Wha-What is _that!?_" Link demanded. "It's enormous!"  
"That," the guard told him. "Is the Golem, and it's virtually keeping our city blocked off from the outside world. Good luck getting past it; everyone who has tried didn't last very long."


	34. Calm Before The Storm

**Chapter 33 - Calm Before the Storm**

"And how long has that thing been there?" Florella asked.  
"Only a few days. The people just woke up to it one morning," the guard frowned. "It doesn't do much, just sits there drinks water from the river and eats a lot of our crops."  
"So…it hasn't attacked or anything like that?" Link queried. The guard shook his head.  
"No, well…it destroys anything that gets close to it. Otherwise it doesn't do anything. But I'm afraid it's ruining the city by blocking it off," the young man sighed. "Oh well, at least we can get some traffic through the gate you cleared for us." They were led down a winding pathway that forked high above where the valley divided. Where the path split, two tall, spiraled pillars rose as a kind of sculpture. From below, the river flowed out from underground and snaked its way along the valley floor. They stopped for a moment to admire the view before the guard took them on the right-hand path.  
"There's a fine inn along this side that we can put you up in, free of charge of course for defeating that monster," he told them. The city on either side of the valley had been built so that it jutted out from the steep sides, allowing for more flat space for building. The inn was built right on the edge, providing a spectacular view. It was rather a splendid building, with creepers grown up the big-blocked walls to make it look like an old temple. The group was led into a spacious courtyard where a fountain gurgled away in the middle of a flower bed. The girls were very impressed, and looked around while the guard went in to tell the innkeepers about their newest tenants. Nyara went chasing a group of butterflies as the boys and Fura sank down onto a patch of grass.  
"Florella's good at healing wounds, but she can't do anything about taking fatigue away," Fura yawned. "I'm ready to drop."  
"I think I'll probably pass out as soon as we get our rooms," Link groaned.  
"Me too," Talen grunted. Ark said nothing since he was already asleep.  
"He must be exhausted," Fura frowned. "Poor boy; he's not really suited for fighting."  
"He's pretty powerful," Link said. "But I'll agree with you there. Ark's too gentle in nature."  
"Unlike you, you big lout," Fura said, cuffing the back of his head gently. "You've got conflict etched into your bones." Link rubbed the back of his head.  
"I can't help it," he said lamely. "Trouble finds me…hence meeting you."  
"I ag- hey!" Fura said indignantly. She jabbed her finger to his forehead and pushed him over backwards. He made some kind of half-hearted wail, but being too tired to really struggle he simply flowed over. Fura looked down at him and quirked an eyebrow.  
"What was _that?_ You sounded truly pathetic there, Link," Fura said despairingly.  
"You hit me, and I'm too exhausted to get up again," he mumbled sleepily. "I need a rest, wake me when we can go in."  
"Then you'd better get up," Fura told him. "The guard's back." Fura pulled Link to his feet and Nyara carefully picked up the sleeping Ark so as not to wake him. The guard apologized for taking so long and led them inside. The inn was run by a rather chubby husband and wife that happily showed them to their rooms.  
"Are you sure this is all right?" Impa asked.  
"Not at all!" the woman laughed, her cheeks flushing. "Now that you've cleared the gate, people can start coming here again. It's no trouble at all." She let loose with a rather loud laugh that woke Ark and sent him tumbling from Nyara's arms and onto the floor.  
"Ow," he groaned, shaking his head.  
"Nyara sorry," the animal girl apologized, helping him up again. "Ark all right?"  
"I'm okay, Miss Nyara," he assured her, dusting himself off. "Just a little surprised." He yawned and blinked sleepily.  
"Poor Ark tired. Nyara put Ark to bed so he can rest, o-kay?" she said, grinning at him. Ark looked slightly hesitant, but nodded. The girls' room was bigger than the boys' because they outnumbered them. Link, Talen and Ark didn't complain, though; anywhere they could sleep was fine with them.  
"Talen, do you want to look around the city with us?" Florella asked sweetly when Impa safely had their room keys in her possession. Talen looked pained.  
"Sorry Florella, but I'm tired from all the walking and that fight," he told her apologetically. "I'll go tomorrow." Florella's eyes welled up with fake tears and she sniffed loudly.  
"But…" she began in a small voice. "I thought we could go…together." Talen winced and groped for something to say.  
"Tomorrow," Link grunted. He flicked the door closed in Florella's face, leaving the girls standing outside in the hall. "We want to sleep."  
"You stink!" Florella called to Link from behind the door. "Fine! I'll see you tomorrow then Talen." She giggled girlishly and skipped into the girls' room. Fura grunted something and followed.  
"I'm tired too. Wake me never."

The boys and Fura slept all through the afternoon and up until midday the following day. It was Link who woke first; roused from sleep by his rumbling stomach and a scratching at the door. He frowned and padded barefoot to the door and opened it, only to be floored by Nyara as she burst in, knocked him down and skidded to a halt at Ark's bedside.  
"Jeez Nyara," Link muttered, picking himself off the floor. "Be careful."  
"Sorry," Nyara said from where she was sitting on the floor next to Ark's bed. "Nyara just miss Ark."  
"Miss him? He's only been in the next room for one night." Nyara stuck her tongue out at him.  
"Nyara miss Ark all the same," she told him. Link shook his head and wandered into the hall in search of something to eat.  
"Urgh, I wonder where the kitchens are?" he mumbled. As he walked past the girls' door, it swung open and Saria stuck her head out, followed by Zelda.  
"Well it's about time you dragged yourself out of bed," Saria frowned. "Talen and Ark awake yet?" Link shook his head and yawned.  
"Not yet, but I'm sure Nyara will scare Ark into waking," he told her. "Talen wouldn't be able to sleep through that. Do you know if there's any food around here?"  
"Tut, tut, Linkie-do," Zelda told him, shaking her finger. "You need a bath before you get anything to eat." Link didn't look too pleased.  
"Can't I just-"  
"No," Saria said flatly. "You're a very grubby little boy."  
"Feh, little. I'm bigger than you, Saria." Saria folded her arms across her chest.  
"Sorry Link, but I'll _always_ be bigger than you. Now go and bathe," she told him brusquely, waving him away with her hand. Link looked a little indignant.  
"I don't know where to go," he said.  
"I'll show you," Zelda offered, taking his arm and leading him off. "We've already had baths, that's why I smell so nice."  
"You're still all rotten to me," he snickered quietly. Zelda made an indelicate little noise and elbowed him in the ribs for his trouble.  
Link didn't take long in the bath, the main reason being that the water was quite chilly.  
"Eeh! Alpine cities are _not_ the right places to take baths," he chattered, toweling himself off. He dried his hair as best he could, shaking droplets of water every which way with a vigorous twist of his head. He teetered off-balance slightly, and then exited the baths to get some breakfast. His feet picked up the cold of the floor especially well after just being soaked in water, so he scuttled off to the room he shared with Talen and Ark to fetch his boots. He passed his two friends on their way to the baths after they'd both been woken by Nyara. Link warned them of the cold before arriving at the door of their room and pushing it open. Whistling to himself, Link began searching for his boots after he'd kicked them off the previous night without remembering where. After a short search, he found them underneath his bed and crawled underneath on all fours to get them. He suddenly felt a sharp slap to his backside and he leaped up in surprise, only to bang his head on the underside of his bed. He rolled out, rubbing his scalp.  
"Hello there," Fura greeted him rosily. "I see you're finally up."  
"Jeez Fura," Link winced, his face flushing slightly from embarrassment. "Did you have to do that?"  
"I couldn't _not_. You've got such a nice little behind there," she giggled.  
"Fura!" Link exclaimed. "Don't say things like that!" Fura burst out laughing.  
"Too easy," chuckled, tapping the tip of his nose with her finger. "Have you had breakfast yet? Though I suppose it's lunchtime now…"  
"I was just about to get some, but my feet were cold so I came to get my boots," Link told her, holding up his foot to pull one of the boots on.  
"Such squiggly widdle toes you have there," Fura cooed idiotically, grabbing his foot before he could pull his footwear on. "Are you ticklish?" She began to tickle his foot, causing his toes to squirm and dance.  
"N-No! Stop, I'll fall!" he half-wailed half-laughed. Sure enough, he lost his balance and fell over backwards. Fura followed, still torturing the sole of his foot with her fingers. "Stop! It's too much! Please!" He begged, trying to wrench his foot from her grip.  
"Who's the most beautiful girl in the world?" Fura demanded, laughing. "Say it! Tickle, tickle, tickle!"  
"No! Augh!" Link wailed. The Key straps suddenly would up around Fura's waist and tried to pull her away, but Fura, from her sitting position on the small of his back, merely wound both arms around his leg and refused to let go.  
"Who's the prettiest!?" she grinned. Link could barely talk through his laughter. "Come on! Say it!"  
"I-I can't! I'll get in trouble!" Link protested, trying to be serious yet failing miserably.  
"Good boy," Zelda's voice suddenly came from the open doorway.  
"Curses," Fura muttered, letting go of Link. His leg slapped onto the floor and he lay on his stomach while he got his breath back. "Oh well, we still had fun, right?" The Gerudo laughed and pulled the boy to his feet.  
"Yeah, a boatload," Link said flatly as he pulled on his boots. "Thank you, Zelda."  
"Always a pleasure," the Princess said sweetly, curtsying. Fura muttered something under her breath.  
"Now I can finally get something to eat," Link sighed. He went for the door, but Zelda stepped in front of him. "Huh? Was there something else?"  
"There is, as a matter of fact," Zelda giggled. Her expression suddenly became more ruthless. "Now…who's the prettiest?"  
"What!?"  
"It's a simple question," Fura said, smiling in a sickeningly-sweet manner. They both stood in his way, smiling at him; their faces all dimples.  
"Ah…" Link began. He searched for some kind of answer, when it suddenly came walking past his door. "Saria! Sorry, you two, but Saria's the prettiest girl I've ever known." He quickly slipped between an indignant Zelda and Fura to where Saria had stopped at the mention of her name.  
"Pardon?" Saria asked in a confused manner as Link skidded to a halt at her side.  
"You're pretty, act flattered," Link hissed out of the side of his mouth.  
"Oh! Well I don't mean to blow my own horn, but…" she left it hanging.  
"Sorry, you two," Link said, shaking his head at the two irritable girls in the doorway. "Come on Saria, let's go and get some lunch so I can bask in your glory." He pelted off down the hallway with Saria gripped by the wrist. Just as he rounded a corridor, he made a face at Zelda and Fura before disappearing out of sight, the sounds of his retreating footfalls and the clinking of the rings hanging in the air. Fura pouted sullenly and scuffed her foot on the floor.  
"That weasel," Zelda huffed.  
"Oh well, he would have said me anyway," she shrugged.  
"Really?" Zelda asked flatly, quirking an eyebrow. "What makes you come to that conclusion."  
"Well, just look at this skin; it shines with an exotic, coppery glow. You're too pale I'm afraid," Fura grinned, hoping to goad Zelda into reacting.  
"Hah! What do you know? You're rough and could easily set him on fire. I, on the other hand, am a sweet, innocent Princess of royal virtue. My skin is not _pale_; it's milky-white and oh-so smooth. Look at these arms," Zelda smirked, holding it up for Fura to see as they walked down the corridor. "Perfectly rounded and supple, while yours are sinewy and have too many muscles."  
"You and your arms," Fura snorted. "I've got it where it counts."  
"Oh?" Zelda asked, reasonably unimpressed. Fura grinned and pointed to her chest with her thumb.  
"I was blessed with nicely sized br-"  
"I haven't finished growing just yet," Zelda interjected. "Besides, _some_ boys prefer a more petite figure." They looked at each other with their eyes, keeping their heads facing forwards as they walked side by side until, finally, they burst out laughing.  
"Let's hurry," Fura grinned. "I'm getting hungry."

"Talen," Florella said happily having finally located the boy. "Here you are! What are you doing?" He was standing on the balcony of the boys' room, looking out over the valley. His main point of interest, however, seemed to be the massive Golem that sat up the far end of the valley. The enormous creature didn't seem to be moving at all, whether it was sleeping or doing something else Talen was unable to tell. From a distance it looked like just a big mound.  
"Huh? Oh, hello Florella," he greeted her. "I was just thinking."  
"Thinking?" she asked as she came up to his side and followed his gaze. "About the Golem?" Talen nodded, his hair whipping around wildly as a sudden gust of wind came up the valley.  
"Yeesh, it's cold out here," he shivered. "Let's go inside and get some lunch. I'm sure Link's champing at the bit to get some food." He turned along with the fair and headed back into the inn.  
"Talen…you wouldn't happen to know if Link's plotting something…would you?" Florella asked.  
"How do you mean?" he asked, looking down at her as they walked from the room and into the hall.  
"Well…as payback for the Spring Festival," Florella explained.  
"Oh, I see," Talen frowned. He shook his head. "Not that I can tell. If he _is_ plotting anything, then he hasn't told Ark or myself."  
"Oh pooh," Florella pouted. "Oh well, I'll figure out what he's up to."  
"I'm sure you will, Florella," Talen said dryly.  
"I _am_ a Gr-"  
"Great Fairy after all, I know," Talen finished for her. "I'm sure Link's plan that he may or may not be scheming will just crumble in your presence." Florella smiled and took hold of his hand.  
"I'm glad you agree."

Ark was the last of the three boys to take a bath since the bathhouse consisted of one pool that was big enough to fit one person in comfortably. In the dimness of the stone room, Ark could see the light warping and refracting off of the surface of the water. He shuddered slightly and stepped up to the edge of the sunken pool. He dipped his foot in and jerked it back out with a gasp.  
"There's only one thing I hate more than water, and that's cold water," Ark frowned. "Or maybe cold _rough_ water…oh well, better get it over with." He dropped one towel onto the floor and wound another securely around his waist before sinking himself into the water. It was like a thousand icy knives stabbing at him all at once as the cold water lapped at him. He inhaled a shuddering breath and arched his back, sitting frozen with a look of shock on his face. After a short while, he began to get used to the temperature and started to wash thoroughly.  
"Water," he sighed, almost cringing away as it flowed over his head. He hated the stuff, he didn't know why, but he hated it all the same. The way it clung to him, made him cold, matted his hair and suffocated him when he went under. He recalled seeing Nyara underwater on their journey to Windhill. She looked- for a lack of a better word- unbelievable. It was hard to believe that she could look so different by merely being underwater. Ark shook his head and blinked, suddenly realizing that he'd been letting his mind wander when he could have already gotten out of the water. He had just managed to stand when the door suddenly burst open and Nyara came pounding in.  
"Ark!" she called loudly. The boy looked at her in surprise as she ran towards him, slipped on the wet floor and crashed straight into him. Ark windmilled his arms madly in an attempt to regain his balance, but he was too far gone and he teetered over and splashed into the bath. He flailed around and gulped down water in his panic, before he felt a pair of hand hauling him out of the bath. He coughed and spluttered out fountains of water as Nyara shook him to make sure he was all right.  
"Nyara sorry!" she apologized. "Nyara no hear Ark for a while, and Nyara got worried."  
"N-No, Miss Nyara, I'm fine," he assured her. "But…I was just thinking, that's all."  
"Nyara know that Ark no like water, so Nyara think that something bad happen to Ark to make him stay," she paused and smiled almost sheepishly. "Nyara sorry for knocking Ark back in."  
"That's all right, Miss Nyara," Ark said. He stopped suddenly and looked down at himself. All he was wearing was the towel around his waist. As quick as a flash, he grabbed the other towel and threw it around himself like a cloak.  
"Ack! I'm sorry, Miss Nyara!" he squeaked, blushing horribly.  
"For what?" Nyara asked.  
"I-I'm not wearing…enough." He whirled around and stood somewhat awkwardly, shivering in the cold air with water dripping off of him. Nyara frowned.  
"Nyara never wear clothes, so Nyara no mind if Ark don't…but here it too cold for Ark. Look, you shiver," she said, pointing at him. Ark turned his head and saw her bound towards him. "Ark need big hug to warm up!" She jumped at him and threw her arms around his shoulders, crushing his back to her front and wrenching him about. Ark's expression became extremely strained and the air began to crackle slightly. Nyara blinked and her ears drooped.

Much to Link's despair, when everyone met up for lunch Florella decided that it would be a perfect time to have a look around the city.  
"B-But…" Link whimpered, his stomach growling.  
"We'll find somewhere to go eat while we look around," Fura told him. "It's not like you aren't getting fed at all."  
"But I'm hungry now," Link said in a small voice.  
"You're always hungry," Saria told him. "Besides, when was the last time you went out and spent money on us?" Link blinked.  
"Who said anything about me spending money?" he asked cautiously.  
"You did just then," Fura smirked. She sauntered past, blowing lightly in his ear as she did. Link looked surprised and flinched slightly before eyeing her warily.  
"Oh come on," Florella said, rolling her eyes. "Don't be such a stingy."  
"I'm not stingy!" Link flared. "Talen's the stingy one, he never buys anything; he just makes it himself!"  
"That's because most of the things Talen makes are better than the bought versions," Zelda giggled.  
"I'll pay too," Talen said. "I don't mind."  
"I shall too. It's only right," Ark put in. Florella chuckled lightly.  
"You're a treasure, Ark," Impa laughed, patting him on the head. "Stick close to Nyara; we wouldn't want anything happening to the favorite."  
"Favorite?"  
"It means that you're the one least likely to disobey," Link informed the grey-haired boy. Saria elbowed him in the side as she walked past.  
"Stop that," she told him. "I want you to behave today. No sneaking off and no making a pig of yourself either."  
"Anything else?" the boy asked, rubbing the spot where Saria had elbowed him.  
"Just try to be like Ark for the rest of the afternoon," she smiled sweetly at him.

Despite the presence of the Golem, the people bustling around the streets were surprisingly cheerful. To Link's horror, the girls wanted to look over on the other side of the city before they stopped somewhere to eat. That meant walking all the way around to the gates and taking the other path. He didn't raise any objections due to the fact that he didn't want to get on Saria's bad side after she specifically told him to behave. Link frowned to himself as he walked along, penned in between Fura and Zelda. He was taller than Saria _and_ stronger than Saria…but for some reason she was bigger than he was. As far as anyone was concerned, Saria was in charge of Link and despite her outwardly adorable appearance, she could sometimes be very strict. Back at home she told him what to eat, when to wash, when to go to bed and she made extra-special note to meticulously brush, cut and tidy his hair. Then again, what could he do about it? Saria was his lifelong friend and perhaps his closest. She knew him probably better than he knew himself, which was a good thing because she kept him out of trouble. Still, she could be more than a little…  
"Bossy," Link mumbled.  
"What was that?" Fura asked. Link realized his error and knit his eyebrows together in concentration.  
"Erm…I'm…hungry," he told her.  
"Oh, well what's new?" the Gerudo snorted. "You'll get to fill that belly of yours soon enough." Link mentally patted himself on the back and breathed a sigh of relief. That was another thing…when Saria got annoyed at him; she could really make him sore. But despite all of that, Saria was a lot of fun to be with. In winter they'd play in the snow making snowmen, sledding and sliding around on the frozen pond. In the summertime they'd swim, climb trees and play all sorts of games in the forest. Link smiled to himself before slowing his pace and dropping back to Saria's side.  
Link's stomach had started growling by the time they'd had a good look around a few of the shops, and it was decided then that lunch was in order. Link felt like crying with happiness and his earlier qualms of paying for everyone flew out the window. Impa led the way to a small park they had come across while the three boys went off to buy lunch, leaving the girls behind.  
"Thank God!" Link breathed. "My stomach was about to eat itself."  
"Mine too, but I didn't want to say anything. I figured you could start complaining for me," Talen shrugged. They bought a few loaves of spiced bread from a small bakers shop before heading back. People milled about everywhere for various reasons and the boys found it difficult to stick together. A sudden surge of people swarmed down the street and Link, Talen and Ark were jostled around. They stumbled around for a moment before making it to a clear section by the side of the street.  
"Jeez, you think they were trying to trample us," Link frowned. "You two o-" Link stopped short and blinked.  
"What is it?" Talen asked.  
"I think we lost Ark," Link frowned. "Come on, Nyara will eat me alive if we go back without him."  
"Link? Talen?" Ark called. The crowd had swept him along the street until he had managed to fight his way out to a small alleyway where he could catch his breath. "Oh dear." He looked back out onto the street as he pondered what to do next. Ark knew the general direction in which he had to go, but the trick was getting through all of the people. He sighed and clutched his cargo tightly so he wouldn't drop it, before struggling his way through the swarms of people. He moved as fast and as carefully as he could, making sure not to run into anyone. With a twist and a leap, he made it to the other side of the street and breathed out a sigh of relief.  
"That was close," he whistled, checking the bread he carried. "Well, I'd better get back before I start to worry anyone." Ark turned to go, but instantly collided with somebody after being so careful. He tripped over backwards and landed on the ground with a thump. He shook his head and groaned.  
"I'm sorry," he said. "I wasn't watching where I was headed."  
"Damn right you should be sorry!" a harsh and familiar voice growled. "Are you blind? Or just stu-" Ark looked up just as the person he had bumped into looked down.  
"Uh-oh," Ark squeaked. He was looking right at the black-haired girl. She stood over him, her surprised expression changing to one of smugness. Her lips curled into a smile that chilled the boy's blood.  
"Well what do we have here," she purred, leering down at him. "I've been looking for you everywhere in this place. Come here!" She lunged at him and the boy reacted quickly, zipping forwards and scrambling between her legs.  
"Hey!" she growled, stumbling forwards and falling onto the ground. Ark, however; was already running as fast as his legs could carry him. The girl got to her feet and scowled. There wasn't much point in using magic to attack him; she wasn't trying to kill him after all, and there were too many people about. With any luck, the crowd would slow him down enough for her to catch up and grab him quickly. She grinned to herself and took off at a run.

"Oh no, she's back again!" Ark panicked, ducking and dodging through the crowd. He was a little less concerned with getting in the way of people with the girl on his tail, but the faster he went then the faster he could lose her. Every now and then he'd glance back and see her shoving people out of the way in her pursuit, and luckily for Ark her aggressive manner was slowing her down slightly. Ark's opportunity for escape came in the form of a wagon being drawn down the street. He dashed behind it, thus obscuring himself from the girl. He took that opportunity to slip into a side alley where he stopped and caught his breath.  
"What do I do now?" he groaned, looking around for somewhere to go or hide. The alley was relatively narrow, with a stack of crates towards the end. On either side were the side walls of two buildings; one of which was abandoned. Ark frowned thoughtfully as he looked up and spied a semi-boarded over window in the wall of the disused building. If he stacked the crates, then he could reach it. Wasting no time, he dragged one of the boxes over and hopped up on top of it and tried to get through the window. Unfortunately, he was just out of reach. He jumped down and dragged another crate along before straining to lift it up onto the first one. It took quite some effort, but he finally managed it and he was just in time too. The girl tore into the alley and spied him just as he was about to climb onto his makeshift stepladder.  
"You won't be running around when _I'm_ done with you," she laughed wickedly, flashing her teeth at him. Ark remembered the last time she had bitten him and he shuddered. The feeling of having his energy drained away was not one he wanted to repeat.  
"Ack! No, I taste horrible," he squeaked, leaping up onto the crates and diving for the window. He squirmed in through a gap between the boards and felt her hand graze his leg as she lunged for him.  
"Oh contraire! You taste rather sweet," she told him, her face appearing at the window as Ark picked himself up off the dusty floor. The building was of reasonable size and, from the inside, looked to be a derelict inn. Dust covered everything from old furniture to the creaky, wooden floorboards. Ark didn't hang around to take much of a look as the girl had already begun climbing through after him with a look of grim determination evident in her face. Ark yelped and pushed her head back out the window as quickly, yet as carefully as he could.  
"Hey, watch it!" she snarled, losing her balance on the crates and toppling onto the ground.  
"I'm sorry!" Ark apologized quickly, before running off down one of the abandoned corridors to find a suitable hiding spot.  
The girl, infuriated enough for the day, ripped through the window with her scythe and set herself down in the dusty corridor. She narrowed here eyes, allowing her weapon to dissipate before she began walking slowly down the quiet corridor. She muttered to herself as she walked. How could such a cowardly thing like Ark continually get the better of her? Just thinking about all the times he'd vexed her made her blood boil.  
"Stop hiding and face me like a man!" she shouted suddenly. "If you come quietly then I won't have to inflict some more neck-wounds." She got no response, which she was half expecting. The girl wasn't used to focusing as much on a single person before as she had with Ark. All of the other people or monsters she'd been paid to get rid of had usually only taken a week at the most, and even then it had mostly been finding them that had taken any time. A sudden noise off to her right made her leap through an open doorway and into one of the old rooms. Unfortunately, the noise had merely been a bird that had nested in the rafters. She scowled at the animal and resumed her search, stepping into each room and turning it upside down to find the hiding boy.  
"You're going to pay for making me search through this dust-ridden ruin!" the girl coughed angrily as she stood up after searching underneath an old bed. "Do you hear me!?" It was at that point a piece of rotten timber fell away from the roof and bounced off of her head. She nearly let loose with a torrent of prolific swearing, when she looked up and noticed a fine curtain of dust falling from the ceiling. She frowned thoughtfully and watched as it progressed slowly, as if something on the floor above were sneaking along. She grinned maliciously and summoned up her scythe before creeping along after it. She suddenly struck, the blade glowing purple as she sliced a circle in the ceiling in the blink of an eye. The section fell away as she leant her weapon against her shoulder haughtily. The circle she had cut away crashed to the floor in front of her, billowing out great clouds of dust. Once it had cleared, a clearly stunned Ark sat on the floor with a hand held to the side of his head.  
"Oww," he groaned, before coughing repeatedly. He shook his head and then saw the girl standing above him. Her cheeks were flushed with anger and her teeth were grinding together. He began to scramble away, but the tip of her scythe came down blisteringly fast and pinned his cloak to the floor. He stopped short and fell back as his clothing suddenly went taut. She reached down and picked him up by his collar, holding him in front of her with a surprising amount of strength.  
"We're leaving…_now_," she told him in a deathly quiet voice. The air around them began to ripple and waver and the girl suddenly vanished. Ark, however; didn't and he fell to the floor as the girl was suddenly no longer there to hold him up. Ark, to say the least, was stunned.  
"What happened?" he pondered out loud. Why wasn't he stuck in the girl's strange home? Rather than sit around and wait for her to come back, Ark fled back to the window from which he entered and slipped out. He sighed as he stepped back out into the crowded street. The bread had been smashed in his fall through the floor and he was covered in dust and splinters of wood; he'd no doubt have to take another bath.  
"Oh well, at least I'm still here," he sighed, walking swiftly back to where his companions were no doubt waiting for him.

"They're going to kill us," Link groaned after a fruitless search for Ark. Talen nodded in agreement.  
"Very painfully I'll bet," the smith muttered. "Oh well, at least Florella will only yell at me." Link's hands went to his ears as if he were feeling them for the last time before they were twisted off by Saria.  
"I think we should head back. With any luck, Ark's made his way there by now," Link frowned.  
"You hope," Talen murmured.  
"I certainly do." The two of them turned around and walked in the direction of the park with a cloud of dread hanging over them. Unbeknownst to the two boys, they were being watched from the roofs by a figure dressed in light armor. The figure narrowed their eyes before slinking back into hiding and raising a small mirror into the sunlight and flashing some kind of signal into the distance.  
"Get ready," the person muttered. "For this is one fight you will not win."


	35. Golem

**Chapter 34 – Golem**

"Hello boys, missing something?" Impa chuckled as Link and Talen slunk back with their tails between their legs. They looked decidedly shocked and floundered for some kind of excuse.  
"He made his own way back," Saria told them archly, pointing at Ark as Nyara made a horrendous fuss over him. "But the real question is…how did he end up on his own anyway?" Everyone seemed to be waiting for an answer from the nervous pair.  
"Ah…" Talen began. "Link knows the full story, ask him." All eyes went to Link.  
"What!? Talen, you worm!" Link cried.  
"It's all right," Ark spoke up. "We got separated in the crowd; it wasn't anyone's fault."  
"Oh Ark," Saria frowned. "You just took all the fun out of it for us." Ark looked confused.  
"Fun…? Oh, I'm sorry if I-"  
"Don't worry Ark, there's no need to apologize," Zelda laughed. "We'll just find something else to be angry with them about. Nayru knows there are always plenty of reasons." Both boys looked very insulted.  
"You're no angel yourself," Link muttered. "How often does your father scold you?"  
"That doesn't count," Zelda sniffed. "You're a boy; boys are meant to be scolded." Link made a face at her and sat down heavily with a groan.  
"Lady Florella?" Ark spoke up suddenly. Florella turned to him with a dimpled smile.  
"Yes Ark?" she asked sweetly.  
"Why…was I left behind when the girl disappeared?" he queried. "I doubt she let it happen on purpose." Florella jumped to her feet and clapped her hands together.  
"You've very right there," she laughed. "You see, in one of my more ingenious moments, I placed a binding spell upon you."  
"A binding spell?"  
"Aha! Everyone feel free to cheer! Or at least sing me songs of praise," the fairy giggled, dancing around shamelessly. "As long as I'm around, she can't just take the cheap road and vanish along with you."  
"I see," Ark said, looking rather pleased. "Thank you, Lady Florella."  
"No Ark, thank _you_," she told him. "For being just a gem of gentlemanness."  
"Is that even a word?" Fura murmured to Impa.  
"I've got a song," Link said, raising his hand. Florella whirled around and glared at him.  
"Well I don't want to hear it," she said rather sternly. Link didn't seem to care.

_"Her name's Florella, Florella! She used to be thin but not no more,  
now she can't fit her hips through the front door."  
_  
Florella stared at him and ran her tongue between her teeth.  
"Link, I hate you with every inch of my body," she said finally, shaking her head with an exasperated sigh.  
"That's a lot of inches- ow!" Link yelped as Saria twisted his ear around.  
"Enough of that," she told him sternly. "Instead of using your musical talent for little ditties like that, you _could_ be composing wonderful ballads." She gave his ear one last twist before letting go. He whimpered and began to nurse it gingerly with the tips of his fingers.  
"So the girl appeared again," Talen frowned. "Now I feel _really_ bad."  
"Oh Talen, you're such a big sweetie," Florella cooed, pinching his cheek. "But there's nothing to worry about."  
"Lady Florella's right, Talen," Ark spoke up. "Besides, I'm still here."  
"And you look rather filthy," Saria said, wrinkling her nose. "You haven't been taking lessons from Link on how to completely cover yourself in muck, have you?" Link looked just a little hurt by that, but said nothing lest Saria's fingers find their way around his ear again.  
"Ark taste like dust," Nyara frowned after scraping her tongue up the side of his face. Ark winced as she did it and wiped his sleeve on his cheek.  
"Looks like you're off to the baths when we go back," Saria chuckled. Ark looked utterly crestfallen.  
"Another bath," he sighed.  
"Be brave Ark," Nyara smiled, patting him on the head.

Link frowned and peered along the valley from his vantage point on the roof of the inn. The Golem was there, barely moving at all, but just enough to let people know that it was alive. He folded his arms across his chest as he sat there cross-legged. Ark was probably having his cold bath with Nyara hanging around outside the door to make sure he didn't drown. Fura was busy combing her great mass of hair with Saria and Zelda, while Florella sat next to Talen as he worked carefully at repairing one of her sandals. Impa sat reading a book, whilst simultaneously watching over them all. Link had actually been lucky to sneak off. In fact; he would have liked to have been sitting around with the rest of them, but for some reason he felt very uneasy with the gigantic Golem sitting at the end of the valley. He scratched the side of his head before looking at his arm more closely. He had gotten used to his dark arm and the mark on his face and barely even noticed them, but he had never really had a close look. He ran his hand along it, finding that it was rather smooth and surprisingly warm. He'd half expected it to be cold for some reason. He frowned and held it up to the afternoon sun, finding that none of the light came close to piercing it. It was pitch black; the blackest black he had ever seen before. He wiggled his fingers and smiled lightly. It was hard to believe that it had been cut clean off by the extraordinarily bad-tempered black-haired girl.  
"What a harpy," he sighed.  
"Who's a harpy?" a voice asked from below. He leaned out over the edge of the roof and saw Zelda looking up at him from the courtyard below.  
"Hello Zelda, what are you doing out here?" he asked.  
"I came to keep you company; sitting out here by yourself. You've been quiet all afternoon," she told him before holding out her arms. "Help me up." He did so by lifting her with the Key, before placing her down near him. She smiled and then trotted over to take a seat next to him.  
"Rupee for your thoughts?" the Princess asked, rearranging a lock of hair so that it didn't whip about her eyes in the wind. Link's brow creased and he pursed his lips, looking all in all rather serious.  
"The Golem," he muttered, looking over at it.  
"What about it?" Zelda asked curiously. She waited for Link to answer.  
"I don't know," he said finally. Zelda quirked an eyebrow.  
"You don't know? Then why so grim?" she giggled. "Come on, you look much better when you're smiling." She reached out and pushed the corners of his mouth up into a ridiculous looking smile. His eyes swiveled around with a kind of tired look to them. Zelda took her hands away and his mouth fell back to its serious frown.  
"Can't you feel it?" Link asked. Zelda sat still for a moment, pricking her ears.  
"No, I can't," she said finally with a shake of her head. "It's usually dreams that tell me when something is going to happen." Link nodded and turned his attention back to the Golem. Zelda frowned slightly and shuffled closer.  
"It's a little windy out here. Why not come back inside?" she asked. "I don't want you catching a chill." Link looked at her again with a hint of amusement evident in his face.  
"You sound like Saria."  
"Saria, the prettiest-girl-you've-ever-seen Saria? Why, I'm flattered," Zelda told him mockingly. Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "You _do_ think I'm pretty, don't you?" Link looked a little wary.  
"I don't have to tell you again, do I?" he frowned. Zelda nodded with a rosy smile.  
"Yes!"  
"Ugh, yes, you're very pretty, Zelda," Link sighed. He gently lifted one of her arms and held it like some kind of holy relic. "Why, just the chance to look at these…these…works of divine _art_ is enough to make me want to get out of bed everyday." Zelda played along and blushed horribly, clasping her hands to her face and giggling girlishly.  
"Oh Link, you _do_ go on," she told him coyly. "But my legs are even nicer." Link groaned mentally. Zelda's chief bargaining tool in her mind seemed to be the chance at seeing her supposedly magnificent "Royal Thigh".  
"I'm sure they are," he said dryly.  
"Would you like to see them?" she asked, batting her eyelids.  
"I _think_ I'll be okay," he winced. Link decided that it would probably be a good time to head back inside before Zelda decided to show him anyway. "Besides, you're wearing pants and not a dress."  
"Oh, right," Zelda pouted. "Well, maybe some other time." They sat in silence for a while, looking out over the valley bathed in afternoon sun. Link's attention had turned back to the Golem; an act that caught Zelda's attention.  
"What…do you feel?" she whispered, suddenly getting the feeling that Link was very serious indeed.  
"Something's going to happen," he murmured. "I don't know what, but it'll be soon…and I think it's going to be something rather unpleasant." Zelda looked worried and burrowed in under his arm.  
"You aren't going to do something dangerous, are you?" she asked in a small voice. Link looked down at her and gave her a reassuring smile.  
"Probably."

Link let Zelda down first before jumping off the roof and allowing the Key straps to absorb the impact. The Princess looked a little miffed at him for doing that.  
"Do it a little more carefully next time," she said briskly. He grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.  
"Sorry." They walked inside and found that everyone else hadn't really moved at all since both Zelda and Link had left.  
"Hey…where have you two been?" Fura asked suspiciously, suddenly noticing their entrance into the girls' room. They were all in there primarily because there was more space and furniture.  
"On the roof," Link said simply, jerking his thumb straight up. "Why?"  
"I'd get up to check for lipstick marks on your collar…but I'm indisposed at the moment," Fura said in mock seriousness as Saria worked away at the great mass of red hair. Link's face flushed instantly.  
"Euh! Trust you to say something like that!" he exclaimed. Fura laughed at him. "No, we were just talking."  
"About what exactly?" Florella asked. "How many children you're going to have? I say as many as possible."  
"What? No!" Link declared, his face aflame. "About this place! Something's going to happen soon!" Impa looked over at him with a rather serious expression.  
"What's going to happen?" she asked.  
"I…don't know," he frowned, scratching his head.  
"I know what he's talking about," Talen muttered, folding his arms across his chest. "I can feel it too; an air of foreboding." Nyara's arms suddenly flew around Ark's neck and crushed his head against her chest. He began to make choking sounds as her firm grip practically strangled him.  
"Big trouble?" she asked.  
"Maybe," Link sighed. "I don't know. That Golem being there doesn't help things very much."  
"If that thing _were_ to suddenly attack…" Saria began.  
"Ugh, I don't even _want_ to think about that," Link groaned. "It'd probably squish us into itty bitty bits."  
"Don't say _that!_" Saria snapped, hurling her comb at him.  
"Ow, sorry," he winced as the comb hit his forehead. "I mean, it would _try_ to squish us, but we'd pop Florella into its mouth and give it a heart-attack first." It was Florella's turn to hurl something at him, but instead of a comb or anything like that, it was a tiny spark of magic that sailed lazily over and popped on the end of his nose.  
"Ow! That hurts!" he yelped, clasping his hands to his face.  
"Serves you right," Florella huffed. "Never mess with a Great Fairy."  
"I fail to see what's so gre-"  
"Oh Link, hush!" Saria told him, standing up and pulling him into a sitting position in front of her chair. Her comb, which she had retrieved when chastising Link, appeared in her hand and began to run through Link's amazingly tousled hair.  
"Don't be so rough," he winced.  
"It's your own fault for not coming to me as soon as you'd gotten out of the bath. This is what happens when you let your hair dry messily," she told him in a very business-like manner.  
"Do I have to do all of this myself now?" Fura asked Saria, holding up a great ribbon of hair.  
"I'm sorry Fura; I'll be back there in a second. "I just have to deal with the grub here." Link didn't say anything in such a dangerous position. Saria was prone to getting a whole lot rougher if he misbehaved whilst under her treatment. The young Hylian allowed his eyes to travel around the room in a very bored manner as Saria hummed away behind him. Florella was watching Talen intently as he worked away with a thin strip of leather thonging to weave the toe-strap back in place. Florella _could_ have fixed it herself, but the fact of the matter was that the mere thought of Talen working diligently to please her made her practically giddy. He noticed Ark next, who seemed to be trying to breathe whilst simultaneously being choked to death by Nyara's arms around his neck. She seemed blissfully unaware as she sat there smiling.  
"Nyara, shouldn't you let Ark go?" Link asked. "You look like you're trying to kill him." Nyara looked shocked and instantly let the boy go. Ark inhaled sharply and sat there panting while Nyara attempted to apologize by licking his face. Link sighed and resumed his bored sitting.  
Night eventually fell and it came time for everyone to go to sleep. Fura insisted upon getting a goodnight kiss from Link, stating that it was _fact_ that he and Zelda had been up on the roof doing exactly that. Link denied it outright in a flabbergasted manner, while Zelda merely smiled and made the observation that perhaps he preferred somebody that didn't try to suck his teeth out. The two of them bantered back and forth in a friendly kind of way until they had noticed that Link had actually slipped away, along with Ark and Talen.  
"You two scare all three away," Nyara frowned. "Poor Ark." She shook her head and yawned loudly, exposing her pointed canines before walking over to her bed and curling up into a ball on top of the blanket. She was asleep in a matter of seconds.  
"Come on girls, you can debate tomorrow," Impa smiled, clapping her hands in a very business-like manner. "Off to bed."

Something was wrong. Something was oh-so wrong it wasn't funny. Link, Talen and Ark could feel it thick in the air as each opened their eyes one after the other. They sat up and looked at each other before climbing out of bed and quickly getting dressed.  
"We need to get the girls," Link muttered as he finished pulling his boots on. "Then we need to get very far away from here."  
"We should have left earlier," Talen frowned. "I knew there was som-" He was cut off by a vast rumble that shook the entire building. Screams echoed from outside.  
"What was that!?" Link demanded, racing over to a window. He tore the curtains back and looked outside in horror. People were running in panic towards the gate as the ground continued to vibrate. It was easy to see exactly what they were running from. The Golem was bearing down upon the city. Whilst moving, it looked quite different. It was covered in thick, grey, nobly skin that looked quite like cooled volcanic rock. It walked on four massive legs, the front ones ending in massive, stumpy hand-like appendages. The back legs were extremely squat and thick. Its body was bulky and cumbersome and its head was tapered and connected to the body without a neck. Its mouth was huge and split its head right along the middle like a jagged line. The Golem opened that huge mouth and let out a terrible sound like screeching metal.  
"Get the girls…now!" Link yelled, turning from the window and running full pelt at the door. He practically kicked it open and skidded out into the hall just as Nyara came sliding out of the girls' room. She zipped around Link and went straight to Ark, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the hallway.  
"Ark stay with Nyara," she told him. "Nyara keep Ark safe." Ark merely nodded mutely, still shocked at having seen the Golem coming towards them. The rest of the girls poured out into the hall as other guests burst from their rooms and fled in panic.  
"D-Did you see it!?" Saria gasped, running over to Link. "It's coming this way!"  
"Calm down," Link told her. "We're getting out of here now. Grab what you can and meet in the courtyard."  
They took only the lightest of what they could carry and assembled outside. Once it was made sure that everybody was there; they headed for the gates at a quick pace. The Golem, though very slow moving, covered a significant distance with each step and it took a surprisingly small amount of time for it to move closer to the city. By the time the group had entered the streets, most of the people had already fled the city, leaving only those with more belongings and carts to haul after them. Impa led the way while Talen took up the rear, the rumbling getting louder and louder as the Golem approached. They were almost at the gate when Talen shouted out a warning.  
"Everybody, take cover!" he bellowed, snatching up Florella and Saria. He veered off to the side and dove behind some rainwater barrels outside a building. The others didn't think to argue and took similar refuge as the Golem made its terrible sound again. It opened its gaping maw and a pulsing ball of yellow energy began to form. It built up just outside its open mouth before rocketing away and straight up the valley. The airwave it put out made the trees it passed bend slightly as it hurtled towards the gate before colliding and detonating with a thunderous explosion. Everything shook and air blasted in every direction, sending people to the ground and dust billowing everywhere. Once things had cleared, Talen stuck his head out from behind the water barrels and looked around.  
"Is everyone all right?" he asked, looking down at the others as they slowly got up from their ducked positions.  
"Yeah, we're fine," Fura said, looking around. "But it doesn't look like the gates are." Fura was right. The only exit from the city, bar the one behind the Golem, had been destroyed completely by the blast, reducing it to rubble along with the walls of the pass that it opened into.  
"What do we do now?" Zelda asked fearfully. "We've got no way out and that thing's getting closer and closer!" Florella looked thoughtful.  
"Well…" she began. She looked rather unsure of herself. "That thing sounds like it was summoned here by magic, right? Remember that guard told us it appeared overnight?"  
"That's right," Impa frowned. "He said it was suddenly there in the morning."  
"If that's the case…I _could_ try a banishing spell to send it back to wherever it came from," the fairy muttered. "But…it'll take some time to cast, and I'll have to be right in front of it." The others remained silent.  
"Are you sure it'll work?" Talen asked finally. "I don't want you to get hurt." Florella's cheeks went slightly rosy.  
"I don't know…but it's the best chance we've got." Talen frowned and looked over at Link, who shrugged.  
"All right then!" the smith said, clenching his fist. "I'll guard you Florella while you cast your spell. Everyone else find somewhere to hide…somewhere as close to the side of the valley as possible."  
"I'll distract it," Link volunteered. "I can fly up around it to get its attention so you have more time."  
"What!?" Saria exclaimed. "If you think you're going _anywhere_ near that thing, you're gravely mistaken!"  
"She's right!" Zelda told him sternly. "You're going with us!" But Navi had already zipped down into Link's tunic to form his wings. Fura lunged at him, only to miss as he slipped just above her reach.  
"Sorry," he apologized. "But this is for your own good…ugh; I'm starting to sound like all of _you_ now." He waved at them and began to fly higher into the sky.  
"If the Golem doesn't get you, then _I_ will!" Saria shouted after him. "You can't even _comprehend_ the trouble you're in!" Talen cringed away from the furious Kokiri girl.  
"Scary," he shivered. "In any case, let's get going Florella. Ark, you stay with everyone else; your magic may be useful as protection." Ark nodded and held his staff in both hands.  
"All right then," Impa nodded. "Let's go!"

Link spiraled high into the sky until he could clearly see the entire city below him. He saw a few people running about in panic after the gates had been destroyed and he could see Talen running with Florella to the point at which they could get relatively close to the Golem. Link put on a burst of speed and flew directly at the enormous creature. Once he was close enough, he wheeled down and flew directly in front of its face before sending a burst of shadow magic at it. The attack detonated in a black explosion right on the creature's lip, seemingly without notice.  
"What! Don't tell me it didn't even feel it!" Link exclaimed as he flew past. He grumbled something and wheeled around for another pass. He tried again, casting multiple attack spells at the Golem, striking it in a line across where its snout should have been. It seemed to notice Link's latest offensive, and opened its mouth in a move to swallow him. The Hylian swerved out of the way as the Golem's head loomed towards him, catching sight of a beady little black eye nestled in behind a ridge of lumpy skin. Link launched another attack, but aimed it at the Golem's eye. The spell struck and exploded, causing the Golem to shake its head and let out another hideous shrieking roar.  
"Take that!" Link shouted in triumph, but his victory was short lived as the monster's mouth spat out a dozen or so little black spheres. They raced through the air like a swarm of bees and headed straight for him. Link yelped and dove out of the way, but the black balls changed direction and followed. Link raced all the way down to the valley floor before skimming along the surface of the water. He rolled onto his back as he went along and saw that the balls were still after him. He could also see the underside of the Golem far above, marveling at how utterly huge the beast was from how close he was. He didn't have much time to take in the sights as two of the balls increased in speed and skimmed along after him. He swore and flicked his bottom two wings, resulting in a rapid change of direction to straight up. He corkscrewed as he went, the two balls spiraling up after him with the rest of them following behind. The Golem's underside was fast approaching and at the last minute he changed direction again, resulting in the faster two balls thudding into the Golem's belly. They sank into it like something hot going into butter and he saw the beast's skin ripple in irritation. Link got an idea and wheeled out from underneath the monster's underside. He looped around at top speed until he was flying up the length of its back, swerving left and right to avoid tall growths of knobbly skin that stuck up like rocks. One of the black balls hit one such growth, melting into it and stopping. Link grinned as he approached the top of the Golem's head. He slowed as he came out over it and saw its beady little eyes peering up at him. Then, as two more of the orbs broke away from the rest, he grabbed his sword and swung it backwards and then forwards. Both balls bounced off the blade and melted into the Golem's head, causing it to make an odd rumbling noise. The boy picked up speed again; swooping down as the Golem once again tried to swallow him, before traveling back along its underside. The balls were still on his tail and he slowed his pace to allow them to catch up. Then, as he shot along, he batted each sphere as it reached him straight up into the Golem's body until they were all gone. Link rolled in the air as a sign of victory before charging up and unleashing a barrage of shadow attacks on the monster's underside.

"Here! I can do it here!" Florella said sharply, skidding to a halt on a terrace that overlooked the valley. Florella and Talen looked out to see Link furiously trying to outrun some odd-looking black spheres that followed him around the Golem relentlessly.  
"Oh, I do hope he's all right," she frowned in concern.  
"Link can take care of himself, Florella," Talen said reassuringly. "Now get to work on that spell." The fairy nodded and walked out to the edge of the terrace. She stopped and held both of her arms out on either side of her body before closing her eyes and beginning a soft chant. She began to weave her arms about, making odd gestures with her hands and fingers whilst stepping around in what looked to be an odd dance. Talen watched her curiously whilst keeping a respectable distance, yet staying close enough to act in case he had to get her out of harms way. Strange symbols began to appear on the ground in an odd pink colour. The smith couldn't even begin to understand what they were meant to represent, so he instead directed his attention to Link and the Golem. The tiny speck that he could identify as Link had successfully caused the Golem to stop its steady advance to focus on him. Talen saw a tiny flash and identified it as the sun reflecting off of the Ragnarok, and two of the black balls following him bounced down and hit the Golem's head. Talen found himself clenching his fist and silently attempting to direct Link as he weaved and dodged out of the way of the monster's mouth. Finding that watching Link was making him too tense, he turned back to Florella to watch her instead. Talen frowned as Florella continued the casting of her spell, finding that amidst all the action, he had nothing to do but wait.  
Link yelped and kicked his legs up, rolling backwards through the air as the Golem lifted one of its mighty front legs in an attempt to swat him out of the air. He could feel the wind rushing against him as the appendage swept up, barely giving him enough time to get out of the way. The golem's leg or arm, it wasn't all that easy to tell the difference, passed in front of him until it was fully raised, before hurtling back down towards him with amazing power. Link twisted to the side and spun away at top speed, barely avoiding it. The arm or leg crashed into the ground below, sending up a great plume of water from the river, and creating a landslide from the valley walls. Deciding that the underside of the Golem was getting too dangerous, he opted to stay above it where it would be easier to see everything. He flew out from its side and into a wide arc that brought him above its back. He then flew in a slow circle, taking pot-shots at it despite the fact that he didn't seem to be doing any damage whatsoever.  
"Oh well, as long as its attention is on me," he frowned. He was about to launch another offensive when he noticed something silvery in between a number of the odd growths on the Golem's knobbly back. He narrowed his eyes and dropped altitude to have a closer look. As he drew near, however; something small whizzed past him.  
"What the…? An arrow?" he exclaimed. Another zipped by his ear and he quickly dropped altitude again, landing on the Golem's back. He held his sword at the ready, looking around for any sign of the archer. A shiver ran down his spine and he whirled around, lashing out with his sword. His weapon clanged against another and he found himself face to face with a young man dressed in light, polished armor. His clothing was rather tight, indicating that he wore it for speed more than anything.  
"Who are you?" Link grunted, keeping his sword braced against his assailant's. "What are you doing up here?"  
"I thought that would have been obvious to someone who's lasted this long…though maybe I overestimated you," the man chuckled in a dry voice. "I am Genn, the master of the beast you stand upon." Link was taken aback.  
"This thing is your _pet!?_" he gasped. "Call it off now!"  
"I'm afraid I can't do that. You see, you're the very reason it's here," Genn smiled wryly. Link narrowed his eyes.  
"You've been waiting for us to arrive," he muttered.  
"Ah! So you're not as clueless as I thought. Correct," Genn told him. "You've managed to dispose of Gravan and a few of the others, so I decided that a different tactic was in order. All I had to do was figure out where you were heading and then bring my little pet along."  
"But why didn't you have it attack us outright?" Link asked curiously as the two stepped away from each other.  
"Lull you into a false sense of security, of course. Once you believed this to be nothing more than an oversized animal here to eat the crops, you'd drop your guard."  
"Apparently not as much as you'd have liked," Link snorted. Genn looked amused, and then suddenly lunged forwards with a flick of his wrist. Link barely had time to raise his shield, which he strapped to his arm whenever he took flight. Genn's sword clanged off the polished metal with a shower of sparks and they both jumped apart, circling each other slowly. Genn went on the offensive again and Link met him, their swords ringing together as they hacked, slashed and parried. Genn swung his sword sideways at Link's face, causing the boy to lean back. Genn would have lunged again, but the straps from Link's key shot out from behind the Hylian and went straight for him. The armored man skidded and dodged to the side with a spin as Link quickly recovered and rained down three consecutive blows. The first one came from above, which Genn slid back from, the second came from the side as Link changed his stance, but Genn was able to deflect the blow with his own weapon, but the third caught him off guard as Link turned in a full circle and thrust the Ragnarok straight out. The tip pieced Genn's shoulder, causing him to swear.  
"You're good," he growled. "But I'm better!" Genn then launched into a blisteringly fast sword maneuver that almost made Link's head spin. His blade whizzed around in every direction as he moved forwards, forcing Link to step away in a defensive manner. He eventually took cover behind one of the Golem's growths just as Genn's sword crunched into it after him.  
"Wow that was fast," Link breathed.  
"You think that's impressive?" Genn laughed. "I haven't even started yet! Give up now and I promise you a swift and merciful death."  
"Yeah, right," Link snorted. Genn was probably bluffing…probably. "I'll beat you just like the others." Genn laughed dryly and Link stepped out from behind his shelter and resumed attack. The two blades clanged against each other as the two swordsmen tried to force each other back. Link succeeded in gaining some ground, but Genn took it right back again. The latter swung his blade coupled with a leap forwards and Link ducked and stepped underneath the attack, countering with a diagonal-upwards swipe. Genn whirled around too quickly, however; and scored Link a cut up the side of his face. The boy grunted and jumped back, wincing as blood seeped from the wound. Genn struck again, cutting deeply across Link's leg. He cried out in pain and fell over backwards. Genn stood over him with his sword held at the ready.  
"Hmm," he said dispassionately. "This wasn't as hard as I had imagined. Oh well, give my regards to the afterlife!" He lunged, but Link narrowed his eyes and the Key straps shot out from underneath him. Genn, who was using his weight to force himself down; couldn't change direction fast enough and the rings struck him solidly in the chest. Link lifted him straight up and then swung his sword into an upright position from where he was lying. Genn opened his mouth in surprise as Link suddenly pulled him back down and impaled him on his sword. The blade crunched straight through him and emerged from his back, piercing the armor with a metallic grinding noise. Genn stiffened and then fell limply over Link.

"Ugh, get off!" the Hylian grunted, shoving the body away. He sat up and extracted his sword before wiping it on Genn's clothing. He sat panting for a while as Navi popped out of his back. She looked critically at the cut on his face and the gash across his leg.  
"You're doomed," she told him, referring to the girls waiting for them below.  
"Probably," he grimaced, standing lightly. "Ow! That idiot got me a good one." Navi flew into his tunic again, allowing him to get into the air and relieve the pressure from his wounded leg. Just as he left the Golem's back, the monster roared again. Its mouth opened and it began to form another one of its huge energy blasts.  
"Oh no!" Link cried, flying straight up. "Talen! Florella! Get out of there now!" He was probably too far away to be heard, but he had to hope that the two of them realized what was happening.  
Talen frowned. Link had landed on the monster's back and he couldn't see him.  
"I sure hope you know what you're doing," he muttered. Talen turned back to Florella, who had almost completed her spell. A whole cluster of strange symbols arranged in a circle around her glowed pink on the ground. Talen alternated his view from the monster to Florella for a while as the fairy finished up. He breathed a sigh of relief as she opened her eyes and smiled at him, indicating that all was in readiness. Her smile quickly faded to a look of horror. Talen whirled around as he heard the Golem roar and open its mouth. Yellow energy began to coalesce in front of its mouth in a large sphere, getting brighter and brighter with each passing second.  
"Florella!" Talen barked. "We're leaving!"  
"But…I'm almost finished!" she protested.  
"You _will_ be finished if we don't get out of here, now let's go!" He grabbed her wrist just as the Golem launched its devastating attack. It screamed towards Florella and Talen as they ran, gaining on them in a matter of moments.  
"Hold on!" Talen shouted, picking Florella up and holding her against his front. He stopped running and formed the thickest stone shell over his back that he could manage.  
"Talen, don't!" Florella ordered shrilly. He ignored her and hunched over with his eyes closed tight. Florella's last scream was lost as she attempted to create a protective barrier around them. Everything went silent as the brightness increased dramatically with everything standing still for a split second. Then, suddenly, the terrible force of an almighty impact shook them. Florella screamed, but it couldn't be heard over the roar of the terrific detonation around them. She felt the sensation of flying through the air and then another horrible impact that jarred her entire body. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, it stopped. Florella took her hands away from her ears very slowly and then opened her eyes. She could feel something on top of her and looked up to see Talen still with his arms around her. Rubble covered them both and the boy didn't appear to be moving, bar his steady breathing.  
"Talen?" she sobbed. "Talen!?" His fingers twitched and the stone covering him began to crack away. He groaned lightly as Florella began to sob, relieved beyond belief that he was still alive. He opened his eyes very slowly as Florella crawled out from underneath him. She was scratched and bruised, but otherwise all right. Talen looked to be in far worse shape. His clothes were horribly torn and his skin was burnt. His left arm appeared to be badly broken and a trickle of blood ran down from his hair. He attempted to stand, but Florella held him down.  
"Talen, no! You're hurt, stay down," she begged, sobbing away. Talen ignored her, growling something as he spat out a rather large amount of blood. He finally got to his feet and glared hatefully at the Golem before stepping forwards with Florella trying to keep him back.

Link was sent backwards by the sheer force of the attack as it left the Golem's mouth. He spiraled out of control until he hit the valley side and landed in the upper branches of a rather scraggly tree. He shook his head in a dazed manner before suddenly realizing what had happened. He quickly flew up again just in time to see the yellow sphere hit the terrace where Talen and Florella had been. The buildings around the impact zone crumbled, and he saw a small speck shoot away from the explosion and crash through another building before landing on the ground near where the path into the city separated.  
"Rrgh! _Damn you!_" Link shouted. He shot towards the Golem and landed square on top of its head. He aimed his palm straight down and began to fire burst after burst of shadow magic. The attacks pulsed into its head, prompting it to shake to and fro. Link was relentless, however; and kept on steadily raining down the attacks. The Golem opened its mouth again, roaring in preparation for another one of its devastating spheres. Link bellowed mindlessly and increased the ferocity of his attacks until something behind him caught his attention.

Talen came to a stop at the twin pillars that stood where the path into the city split. He stood there for a second before limping in between them with Florella still tugging hopelessly on the back of his clothing.  
"Both of you!" he roared. "Up! Now!" He held his good arm out in front of him and the ground began to shake. The pillars cracked at their bases until they split away from the ground completely. They rose into the air before crunching together lengthways with a shower of rubble. The single long pole hung in the air for a moment before plummeting down. Talen whipped his arm up and caught it at the point at which they had joined. He gritted his teeth in effort as the ends ruptured into points, with sharp spirals forming down their lengths and meeting in the middle. The end result was something like a huge, savage-looking javelin. The Golem opened its mouth again and Talen drew his arm back and waited. As the yellow sphere began to form, his face twisted into a mask of effort.  
"_YAA!_" he shouted, hurling the javelin with as much force as he could. The weapon tore through the air, leaving a trail behind it as it raced towards its target. The tip of the javelin burst through the Golem's attack with such speed and force that it sucked it along behind into the monster's mouth. The creature shuddered as the javelin shot out of its back with the remnants of the yellow sphere still trailing behind it. The Golem's skin began to rupture all over its body, with bursts of a gaseous-like substance hissing out. It threw its head back and gave a long, agonizing wail before its legs gave out from underneath it. The monster plummeted down towards the valley floor and crashed heavily, sending a terrific shudder through the ground. All was silent. The Golem was dead.

Link had seen Talen hurl what looked like a thick pole towards the Golem. He watched as it came towards him, rip through the Golem's sphere and explode from its back.  
"Whoa!" he yelped as the monster's skin began to crack and burst. The vacuum behind Talen's projectile had almost thrown him from the Golem's snout, but he managed to get airborne before that happened. Suddenly, the Golem was getting farther and farther away as it dropped to the ground until it hit with a terrific thud. Link stared at it for a while until a greenish fire began to sweep over its entire body, dissolving the massive form. It took quite some time for it to fully disappear, and even then there were still some remains. Link shook his head in amazement before suddenly remembering about Talen and Florella. He flew over to where they were as fast as he could and landed swiftly by the broken bases of the two pillars. Talen was there, Florella too. The smith looked like he had seen better days; in fact it was the first time Link had seen him with any injury other than a scratch.  
"Are you two all right?" Link asked as he approached.  
"I'm all right, but Talen's hurt," Florella whimpered, sniffing loudly. "And I-I'm too weak to heal him right now." Talen waved his hand.  
"I'll be all right," he said, coughing a couple of times. "A few bandages here and there and I'll be as good as new." It was at that point he toppled over backwards. Florella squealed and held her arms out to catch him, but ended up being knocked to the ground by the unconscious Talen. Link winced and pulled him off of the fairy.  
"Oh no!" she wailed. "Talen, wake up!" She had a brief coughing fit on account of all the dust she had inhaled.  
"Easy, Florella," Link said, laying Talen out on the ground. "He's just tired right now after all he's done. Both of you need to rest, and_ then_ you can get to healing him."  
"But…" Florella began, tapping the tips of his fingers together.  
"Zelda can do a little for him until you're back up to strength, but…we shouldn't move him right now," Link frowned. "Ooh, you can see the bone!" Florella made a gagging sound and held her hand up to her mouth.  
"Do you _have_ to do that?" she cried. "He's injured!"  
"Sorry," Link winced, holding his hands up. "I'll go and find the others so we can get Talen back on his feet. Pity we can't do anything about the city itself." The two of them looked around. Many buildings had been destroyed by the Golem's attacks and people had been killed, their bodies lying near the ruined gates. Some of the city had fallen away and lay in ruin at the bottom of the valley. Link sighed and scratched his head.  
"At least most of the people got away," he frowned. "What a disaster."  
"At least that thing's dead," Florella sniffed, wiping at her eyes. "But if Talen hadn't been here…"  
"I know," Link sighed. "In any case, stay here with him while I fetch Zelda. We'll find somewhere that hasn't been destroyed to rest up until Talen's back on his feet."


	36. Recovering

**Chapter 35 – Recovering**

"What do you think is going on out there?" Zelda asked fearfully as she huddled with Impa inside a dark cellar. The loud crashes and explosions from outside had ceased only moments before, bringing an air of uncertainty to the group. Ark and Fura were the only sources of light; the former holding the glowing tip of his staff up while Fura held a ball of flame in her palm.  
"It's all gone quiet," the Gerudo murmured. "Do you think they've done it?"  
"I don't know," Impa said, shaking her head. "But…we should wait a little while longer before we venture out."  
"I hope they're all okay," Ark sighed, shifting slightly. Nyara, who sat next to him, had her arm painfully crooked around his neck. Enduring the vibrating and loud noises from outside had been very nerve-wracking, and frequently had Nyara squeaked and mewed her displeasure; usually with Ark on the receiving end. The grey-haired boy had to admit, however; that he was extraordinarily fearful and the presence of Nyara next to him was of great comfort. Throughout the experience, Saria could be heard muttering all sorts of things she was going to do to Link when he came back. She huddled on Impa's other side, mumbling and muttering out all sorts of dark little things.  
"That careless…going to get himself killed…teach him a lesson," she scowled.  
"Are you all right there, Saria?" Fura asked, quirking an eyebrow.  
"Yes…I'm just thinking of all the trouble that boy is going to be in when he gets back. He won't know what hit him…or pinched for that matter. He makes me so cross sometimes."  
"Nyara eat Link for Saria," Nyara offered, releasing Ark and holding her arms aloft. "Gobble down nice and fast. He be nice and tender from eating so much and fighting, mmm," she purred, licking her lips appreciatively. Saria looked thoughtful.  
"Perhaps," she shrugged. Fura shook her head.  
"Sorry, you two," she snorted. "But he's not much good to me dead."  
"Me neither," Zelda piped up, happy to have something to talk about besides the battle outside.  
"Well I _suppose_ I'll have to agree with you there," Saria grumbled. "I'll just have to settle with unleashing a thousand horrors unto him."  
"That's the spirit," Impa chuckled. "Besides; you wouldn't want to disappoint Florella now, would you? I'm sure she's already got the intricate details of all of your weddings planned out meticulously."  
"I'm sure she does," Fura laughed. "Even Ark's." The grey-haired boy, who had tried to be as uninvolved with the conversation as possible, had a sudden coughing fit.  
"Wha-what!? But I…" he floundered, almost dropping his staff.  
"Think nothing of it, Ark," Zelda smiled. "It's not surprising considering that Florella's ultimate goal in life is to have everybody on the planet married off so somebody else. She simply _loves_ weddings; a fact that's going to hit Talen like a ton of bricks. I shudder to think of the scale hers is going to be at." A sudden creaking sound echoed through the dark cellar, prompting Nyara to crouch down on all fours with her ears back. Her pupils enlarged and she waited, poised. Everyone else got ready too, with Saria and Zelda going to the back behind Impa, Fura and Ark. The cellar door, which was two wooden hatches built diagonally into the ground above, began to open slowly. At the last second, Nyara raced forwards and charged through them. There was a startled oath from above, followed by Nyara's triumphant call.  
"Ow! Get off me!" the voice complained.  
"Oh, it's only Link," Fura breathed in relief. They all went to the door and looked out to see Nyara batting away at Link's cheeks with her hands whilst keeping him pinned to the ground. He didn't look all that thrilled to see the animal girl.  
"You're back!" Fura and Zelda cried ecstatically.  
"Euh! There you all are," he grunted, trying to push Nyara off as she continued to rain light slaps across his cheeks.  
"Were…you successful in your plan?" Ark asked curiously. Link managed to roll Nyara away before getting up and dusting himself off.  
"Well…in a _way_," he winced. "The Golem's gone, though."  
"I don't like the sound of that," Fura frowned. "Where's Talen and Florella."  
"Don't worry," he said quickly. "They're both alive, but…they both took a bit of a beating, Talen more so. Florella's too weak at the moment to put him right, so we need your help, Zelda."  
"Oh no!" she cringed. "Is he hurt badly?"  
"It's not life-threatening at the moment. His arm's broken and he's got quite a few burns, but he'll be okay once Florella has her strength back. But for now, let's do what we can…oh; don't look at his broken arm if you're squeamish either."  
"Oh my God!" Saria exclaimed quite loudly.  
"What is it?" Link asked.  
"Look at your _leg!_ I _told_ you things were going to be dangerous, but did you listen!?" she ranted.  
"It's only a cu-"  
"I don't _care_ if it's a cut!" she shouted. "It could have just as easily been your whole leg! It could have been your neck, it could have been anything! Look at you! You can barely stand on it!" Link stood with most of his weight on his good leg looking rather self-conscious after Saria's outburst.  
"I-"  
"No excuses!" she snapped. Link's mouth shut very quickly. "Rrgh! What were you thinking? Going up against something that big?"  
"But…we won-"  
"But what about next time?" Saria demanded. "You may not be so lucky the next time you go up against a walking mountain!"  
"I don't think there are any more of th-"  
"You think this is funny!?"  
"A little," Link said in a very small voice, tapping the tips of his index fingers together. Saria's eyelid twitched.  
"Fine," she muttered. "But I'm very, _very_ angry with you right now." Link grinned hopelessly at her and Saria's stony face fell away with a heavy sigh.  
"You really _are_ a lost cause," she groaned. "Now give me a hug, you hopeless creature."

Florella was babbling all sorts of things at Talen when Link returned with everybody else. The first thing that was noticed was the amount of damage incurred by the city.  
"Look at this place," Fura whistled. "It looks like there's been a war here."  
"You're not too far from the truth there, Fura," Link frowned. "Here he is." Talen was still out cold on the ground with Florella holding his head in her lap.  
"Hurry, Zelda," the fairy pleaded. "Poor Talen."  
"Holy Farore!" Fura exclaimed. "I've never seen him _this_ bad before. Will he be all right?" Zelda knelt at Talen's side and put her had to his head.  
"He'll be fine; he's just sleeping right now," she breathed in relief. "It takes a lot to dent this boy."  
"He looks pretty dented to me," Saria blanched as she caught sight of the bone protruding from his arm. Zelda pursed her lips.  
"I agree with you on that," the Princess sighed. "I'll see what I can do for his arm first of all."  
While Zelda set to healing Talen as best she could, Nyara, Fura and Ark set about finding somewhere for them to stay until Talen and Florella had fully recuperated. Link was forbidden by Saria to move around until his leg had been looked at. Although the Kokiri girl was especially cross with Link, behind his back she was just as happy as usual.  
"It keeps him in check. I have to keep up appearances after all," she explained to Zelda.  
"You're going to have to teach me," Zelda smiled. "You wield great power over him."  
"Sorry, Zelda," Saria smirked. "But it's a power meant only for me." The two girls began giggling and Link, who could hear them from his designated spot, could _swear_ it was directed at him. He grumbled lightly and plucked at the bandage Saria had tied just a little too tightly around his leg.  
"Don't touch it!" he heard her bark from behind him. He quickly pulled his hand away and used it to scratch his head.  
"Can't I move yet?" he asked, looking over his shoulder.  
"No. Not until Florella's up to the task of healing you," Saria told him shaking her finger.  
"But…it's only a cut," Link said in a reasonably quiet voice. "I'm sure Zelda could-"  
"She's too tired after helping Talen," Saria interrupted, holding Zelda back as the Princess made to move forwards. "You're just going to have to stay there for a while. It'll keep you out of trouble."  
"Ugh, I'm not a baby!" Link complained.  
"Of course you aren't," Saria said, nodding her head.  
"Don't patronize me," Link muttered.  
"I wouldn't dream of it, Linkie-do."  
"Now you're just making fun of me," he grumbled. "Fine. I'll just be here sitting still if you need me."  
"That's my boy," Saria smiled.

Fura returned along with Ark and Nyara and led everyone else to one of the many empty buildings. The place they had chosen was a small cottage-like house that had a very homey feel to it. Talen, who was still oblivious to the world, was carried by Nyara. Since Florella had also since fallen asleep, Impa carried her to the cottage. Luckily for Link, Saria lifted his ban on moving just long enough for him to get into the cottage and sit against the wall near a crackling fire that Fura had rather proudly lit in the hearth. The cottage was quite small and had only one bedroom, but nobody complained since they didn't feel particularly keen on being split up at all after the attack of the Golem. Impa and Saria got to work preparing dinner in the small kitchen almost immediately. The heat from the fire started to take its toll on Link; his exertions from the battle with Golem beginning to catch up with him. At one point he closed his eyes for what he thought was just a second, before opening them to the vision of Fura's chest from her shoulder.  
"Whoa!" he gasped. Jerking upright and banging his head on the wall. Fura looked at him strangely.  
"What's the matter with you?" she asked.  
"When did you get there?" he asked, rubbing his head.  
"A while ago. You fell asleep," she told him. Link blinked groggily.  
"I did? Oh…" his sleep-addled brain tried to process that information for a second. "Oh." He yawned and turned his head the other way so he could blissfully slide down the wall and pass out on the floor, but it seemed that Zelda was blocking the way. He jerked up quickly.  
"You too?" he asked, rubbing his head after once again hitting it against the wall.  
"I don't have anything else to do," Zelda shrugged, clasping her hands together in her lap. Link stole a quick look at the busy Saria.  
"Could you take a look at my leg, please?" he whispered.  
"Of course I can," Zelda smiled at him. "For a price of course." Link twigged onto what she was on about.  
"On second thought…I can handle the pain," he mumbled.  
"Oh well, your loss," she sighed. "By the way…can you make sure you're up straight?"  
"Up straight? Why?" he asked.  
"To make things fair," Fura told him. "Whoever you fall on wins." Link looked slightly indignant.  
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard," he muttered. "I'm not going to participate." He made to get up, but a wooden spoon held by Saria came waving under his nose as the girl walked past.  
"You're not moving until that leg's better," she told him.  
"I could be here all night on the floor then!" he protested. "What if the fire goes out during the night?"  
"I'll give you your sleeping mat and Fura can help keep you warm," Saria smiled. "I've heard she heats up a fair bit…in more ways than one."  
"_Saria!_" Link exclaimed.  
"Oh grow a funny-bone, you stump," Saria sighed, shaking her head. "Now be a good boy, dinner's nearly ready." She walked off, leaving Link to glare after her with a rather red face. He glanced over at Fura, who was smiling in a rather self-congratulating manner.  
"Don't you say anything," Link told her.  
"I wouldn't dream of it, Linkie-do," she cooed, flicking his ear lightly with the tip of her finger. He pretended not to notice it and looked rather determinedly at the floor. Fura eventually stopped and stretched with a loud yawn. Zelda leaned forwards and looked rather smugly at the Gerudo.  
"Your shameless display there went unnoticed, I think," she snickered. Fura frowned and looked at Link, who was still gazing at the floor. She then looked down at her chest and pouted.  
"I need to change my clothes again soon," she sighed.  
"What, Again? What for?" Link asked, looking up. "What's wrong with the ones you have on now?" Fura smiled at him and batted her lashes.  
"Well I'm glad you appreciate how much leg this outfit shows," she giggled, patting her hands on her legs. "But it rather ignores the top-end, don't you think?"  
"Ugh, why did I ask?" he muttered.  
"Because you secretly adore this figure of mine and you'd like an eyeful at every opportunity!" Fura laughed. Link narrowed his eyes and glanced around at Zelda, who looked just a little bit pouty.  
"Zelda, that's a _lovely_ outfit you're wearing," he told her in a tone bordering on simpering. "I _especially_ like the way it shows off those arms of yours." Zelda blushed rosily and put her hands to her cheeks.  
"Why thank you," she giggled.  
"And it doesn't show off too much," Link continued. "Perhaps somebody else should wear something like that." He faced back straight ahead and began to whistle as he suddenly found the opposite window very interesting.  
"Maybe somebody else _should_ wear something like Zelda," Fura frowned. "But then…who'd add excitement to our motley crew? I say the more skin the better." Fura laughed and crooked her arm around Link's neck rather roughly. He squeaked in surprise as Fura smooshed his cheek up against hers.  
"Besides, you simply _adore_ looking at me, right?" she asked.  
"Yur th' only reason I get up in th' mornin'," Link mumbled with some difficulty.  
"That's what I want to hear," Fura grinned, looking sidelong at him. "Now whaddaya say to some chesty-gear?" When Link didn't answer, she squeezed her arm tighter and tighter.  
"Absholutely!" he gurgled in desperation.  
"Good, good," she smiled. "Oh, and a lot more kisses in the near future. I haven't had one in a while."  
"No!" Link yelped.  
"Yeees!" Fura chanted, squeezing even tighter.  
"Excuse me," Zelda said a little frostily, taking hold of his ear.  
"Hnnn! All right! Both of you then!" Fura and Zelda both let go and Link let out an explosive breath.  
"What cruel and unusual punishment is this?" he cried.  
"Link, behave yourself," Saria said sternly from the kitchen. The boy looked utterly hard-done by and resigned himself to hanging his head sadly. Saria laughed silently and winked at Fura and Zelda. She couldn't help but feel sorry for Link, who seemed to be in just a little bit over his head.

The hearty meal prepared by Impa and Saria was well met by everyone, particularly Link and Nyara. Florella woke up, seemingly drawn by the scent of food and seated herself at the table to eat whilst Talen dozed on oblivious to everything around him. As usual, Nyara took it upon herself to feed poor Ark in front of everyone. The majority of the table found it utterly adorable, bar the actual recipient of Nyara's efforts and Link. After the meal, Florella curled up next to Talen and went to sleep almost instantaneously. Ark also fell asleep, the heat of the fire and Nyara's steady grooming of his hair proving too much to handle. His head lolled and dropped forwards and he slowly fell back against her as she dutifully ran her fingernails through his hair to keep it tidy. Nyara blinked down at him before yawning widely and leaning back against the wall with her arms draped lazily around Ark's neck. The scene of the two of them sleeping away was met by a number of appreciative "awws" from Zelda, Saria and Fura. Link merely dropped his bedroll on the floor and crashed out without a second thought.  
"I don't blame him," Impa chuckled, watching the steady rise and fall of Link's chest. "He must be exhausted after everything that's happened today."  
"Not even a goodnight kiss," Fura grumbled, folding her arms across her chest.  
"You're relentless," Saria laughed, shaking her head. She looked at Zelda. "And you're just as bad." Fura grinned and Zelda smiled.  
"Oh well, the best of luck to you both," the Kokiri chuckled. "He's going to take a lot of work."  
"I'm up for it," Fura said, clenching her fist. "A few introductions to the differences between boys and girls one day and he'll be putty."  
"Not if I show him first," Zelda said. Her look turned sly. "Then again…I already have a head start in that area in a way." Fura narrowed her eyes suspiciously.  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"Oh nothing," Zelda said in an offhand manner. She cracked up laughing as Fura sat with a thoughtful look on her face.  
"Zelda, you aren't behaving in a very Princess-like manner," Impa told her with just the tiniest hint of amusement in her voice. "What would your father think if he knew the way you acted?"  
"Oh pooh to him," Zelda sniffed. "He's a bit of a grouch sometimes, but I've got him around my little finger. As long as I act regal when he wants me to, what's the harm? Besides…you're the one that's supposed to be schooling me in the art of regality." Impa laughed quietly and leaned back in her chair.  
"I suppose I can let it slide then," she chuckled. "But what I can't let slide is your bedtime. Off you go, Zelda." The Hylian Princess looked like she was about to protest, but kept silent.  
"Bed time, eh?" Fura smiled. "I'll just…" She got up and began to wander over to the snoring Link, but Impa hooked her finger in the Gerudo's collar.  
"You can share the bedroom with Zelda and Saria. _I'll_ watch those out here," Impa smiled knowingly.  
"Aww," Fura pouted, watching sullenly as Impa draped a blanket over Link. The Sheikah woman covered Ark and Nyara as well as checking on Talen and Florella, both of whom were sleeping soundly on a broad, low sideboard covered in rather comfortable cushions.  
"Well? Off to bed, girls," Impa tutted, shooing the three of them off. "You can pester him tomorrow morning."

The sun was just beginning to rise when Talen groggily opened his eyes. He yawned and lifted his arm to scratch his head, but found it to be bandaged with a splint. The boy looked at it in puzzlement for a moment before the events of the previous day caught up with him.  
"Wow," he murmured sleepily. With another yawn, he rolled over. There was a muffled squeak, followed by movement underneath him.  
"What? Who's that?" he asked, quickly rolling back and sitting up. Florella's head popped out from under the blanket; her dark purple hair skewed all around her face. "Florella?"  
"Oh Talen!" she smiled. "You're finally awake. How do you feel?"  
"I'm all right…where are we?" he asked, looking about the room. He could see Link sound asleep on the floor with Navi perched atop his chest. Ark was also present with Nyara lying a few feet away; kicking and pawing at the air as she dreamed odd Nyara dreams.  
"We're in a cottage in Gale. We didn't want to move on while you were…" Talen lifted his splinted arm and moved it like a chicken wing. "Yes…and you feel all right now?"  
"I'm pretty hungry," he admitted as his stomach grumbled. Florella's eyes twinkled.  
"Well no wonder after missing out on dinner last night," she giggled. "Here, let me take care of that arm for you." Florella peeled away the bandages as Talen crossed his legs patiently. The fairy then proceeded to repair that which Zelda was unable to mend the night before. Talen watched as a myriad of tiny pink particles came spiraling from Florella's little hands and into his skin. He could feel the bone in his arm coming together while patches of skin around his body tingled and buzzed. She finished up by tapping her knuckle on his forearm.  
"There we go," she said proudly. "Good as new."  
"Thank you, Florella," Talen said. He flexed his arm a number of times.  
"And those nasty burns have gone too," she grinned. "Not too bad if I say so myself."  
"You did a wonderful job, Florella," he told her as his eyes wandered over to the kitchen.  
"Oh! You're hungry!" she said, eyes brightening. "Here…I'll find you something to eat. Wait there." Talen opened his mouth to protest, but Florella quickly pushed his jaw up and skipped onto the floor. She padded along in bare feet, stopping to kick Link lightly in the side as he uttered something unsavory about her in his sleep.  
"Hurm…what?" he mumbled, jerking upright with his eyes half closed. "Who?"  
"It's time to get up, lazybones," Florella sang before continuing on her way. Link blinked at her as she bobbled into the kitchen and began rummaging around. He looked over at Ark and Nyara as they continued to doze and frowned.  
"You didn't wake those two," he muttered. Florella didn't reply, but rather began humming to herself. Link scowled at the fairy before noticing Talen.  
"Talen! Good to see you awake again. How are you feeling?" he asked.  
"I'm fine. Florella fixed me up when I woke," he told his friend.  
"Oh, that's right…she passed out next to you," Link frowned. "What a thing to wake up to in the morning." Link was suddenly clutching the back of his head as Florella cracked him one with a wooden spoon.  
"That's enough out of you," she told him, walking past with a loaf of bread and some butter. "Here you go, Talen." Her tone was giggly and girlish and it almost made Link sick. The Hylian shook his head and looked over towards Ark and Nyara as when he heard one of them shuffle around. Nyara, in the midst of one of her odd dreams, had rolled around onto the floor until her head bumped against Ark's. She snuffled something that could have simply been some kind of growl before opening her mouth and biting Ark's cheek. Link winced as Ark's eyes flew open, only to find Nyara with half of his face in her mouth.  
"Haaaaah!" he gasped as she mumbled unintelligibly and began to mouth away at him like a chew-toy. He flailed his arms about and rolled away before he accidentally shocked her. Ark cringed as he touched his fingers to his cheek and felt a great smear of saliva clinging to him. He looked down as Nyara rolled onto her back and resumed making odd noises and pawing at the air.  
"Good morning, Ark," Florella greeted him. Ark almost had a heart-attack and jumped about a foot in the air.  
"O-Oh! Lady Florella…you're awake?" he stammered, madly wiping his cheek.  
"Yes, I am," she giggled. Ark flushed and looked again at Nyara before looking back at Florella.  
"Erm…" he began.  
"I wonder what she's dreaming about," Florella mused. "Whatever it is, it sure provided some great morning entertainment." Ark blinked and looked around uneasily.  
"Stop torturing the poor guy. He's just woken up to that horror on the floor," Link told her. Nyara's eyes snapped open and swiveled up to where Link was sitting. The boy stared back at her with his mouth slightly open. Her tail fluffed up and her pupils enlarged in an instant.  
"I didn't mean it!" Link protested hopelessly. Nyara flipped herself over and crouched down on all fours with her backside wiggling in reparation for a mighty pounce. What followed made Florella's day. She watched in amusement as Nyara leaped across the room and slammed into Link, knocking him backwards onto the floor. The animal girl then proceeded to roll him around, bat at his face, pull his hair and bite his ears. Link wailed pathetically as he tried to get free, but she only stopped when Ark told her that Link was most likely sorry. She gave him one last bop on the cheek before leaping over to Ark and delivering a bone crushing good-morning hug. The sound of Ark's back popping echoed across the room, drawing shudders from Florella. The animal girl eventually let go, leaving Ark to stagger about for a while as he got his breath back.  
"Goody, Talen awake," Nyara smiled, noticing the smith was tearing into his breakfast eagerly. "Talen good? Good." She yawned loudly and sat down on the floor to lick at the puffy balls on her wrists and shoulders.  
"Oogh," Link groaned, sitting up. "What a way to start the day." It was at that point that the door to the adjoining bedroom burst open and Fura breezed in dressed merely in her underclothes. Ark slapped his hands over his eyes with a startled gasp, causing Fura and Florella to laugh.  
"Good morning all," Fura said heartily. "Oh, Talen's awake too. Did everyone sleep well?"  
"Good morning," Link greeted her in a rather flat tone. "And please go and put some clothes on." Fura looked down at herself.  
"Why? It's still early," she shrugged.  
"Granted, but the sight of your semi-naked form is a little too much to handle for some of us," Link informed her, keeping his eyes trained on the floor. Fura pursed her lips and glanced over at Ark, who still had his hands clasped tightly over his eyes.  
"Oh, right," she laughed. "I'm sorry, Ark."  
"O-Oh, that's all right, Lady Fura," Ark stammered. Fura chuckled quietly and then looked over at Link.  
"You, however; should be more appreciative," she scolded. Link refused to bite and kept his gaze quite firmly averted. "Humph, your loss." The Gerudo swaggered back into the bedroom, but not before filling a small basin with water from a hand-pump in the kitchen.  
"I think I'll have a look around outside until everyone is fully awake," Link sighed before pulling on his boots and exiting the cottage.

Shortly after Link had left the cottage, Ark followed suit and ducked outside.  
"It is getting rather hectic in there," the grey-haired boy told Link when he walked over. "I wouldn't want to see, erm…"  
"I know what you mean," Link laughed. "I'm afraid Fura isn't afraid to flaunt herself every now and then…with as little clothing as possible. Even I haven't gotten used to it."  
"I see," Ark frowned thoughtfully.  
"Please don't think any less of her because of it," Link said quickly. "She's lived her whole life surrounded by women and…they're a little less modest around each other."  
"Oh no, no, no!" Ark said, waving his hands. "I didn't mean it like that. I have great respect for Lady Fura! I could never think ill of her, let alone any of them."  
"Me too, I'm afraid," Link sighed. "Even that ball of irritation called Florella. Sometimes I wonder what things would have been like if I'd never have met them."  
"I think things would be a lot quieter," Ark murmured. "But that girl…" Ark looked out at the valley as the sun rose.  
"What girl? Oh, you mean _her_," Link frowned. "I wonder what it is she wants…then again, I wonder who or _what_ she is."  
"The place she took me to that time…it was very dark," Ark said, recalling her place of residence. "And it seemed quite big; almost like a manor or a mansion…perhaps something bigger."  
"As for exactly _where_ it is though…" Link left it hanging. The two boys sighed in unison.  
"Well at least Lady Florella has done something to help stop her," Ark said a little more cheerfully.  
"I guess she's good for something then," Link snorted.  
"Ark! Link!" Saria's voice rang out from the door of the cottage. The two boys turned around. "There's a Cuccoo hutch along the side of the house! Can you see if there are any eggs?"  
"Okay," Link called back.  
"And don't you provoke the poor things! I know what you're like with them! Ark, keep an eye on him!"  
"Yes, Miss Saria," Ark nodded. Saria went back inside. "What did she mean by that?"  
"Oh, Saria has this idea that I usually can't be trusted around Cuccoos. It's not my fault the fat little things can't take a tiny bit of teasing," Link shrugged as he and Ark went around the side of the cottage. "They're vicious beasts."  
"They don't look all that vicious to me," Ark frowned as they stood in front of the hutch. Six odd Cuccoos pecked and scratched around the ground inside the hutch, their nests displaying a number of rather nice looking eggs.  
"Don't let appearances deceive you," Link told him. "Now when I tell you, grab some eggs."

"Are your _sure_ it was a good idea to send Link to get the eggs?" Zelda asked. "From what I've heard, he doesn't have a very good track record with those birds.  
"Ark is with him," Saria said. "I'm sure he'll manage." The two girls were pottering around in the kitchen while Impa helped Fura to get her incredible amount of hair under control. Talen sat by the table whilst Florella worked at repairing the tears in his clothing. Nyara sat watching a bird outside the window with intense concentration. There was a sudden noise from outside the cottage, drawing everyone's attention.  
"Go, Ark! Go!" Link shouted. "Don't let them near your eyes!" The sounds of clucking and flapping followed, along with a few cries of pain from Link.  
"Augh! Devil birds! Don't attack me! He's the one with your eggs!" There was the sound of something thumping into the wall before the sound of the hutch slamming closed could be heard. Saria shook her head in despair.  
"I guess I was wrong." The door opened up to reveal Ark more or less unscathed and carrying two handfuls of eggs. Link, however; had feathers clinging to his tunic and hair with Navi madly pulling them off.  
"You couldn't resist, could you," Saria sighed. "Tell me…what did you do to set them off _this_ time?"  
"I was trying to protect Ark," he said haughtily. "They just attacked."  
"Just forget it," the Kokiri girl sighed. "And good job with the eggs, Ark." Ark was relieved of his cargo by Zelda, who placed them in a bowl.  
"All right!" Saria said, clapping her hands together. "Who wants breakfast?" Talen and Link's hands shot up almost immediately, drawing a chuckle from Impa.  
"Always hungry," she smiled. "Well eat up, boys. We should be heading out today."  
"What about the city?" Zelda asked.  
"There isn't anything we can do about it," Impa sighed regretfully. "The people will eventually come back."  
"I can clear a way through the wrecked gate," Talen said as he pulled his top back on. "It shouldn't take very long." Impa nodded.  
"All right then. Ark, is the Compass still pointing in the same direction?" Ark pulled out the blue sphere and looked at it before nodding.  
"Yes. It's still pointing north." Impa looked thoughtful.  
"Is there something wrong?" Florella asked.  
"Oh no, it's nothing wrong…but we may be getting into some rather cold climes quite soon. If we keep going north, then we may have to cross the Crystal Sea."  
"The Crystal Sea?" Ark asked a little fearfully.  
"There's an ice continent on the other side. Terribly cold place, but there's a city there we can go to, so it's not going to be anything like trying to survive out in the wilderness."  
"That's a relief," Fura breathed. "The last thing I want is more trouble in the snow…except of course if it involves bunking up in a cave with L-"  
"Thank you, Fura," Link cut in. The Gerudo grinned and winked at him.  
"In any case," Impa said, slapping her palms on the table. "We should stop along the way and get some warm clothes. Oh, and Ark?"  
"Yes, Miss Impa?"  
"Don't worry about the sea. We don't cross on a ship for most of the way."


	37. Crystal Sea

**Chapter 36 – Crystal Sea**

When breakfast was over and done with, Talen plodded over to where the gates lay in ruins. Surprisingly enough, there were people there; most likely those that hadn't been able to escape the city. Most of them seemed to be men trying to asses the way in which they would reopen the way to the outside world to get word out that the Golem was gone. They saw Talen approach and received him with some surprise.  
"We didn't think there was anyone left besides us," a rather well-dressed man said. "Is there anyone else with you, lad?" Talen nodded.  
"They're back a ways in a small cottage. We're just about to head on, but I wanted to see if I could help clear this way out first," the boy frowned, squinting at the damage. "Doesn't look too good, does it."  
"I'm afraid not. It will take some time to move all of the rubble out of…the…way," the man trailed off. Talen had walked up to where the gates had once stood before he began shoving the great blocks of stone from the fallen gates away. Once that had been done, he set about burrowing into the collapsed pass. The people watched as he disappeared into a small tunnel with awe, before he reappeared and dusted his hands off.  
"Good news," he said. "The pass has only fallen in a short way, the rest is clear." The people merely stared at him.

By midmorning, Talen had practically cleared all of the rubble out of the way, forming a large pile of discarded rock and debris just inside the city. The people had watched him quietly the entire time, still rather shocked at the sight of a boy who had managed to clear several tons of blocks and stone. Talen stood back and admired his work before he heard the sound of metal clinking against metal and Link's voice.  
"Hey!" he called. "We're all ready to go. Are you done here?" Talen turned to face his friend.  
"Almost," the smith replied, scruffing the back of his hair. "But…since everyone wants to head off I suppose I can leave it here."  
"Jeez, you've moved a fair bit since this morning," Link said with some surprise. "How far do you have to go?"  
"Not very much," Talen informed him. "Only a few more feet at the most."  
"Oh…well they can wait I suppose," Link shrugged. "I'll just tell them you'll only be a little while longer." Talen nodded as Link turned and headed back to the cottage with the Key's rings clinking along behind him.  
"All done?" Florella asked as Talen returned. The boy nodded and gulped down some water from the pump in the kitchen.  
"Some of the people have started looking for those that left. They'll spread the word that the city is free of the Golem. Talen then laughed. "I think they were a little bit intimidated by me."  
"Well seeing a young boy throwing rocks that a fully grown man couldn't even budge may do that to some people," Link snorted, fumbling slightly with his pack. He eventually got everything on correctly as Saria made a few rounds of the cottage to make sure they hadn't forgotten anything. Once she was positive everything was present and accounted for, she clapped her hands.  
"All right," she breathed. "Is everybody ready to go?" Talen gave the affirmative as he picked up his readily-stuffed pack.  
"The Crystal Sea awaits," Impa murmured, leading the way.

The group was lucky to have chosen a relatively warm day to leave Gale. The usual biting winds that howled through the valley were significantly less strong. Since starting out, they had descended the valley and made their way along the relatively flat cropland where the second exit from the city was located.  
"It's a long tunnel that goes straight through the base of the mountain. The river flows through it as well, but you don't have to worry about falling in because there's a wall there," Impa told them, pointing towards a set of large gates built into the end of the valley. "It's easy to see in there too, thanks to the glow worms that live on the cave's roof. It's really quite a sight to see." Ark looked visibly relieved.  
"How long does it take to get to the other side, Miss Impa?" the grey-haired boy asked.  
"Oh…we'll probably get to the other side by nightfall," the Sheikah woman frowned thoughtfully. "There's a small rest stop for travelers on the coast of the sea which, incidentally; is right where the other end of the cave ends up. Tomorrow morning we can set out across the sea."

The gates leading into the cave required Talen's efforts to open since the guards that were usually posted to operate the mechanisms were not present. Once he had pushed them far enough apart, the party was able to slip through and enter the vast tunnel that burrowed under the mountain. True to Impa's word, thousands of tiny glow worms clustered about the roof of the cave, illuminating the way with a dull green glow. Ark was still a little ill at ease about it, so he illuminated the tip of his staff and held it close. Nyara padded along beside him, knowing full well of his fear of the dark. Florella watched them from behind with some amusement. With Ark's staff glowing away, only their silhouettes could be seen. There was Ark's; with his long-sleeved top and cloak that seemed slightly big for him and the large, feathery quills of hair that stuck up from his fringe. Then there was Nyara with her slightly taller and obviously female form. The tail swishing along behind her and the large ears sticking out on either side of her head made the two of them look like the oddest pair anyone had seen. Strangely enough, from all the time they had been together it was hard to imagine one without the other. Wherever Ark was, Nyara was most likely not too far away; ready to protect, preen and play with the boy in an instant. Yet still nobody actually knew _why_ she was with them. She had simply appeared, seemingly out of nowhere and with little in the way of a reason for doing so. Florella smiled and looked at the animal girl as she almost danced along next to Ark. Perhaps it was Ark's contrasting personality that had so attracted Nyara's curiosity in the first place; a well-spoken, quiet boy in comparison to a jovial and sometimes rather boisterous animal girl. Florella smiled to herself. She couldn't think of anyone that could hate Ark, aside from one black-haired girl of course. He was quiet, even more reserved than Link and he was just so utterly innocent. That and his frighteningly good manners were perhaps his most endearing traits, making him the hands down "favorite" of the female proportion of the party.  
"Whoo! Careful, Florella," Talen said, whisking her over to the side and breaking the fairy's tangent of thought. "It may be paved through here, but the Golem must have dislodged some rocks from the roof. You almost walked smack into one." Florella blinked.  
"Oh, thank you, Talen," she giggled sheepishly. "I wasn't paying attention." She waited for the remark that she expected to come unbidden to Link's lips, but the blonde boy was paying attention to what was in front of him rather than her. Though he was undoubtedly the most frustrating person to ever grace the planet, Florella had to admit that there really was nobody else quite like him. For most of the time he was a real _boy_; mucking around with Talen and Ark, but underneath it all he was very sweet and unquestioningly brave. Those qualities were without a doubt the things that had ultimately landed him right in the paths of Fura and Zelda, both of whom he had used his life to protect. Florella recalled the very moment he had been struck down in the throne room of Windhill's huge palace to keep Fura alive. That moment had given him permanent ownership of Fura's heart…not that the remarkably dense individual could really comprehend it. With Zelda it had most definitely been the even in which half of his life was given to the Princess to prevent her from dying. In so doing, the two became connected, but with only Zelda really taking advantage of their odd connection to learn many things about the boy. In the end, he was doomed one way or another; if it wasn't going to be Fura, then it would be Zelda, if it wasn't going to be Zelda, then it would be Fura. Then there was Ruto waiting all the way back in Zora's Domain, but Florella was quite certain that a coupling of Link and Ruto had the wrong feel to it; something wasn't right.  
"Poor girl," Florella sighed. "I don't think she ever had a chance."  
"What was that, Florella?" Talen asked. Florella blinked.  
"Oh, nothing! I was just thinking out loud," she said quickly.  
"All right," the smith said simply. The dependable Talen. It was almost odd that somebody so gentle and calm could have the power to rip apart boulders with his bare hands. Strong as he was, Talen was also able to create tiny things of beautiful intricacy; such as the necklace the Great Fairy wore wherever she went. Though scarcely seen outside her clothing, the necklace held great value to her. Talen had given it to her as a present one year in a kind of offhand way, which seemed to beset how beautiful it was. It was a finely crafted chain that was no thicker than a few strands of silk, and it felt that way too. Hanging from it was a tiny silver flower that seemed too small for somebody like Talen to craft. She had asked him how he'd made something so fine and delicate, but he had merely shrugged and changed the subject. Florella looked down at Talen's hand as they walked; catching the glint of gold from the ring he wore. Florella smiled. She had taken a huge gamble in sticking the ring on his finger. It could have driven him away completely or even made him resent her…but Talen just seemed to have gotten used to it. That was the one thing that always stayed with Florella; she was never really sure of how Talen viewed her. He was always kind to her, but was that as far as it went? As the Great Fairy of Spring, Florella was in fine tune with the emotions of people around her…most of the time. Being in a child's body had affected her somewhat, but her magic was just as strong as ever. The only thing was she simply didn't have the heart to pry into Talen's soul to see how he saw her. It was something that squirmed away inside her like a worm made out of doubt…but despite her doubts she simply couldn't imagine life without him.  
"Florella, are you paying attention to your feet?" Talen asked, once again interrupting her train of thought.  
"Hmm? Oh!" Florella squeaked, skipping out of the way of another large rock.  
"Are you sure you're okay?" Talen asked curiously. "You look like you've been daydreaming since we started out." Oh well, at least she knew he was looking out for her.  
The group was quite unprepared for the blast of icy air that met them as they left the mouth of the tunnel. Navi and Chat dove into the clothing of their respective partners ast he wind buffeted them around. Snow filled the air and covered the ground and roofs of a small town built at the edge of a semi-frozen sea. The road from the tunnel wound through the center of the town before leading further off around the coast. Built out over the water were some of the strangest boats they had ever seen. But they didn't have much time to look at them as Impa quickly herded them along and into a double-storey building on the side of the road. The party burst in with a flurry of snowflakes following them.

"Eeee! It's s-so c-cold out there!" Zelda chattered.  
"Y-you said it!" Saria shivered.  
"Hah, I don't feel the cold," Fura grinned, tossing a ball of flame from one palm to the other. "Snuggle in close of your want to share some heat, Linkie-do."  
"Well bless my soul! Visitors at a time like this!" A rather lean woman dressed in thick furs came bounding down the stairs to meet them. She was fairly tall, but not quite as tall as Impa. "And mercy me! What adorable children! Are they yours?" The question was directed at the Sheikah woman, who laughed.  
"Oh no!" she chuckled. "Not mine, but I do look after them."  
"Well they're just precious!" the woman cooed, pinching the closest available cheek which just happened to be Fura's. The Gerudo's eyes watered as the woman pinched her and smiled. "I expect you'll be wanting some rooms? Ah! But first of all you need to come in by the fire! That's it, this way!" The woman shunted the all along- Impa included, into an adjoining room with a roaring fireplace that made everything swelteringly hot. The room was large and held a number of large leather chairs. The floor above was held up via a number of thick wooden poles still sporting knobbly bark. The floor was covered in a very thick rug with a myriad of designs covering it, most of them having to do with the Triforce.  
"Jeez! It's freezing outside, but boiling in here," Link said.  
"That's right, nothing like a good fire!" the woman said, slapping Link heartily across the shoulders. He would have been knocked to the floor if Fura hadn't have held him up. Nyara bounded forward and shook herself, dislodging a layer of snow from her fur.  
"Nyara like warm fire," she purred, getting impossibly close to the raging flames. "Ark come close too; get warm so he no catch cold."  
"I'm warm enough here, Miss Nyara," he told her. "Thank you."  
"But it more fun! Sit in front of fire then lie on ground! It feel good!" Nyara insisted, sitting with her back to the fireplace. She turned around and flopped over backwards before quivering on the thick rug.  
"I'll try it another time, Miss Nyara," Ark winced. Nyara sat back up and gazed into the fire with a tired expression.  
"Okay!" the rather loud woman said, clapping her hands. "Since you're the fist visitors I've had for a while from Gale, there's no shortage of rooms. Ma'am, I'm guessing you're going to be organizing things?" Impa nodded.  
"That is correct."  
"All right then, just follow me to the front desk and we can get everything sorted!" Impa and the woman went out to the next room to book the rooms whilst the children all huddled in by the fire, though staying a respectable distance from it.  
"My goodness it's hot," Ark murmured, removing his cloak and folding it neatly.  
"Nyara like hot," the animal girl chirped, turning around. "Ark come closer, heat up back and lie on ground!" She dove at him and caught him a rough hug. Unfortunately for Ark, Nyara's front had become extremely hot from sitting so close to the fire. The heat quickly traveled through his clothes before reaching his skin.  
"Ack! Hot!" he yelped. Nyara quickly let go and mewed something of an apology before patting him on the head.  
"Ooh, and it's only going to get colder as we go further north," Zelda whimpered, looking out the window at the snow that swirled around outside. "We're going to need some _extra_ warm clothes."  
"I'm afraid you're going to have to wear something other than your tunic, Link," Saria told the boy.  
"But I like my tunic," he frowned.  
"I know you do, but simply sticking a scarf on won't be good enough this time. You can keep your cap on if that will make you feel any better." Link grunted something in response before yawning. "I'm glad you agree."

Impa booked three rooms; one for the boys, one for Saria, Zelda and herself and the last for Fura, Florella and Nyara. The beds were quite big and had generous amounts of furs on them to provide extra warmth in the cold climes, though they could do nothing to prevent the icy feeling of the sheets when people got into them.  
"Augh! Ice!" Link shivered, scrunching the thick blanket up to his chin. "It's times like these I envy Fura."  
"I can't argue with that," Talen chattered. "Hopefully the wind will drop off a bit tomorrow; that's why it's so cold."  
"I wonder what that ice continent is like," Ark mused. "How could people have built a city there?"  
"I wonder what the _buildings_ are like," Talen frowned.  
"Is that _all_ you think about?" Link asked.  
"Food comes in a close second," Talen murmured seriously. The boys laughed as they began to warm up.  
"I hope we find the next Lock soon," Ark said as he prepared for sleep. "It's too cold up here."

"Rise and shine!" The loud wake-up call was greatly underappreciated by the three boys as their room was barged into by Fura.  
"Mngh, what time is it?" Link asked, squinting at the Gerudo as she stood in the doorway.  
"Time for _you_ to get up. The boats leave rather early and we need to get some warmer clothes before we set out. You all have about three minutes to get dressed and get downstairs before I come back up and pull you out myself." Fura's threat was taken seriously, especially on Link's behalf, and the boys were up and about in no time. They staggered down the stairs whereupon they had a hot breakfast composed of porridge thrust in front of them. Link didn't feel like complaining about having gruel for breakfast, so he simply sat in front of the still-raging fire and ate what he was given. The exceptionally loud innkeeper woman then decided to assault their ears by telling them where they could get a change of clothes. So as soon as the three groggy boys had finished eating, they were once again thrust out into the terribly cold outdoors to search for some warmer clothing. Impa led the way based on the innkeeper's directions and soon found the shop she had told them all about. It was rather a small building with a big wooden sign hanging up above the door. The windows had several wooden mannequins standing behind them with an assortment of cold-weather garments adorning them. Without a word, Impa bustled them out of the cold air and into the warm interior of the shop. The girls went about trying on various items of clothing while the boys wandered around trying to locate the least-gaudy outfits they could find.  
"Don't they have anything here that doesn't…puff out everywhere?" Talen frowned, scanning a rack of clothing.  
"Put any of these on and you'll look like Nyara's shoulders," Link sighed. "Where are all the plain-looking garments?"  
"Lost in all of this fuzz," Talen muttered. "I shudder to think of what the ladies are getting."  
"Try not to laugh or they'll hurt us."  
"Link, Talen…I think I've found some," Ark spoke up from the back corner of the tailor's shop. The two boys walked quickly over to where their grey-haired companion was looking at some nice plain outfits.  
"Now these are what we're after," Link grinned in a satisfied manner. "Come on, let's go try them on."

"Oh come on!" Florella complained. "Where are all the big fluffy linings?"  
"They don't have any, Florella," Talen said calmly. "We decided to forgo them for the sake of dignity."  
"But…" Zelda began.  
"Say what you will," Link said, waving his hand. "But we're sticking with these clothes whether you like them or not."  
"Ugh, fine," Fura sniffed. "_Be_ boring." The boys were dressed almost the same. They each wore thick pants of varying colour, with Link's as dark green, Talen's as brown and Ark's as grey. Long-sleeved tops were worn by the three of them, with the colours being the same as their pants. The string-tied collars revealed the insides of them to be coated with thick wool for warmth. Underneath they still wore whatever they could of their regular clothing, with Talen wearing his sleeveless shirt, Ark with his undershirt and Link with his tunic.  
"And my cap stays on," Link said firmly as Zelda's gaze moved up to it.  
"I didn't say anything," she said innocently. "But what about a nice-"  
"No. I've seen those ridiculous round fuzzy things you were looking at before and I'll be wearing a dress before I put on one of those."  
As far as clothing for the girls was concerned; they practically wore different coloured versions of Zelda's tunic-attire, only they were thicker and had long, white fur-tipped sleeves and rather fluffy collars. Zelda's was white, Florella's was tinged with pink- Link made sure to remark about how ghastly it looked, and Saria's was of the same green-colour as the blonde Hylian's. They had also chosen out matching mittens to keep their hands warm. Zelda had also chosen out a round, white hat composed entirely of fur. She had tucked all of her hair underneath it- save two ribbons of blonde that trailed down by her ears, and she wore it rather proudly. Impa had merely thrown a cloak over her shoulders and put on a pair of tight, lengthened pants. Fura, on the other hand, had chosen clothing just a little bit different to everyone else's. Because she couldn't really feel the cold, the Gerudo was able to forego wearing really thick clothing. She wore a light brown, diagonally-cut skirt that clasped onto a belt-like item around her waist, leaving quite a bit of hip and leg bare on one side. She wore a pair of thin white boots from which a pair of black, gauzy stockings emerged and traveled up under her skirt. Her top was rather flattering to say the least. It was made of the same light brown material as her skirt, but with a purple chest piece trimmed with white fur along the top. The sleeves reached to just above her elbows and the collar was also lined with the same fur as the purple brassiere-like chest. The gold bands around her neck and wrists remained, though from those around her wrists she had hung some white pom-poms with leather cord. In true Fura style, her stomach was visible. Finally; there was Nyara…who still wore nothing.  
"Erm…won't you get cold, Fura?" Link asked, eyeing her outfit skeptically.  
"Of course not. I don't feel the cold, remember?" she retorted.  
"Still…don't you think it's a little…" he groped for the right description. Fura frowned and looked down at her chest.  
"What's wrong? Don't you like 'em?" she asked. Link spluttered momentarily while Zelda rolled her eyes and shook her head.  
"Forget it," he said eventually. "I'm not getting into one of _those_ conversations again."

The cold-weather clothes were paid for and the party left the tailor's without fear of being frozen. It was still quite early, so Impa led the way to the docks to inquire about getting to the ice continent. While Impa spoke with one of the shipmen, Talen decided to have a poke around the ships themselves. The bottoms were quite flat and had metal runners along their length, rather like sleds. On each side they had an outrigger to compensate for the flat hull. The ships themselves were not overly large, indicating that it was a relatively short journey. Florella had to forcibly drag him away so they could go and get their belongings.  
"We have to hurry," Impa said as they went back to the inn. "They're going to leave soon so they get a full day's worth of traveling." They got all of their equipment together in record time and dashed back to the docks before paying and boarding one of the ships. Talen couldn't wait to get underway so he could see how well the vessels sailed, while Ark went straight below decks. With the help of a stiff breeze, the ships departed from the docks and sailed smoothly through the icy-cold water.  
"I can see why it's called the Crystal Sea," Zelda said as she looked over the side. Chunks of ice floated about like small white crystals, occasionally bumping off the hull. Since they were quite small, there was no danger. Aside from the ship occupied by the group, three other ships sailed along with them carrying cargo and other passengers.  
"Zelda, that hat does look just slightly ridiculous on you," Link said as he stood near her.  
"I think it looks rather good," she giggled, bringing her mittened hands up under her chin so her face was framed in fur. Link just looked at her with an unreadable expression before returning his attention back to the water.  
"Let's just hope nobody decides to bring a Kraken up here," he whistled. "I wouldn't want to fall in water _that_ cold."  
"Don't tempt fate," Zelda chided him lightly. "It may come true."  
"I don't know about that," Fura sniffed, walking up and leaning on the railing. "I've been thinking about certain things for some time and _they've_ never come true."  
"I sense that was directed at me," Link said flatly, turning his head slightly towards the grinning Gerudo. "Shouldn't you be throwing up over the side of the ship right now?"  
"Very funny," Fura said, sticking her tongue out at him. "The sea is calm, so my stomach isn't churning as much." Link suddenly seemed to notice something behind her. "Oh, wait there." He quickly slipped off and crept over towards Florella, who was standing near Talen as he looked rather closely at one of the outriggers.  
"What _is_ he doing?" Zelda frowned. When Link was behind the fairy, he patted her on the back, causing her to jump.  
"Hello Florella," he said cheerfully. "Nice day, isn't it?" He simply turned around and walked away after that.  
"What? What did you do?" Florella demanded, twisting around in an attempt to look at her back.  
"Nothing," Link called back across the deck. "Nothing at all."  
"Don't you "nothing" me! I know you're up to something!" Florella growled. "Talen, what's he done to me?" The smith blinked and looked at her.  
"Pardon? I wasn't paying attention," he frowned.  
"My back! What's he put on it? I can't see," she told him, jumping up and down.  
"Oh…well there's nothing I can see," Talen shrugged.  
"Look closer! There must be something there! I felt him do it!" the fairy insisted. Florella's little tirade went on for a few minutes and Link watched with a very satisfied look on his face.  
"That was very, _very_ mean," Saria told him sternly from behind, making the boy jump.  
"Saria!" he squeaked. "How are you?"  
"Don't you play innocent with me," she told him, waving her finger. "Go and see if Ark is all right. It should keep you out of trouble."  
"Where's Nyara?"  
"She's down there too." Link's shoulders slumped.  
"She wants to eat me," Link mumbled.  
"Oh she does not!" Saria sighed in an exasperated manner. "All right, maybe she _did_ think you were slightly tasty-looking at Windhill…but that was only because she was in, um…you know."  
"She tried to eat me one morni-"  
"Just go!" Saria exclaimed, pushing him along.  
"All right, all right!" Link muttered, scuttling away. "But if one day you find my remains next to a decidedly fat looking Nyara, then you only have yourself to blame."

Ark was not having the greatest of times. He was feeling decidedly strained since he was out in the sea and the sound of water against the hull could be heard everywhere. He sat upon his bunk fidgeting uncomfortably as Nyara twittered away on the bunk above with one of her odd little songs. But even Nyara's singing did little to calm Ark as he tapped his fingers together nervously. Nyara's head suddenly popped into view upside down from above. She frowned at Ark as he looked at her with his big green eyes.  
"Ark still nervous?" The boy nodded.  
"I really, _really_ don't like water," he said in a rather small voice. "Especially when there's so much of it…and when it's so cold." Nyara frowned and dropped off the bunk, twisting in midair and landing on her feet. She reached out and let her hand rest on top of his head.  
"Nyara help Ark with water one day. Help him to not be scared…so Ark can go swimming with Nyara," she grinned.  
"Swimming?" Ark said dubiously. "I…I don't know, Miss Nyara…"  
"Swimming lots of fun! Feel of water, feel of floating! Swimming like flying!" Nyara told him. "Ark promise to go swimming with Nyara one day."  
"But-"  
"Ark promise!" she insisted, holding his face in her hands. "Ark promise to go swimming with Nyara!"  
"A-All right then," Ark said. "I promise you, but…I don't know how." Nyara grinned at him.  
"Then Nyara promise to teach Ark," she smiled. Ark looked at her for a moment before nodding.  
"Nyah!" Nyara yowled gleefully. "Then it deal! When this all over, Ark come back to Nyara's village and swim all day in river! Just Nyara and Ark!"


	38. Man OverBoard

**Chapter 37 – Man Overboard**

"Look at all the ice!" Saria exclaimed. "The whole sea's frozen!" Saria was right. Water met ice in a straight line off in the distance. They had been sailing for four days with most of that time spent inside since the air had been getting steadily colder.  
"Well how do we get past that then?" Fura frowned. "I hope they don't expect me to melt a way through."  
"We'll slide over," Talen said, thumping his hand on the railing. "The ships will be hoisted up onto the ice and we'll slide along like sleds."  
"Have you been speaking with the captain?" Saria asked. Talen shook his head.  
"Look at the runners underneath and it's easy to see they're used for sliding over ice. Impa said herself that we won't be going the entire way over water."  
"Very good, Talen," Florella sighed.  
"I thought so too," Talen nodded, running his hand along the side of the ship. "Quite an ingenious design if I do say so myself…though what they could have done was-"  
"Oh please don't," Florella interrupted quickly. "You ramble horribly when you're talking about design principles of…_anything_." Talen looked just a trifle hurt.  
"That was so cold," Link said, shaking his head. Florella whirled around to face him.  
"You keep away from me," she hissed. "You're up to something, I just _know_ it!"  
"I am shocked and appalled," the blonde boy gasped. "To think that you'd accuse me, and innocent young lad, of such a-"  
"Silence," Fura said sharply, rapping him smartly across the head. "You've never been innocent." Florella smirked at him.  
"I'll be watching you, _boy_," she hissed. "Now…go and keep Fura company or something." Fura's eyes lit up.  
"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" she smiled happily.  
"No it doesn't! Zelda's going to get a bee in her bonnet," Link protested.  
"Then work extra hard to make it up to her. Take him away," Florella said, waving her hand.

The ship lurched suddenly, causing Ark to sit bolt upright with a start.  
"Wh-What was that?" he asked fearfully. "Are we under attack?" Nyara, who was sitting with Zelda Impa, vaulted over and wrapped her arms around the boy protectively.  
"Nyara eat 'em!" she growled defiantly.  
"Calm down, you two," Impa chuckled. "We're just getting out of the water so we can keep going. Ark, you'll be pleased to know that you can go out on deck."  
"Out of the water? Are we walking the rest of the way?" the boy asked curiously.  
"Oh no," Impa said, shaking her head. "Just hold on to something for a moment…though I think Nyara's taking care of that." The ship lurched again, and the sound of the hull scraping against something could be heard.  
"What is that?" Ark asked, a little panicked.  
"Go up and see for yourself," Impa smiled. "Don't worry, the water poses no threat."  
"Ark! It's good to see you out of that cabin for once," Link called running towards him. He stopped and stood panting for a moment, hurriedly wiping a white smear from his cheek. "You just saved my life." Fura followed him not far behind, visibly disappointed that Link had found an excuse to run off.  
"You're not getting out of things that easily," she told him pointedly, poking him in the chest with her finger. She marched off, swishing her hips as she went.  
"Scary," Link shivered. He shook his head. "What brings you up here?"  
"Impa told me that…something about not being in the water…" Ark told him.  
"Oh! Yes, come see," Link said, going to the edge of the deck. The ship was sitting stationary on the ice with a number of ropes leading from the prow. Talen and a few of the sailors were standing around looking rather pleased with themselves.  
"Look at him, pleased as punch that he got to drag his beloved boat onto the ice," Florella muttered, looking at Talen.  
"You sound a little jealous there, Florella," Link whistled.  
"Oh shut up!" Florella snapped. "Shouldn't you be with Fura?"  
"I outsmarted her," Link told the fairy. Florella was about to retort when she noticed Ark.  
"Oh, Ark!" she exclaimed, her look of irritation fading in an instant. "It's nice to see you outside. You've been in that cabin for the entire trip."  
"Well…" the boy began.  
"I know, I know," Florella said in an understanding manner. "The water. But look, the water's behind us now. We'll just slide over the ice like a sleigh! Sounds fun, right?"  
"Don't listen to her, Ark," Link said. "She's only being nice so she can manipulate you later into dancing and all manner of hideous things." Florella narrowed her eyes at Link.  
"You be quiet. Don't taint his mind with your propaganda," she growled. "Besides, I think you're just miffed that Ark's the favorite and you're not." Link gazed steadily at her.  
"It hurts me deeply, Florella. Truly."  
"What are you doing now?" Saria's voice came from behind Link. The boy stiffened.  
"Nothing," he said quickly.  
"You look guilty," Saria told him. "Come over here and sit down so I can comb that mop on top of your head."  
"But…it's snowing," Link told her.  
"I can use it to wet your hair so it stays in place. Come on," she told him, crooking her finger.  
"All right then," he sighed. Link followed obediently and sat down in front of her while the green girl pulled out her ever-present comb and began pulling it through his tangled hair. Florella shook her head and sighed.  
"He almost redeems himself when he's like that," the fairy said. "What a frustrating child."

The ship sped along the ice with the wind whipping at the sails. Saria had given up trying to neaten Link's hair since the wind just whipped it about too much. She instead resigned herself to standing in between Link and Ark at the prow. Nyara had since joined them and was holding onto Ark rather tightly with her tail bushed up.  
"What's the matter, Miss Nyara?" Ark asked.  
"Ark could fall off we going so fast," she yowled. "Nyara no like."  
"I'm all right, Miss Nyara," the boy assured her. "I…I like it. There's no water." He looked back at the rapidly-receding sea with an expression resembling relief.  
"Besides, the ground's completely flat," Link told her. "It's not like he's just going to bounce over the side." Nyara leaned forwards so that she could look past Ark to Link. She flicked her tail and glared at him with her large yellow eyes. Link looked very uneasy and shrank away from Nyara's gaze. Fura snorted as she tried to hold in laughter.  
"Yes, yes, very funny," Link scowled.  
"Oh don't get all huffy," Fura cooed, pinching his cheek. "Just because Nyara strikes fear into your heart." Link scowled at her.  
"Well I think it's currently a tie between her and you," he muttered. "You are pretty scary sometimes." It was Fura's turn to scowl.  
"I'm not scary! I'm beautiful!" she snapped.  
"No…I think Zelda's the beautiful one," Florella told the Gerudo with a shake of her head. "Mmm, beautiful in an untouchable, royal…delicately pure kind of way." Link held his laughter in with all of his strength. Fura looked over at the Hylian Princess as she held both of her hands under her chin, tucked up one of her legs and smiled rosily. Fura quirked up an eyebrow.  
"All right then…if I'm not beautiful, what am I?" she asked flatly. Link opened his mouth to say something, but Fura's hand whipped out and pinched his mouth shut. "And don't you say a word." Florella put on a thoughtful expression and pulled Fura away from the edge of the deck. She began to walk around the Gerudo in slow circles.  
"Well first we need to take a look at the way you dress," Florella said, making a few circles in the air with her finger. Link rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the ice that zipped by underneath the ship. "You tend to wear clothes of a more revealing nature. Take for instance the midsection that you seem to enjoy showing.  
"It's part of my heritage," Fura said defensively, patting her stomach. Saria laughed.  
"And we also have the legs. Lots of skin is available for viewing, just look; you can even see some hip there," Florella observed. "And speaking of skin, it's a nice, warm coppery colour."  
"Nyara like to have Fura skin," the animal girl admitted. "But Nyara like fur too. Better at keeping Nyara warm."  
"The tremendous amount of red hair you have is also an important attribute," Florella said, holding some of it up and letting it fall away. "But perhaps the most important of all is…the chest area."  
"Sweet Din," Link groaned. "I don't want to be around to hear a speech about Fura's…you know what's. I'm going over to see what Talen's up to. Ark, I'd advise you go too, unless you want to hear about them." Ark blinked and looked at Fura, who grinned back.  
"Erm…I-I think I shall follow," he said, a slow flush creeping into his cheeks. He scuttled off with Nyara following close behind, but Fura grabbed Link by the Key straps and held him back.  
"You can stay," she told him, yanking on the straps. "The more you know about the female anatomy, the better…particularly mine."  
"_Fura!_" he exclaimed. "Do you _have_ to?" She laughed at him and snagged his neck in the crook of her arm.  
"Ahem, as I was saying," Florella coughed politely. "Note how much is shown, particularly cleavage-wise. Link, you have the best view there." Fura wrenched his head around rather unceremoniously to give him a better view. He didn't seem to appreciate it all that much.  
"Augh! Too close!" he squeaked.  
"Not close enough if you ask me, but it'll do for now. Pipe down," Fura told him.  
"Fura," Florella said, holding both hands towards her. "You're the ravishingly passionate beauty! Exotic! Sultry! Voluptuous! Three things that the stump there needs to give him a kick in the backside!"  
"Not this again," Link grumbled.  
"Link, do you want an even _closer_ look?" Fura asked pointedly. He shook his head very quickly. "Well be quiet…and don't even think about using those to help you. If they move any closer, then in you go." The Key straps fell limply to the deck from where they had been previously poised over her head.  
"Thank you, Fura," Florella said politely. She leaned forwards and glared at Link. "Yes, this again! And I shall continue to give you pieces of my mind until you face the inevitable! You're such a stubborn, _stubborn_ little boy! Look!" She pointed at Zelda.  
"What?" he asked.  
"What? _What!?_ Is that all you can say? She's a _Princess_ for crying out loud! Fair hair! Fair skin! Wonderful figure! The epitome of femininity!" she blared. She grabbed his head and pressed it against Fura's side. "And _her!_ For the reasons I gave before! Breathtaking beauty! A fiery spirit! A fiery _passion!_ A fire…_priestess!_" Florella almost sang, her voice soaring. "It's my mission! My undying _goal_…to have you end up with one of them one day! And it _will_ happen, it most certainly _will!_ And with it shall come all of the other things that go with a fantastic coupling!" Link looked a little fearful.  
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, not quite sure he wanted to hear the answer. Florella brought her face an inch from his.  
"Why…the bedroom of course, you poor, poor boy," she told him. Link's face reddened. "Mark my words, with both- don't let Zelda's appearance fool you- there will be _long_ hours involved in the room that the two of you shall eventually and inevitably share…and believe you me I'm not talking about sleeping." Link wanted to disappear. Zelda blushed rosily and giggled, while Fura bunched her arm muscles and almost choked him.  
"Are you finished?" he gurgled.  
"Not yet!" she exclaimed. "For I shall see to it that they both learn everything to know about-"  
"I think that's enough ultimatums for now, Florella," Talen said calmly, suddenly appearing behind her and picking her up under the arms. The fairy girl's eyes went wide and her mouth made a surprised little "o" shape as she was carried off.  
"But Taaaaleeeeeen!" she whined. "I was right in the middle of my speech!" Her voice faded as Talen took her over to the other side of the ship.  
"Oh thank the Goddesses she's gone," Link sighed in relief. Fura sighed in a disappointed manner, as did Zelda.  
"Just as it was getting interesting too," the copper-skinned girl said. She looked down at Link as if he were an afterthought before quite suddenly releasing him. He slipped forwards and fell in a heap on the deck.  
"Why, thank you," he muttered dryly, picking himself up.  
"My pleasure," Fura smiled. "How'd you like the view?" She burst out laughing as Link scowled and his face reddened. Zelda patted him on the back.  
"It's not funny," he grumbled.  
"Yes it is," Fura snorted before laughing again.  
"There, there," she said soothingly. "They're _both_ scary, aren't they. Come on, give Zelda a hug." She put her arms around his neck and continued to pat his back. Link's eyes rolled skywards. The Hylian Princess let go, only to clasp her hands to his face and plant a solid kiss on his lips. Once again those strange little particles of light danced about his dark skin like a million tiny fireflies. Zelda finished off with a loud smack before skipping away, laughing. Link just stood there blinking, while Fura had her mouth open in indignation.  
"The nerve!" she gasped. "In the very least _I_ should- hey!" Link had since recovered from his shock and had retreated very quickly. Fura pouted and scuffed her foot on the deck before gradually smiling to herself.  
"Heh, bedroom," she giggled before wandering over to where everyone else stood at the rails.

"I wonder how long it will be until we get to where we're going?" Zelda frowned.  
"We're making good time, so it shouldn't be more than a day or two" Impa told her after she had come out from below decks. The tall woman shifted under her cloak before glancing over at Ark. "Ark, are we still heading in the right direction?" The grey-haired boy looked up at her with some surprise at his name being mentioned. He quickly fumbled about in his clothes and brought out the blue sphere that was the Compass.  
"Yes," he told her, looking at the little white pointer inside. "It's this way…maybe a little way off to the east, but close enough…" Ark trailed off as he pointed in the direction the Compass was.  
"What is it?" Impa asked curiously.  
"I…can you see something out there? It's no more than a speck…see?" he frowned, lowering his arm slowly. Everyone squinted at the tiny shape out on the ice.  
"Why yes," Zelda said. "I see it. I wonder what it could be?"  
"It's getting bigger," Link frowned. "It's moving." Sure enough, the tiny spot was racing towards the ship at an alarming rate.  
"It's flying," Talen said.  
"It's _her!_" Ark cried out. Ark was right. The black-haired girl was rocketing towards the sliding ship with her scythe underneath her in both hands. Her face was a twisted mask of rage, probably because of previous failed attempt.  
"Everybody get down!" Impa ordered sharply. She was just a little too late, however. The girl flew up over the railing of the ship and drew her scythe back. She then twisted it around and swung it underarm, connecting the blunt end solidly with Ark's stomach. The sudden impact combined with the momentum of the ship sent him sailing through the air with a grunt. He hit the ice heavily on his back and slid along for a few moments before coming to a stop. Stars filled his vision as he lay on his back groaning while the ship  
continued on its way.  
"Ark!" Nyara called, racing to the back of the ship along with everyone else. She made to leap over the edge, but Link stopped her.  
"I'll go," he told her. The Key's straps wound around the back railing and Navi zipped down the boy's tunic. Link suddenly spread them, catching the wind and blasting up into the sky. He flew backwards, keeping his head turned so that he wouldn't lose sight of Ark. As he watched, the black-haired girl wheeled around in the air and went straight for the downed boy. Link narrowed his eyes and descended rapidly towards the girl as she went by underneath. Just before the reached the dazed Ark, Link slammed into her back with his elbow, sending himself and the girl skittering along the ice with their respective grunts. She swore angrily as they slid to a stop, raising her scythe to cut him in two. Link grabbed her arm and held it firmly as he allowed the Key straps to grow taut. The two of them were suddenly jerked in the direction they had come from, sliding and bumping along the ice. Link was on top of the girl, letting her absorb most of the friction from the ice below.  
"Get off me!" she screeched, trying desperately to kick him away. She opened her mouth to reveal her pointed incisors and began snapping at him. "I'll kill you! He's _mine!_" She flailed her scythe, narrowly missing him as he ducked out of the way. Link chanced a look behind and saw that they were rapidly approaching Ark, who was beginning to sit up.  
"Ark!" Link shouted. "Get ready!" Ark turned slowly, still feeling a little light-headed from his fall. The black-haired girl swung at Link yet again, but he was more than prepared for it. He grabbed her arm as the scythe descended and quickly twisted the weapon around in her grip.  
"Hey! What are you do-" The girl was cut off as Link rammed the tip of the scythe into the ground above the girl's head. The girl, who was still holding the weapon, stopped all at once with a dreadful wrench of her arm. Link, however, kicked off her body and continued sliding along the ice. He spun around and slid along on his feet towards Ark. As he went by, Link snatched the boy off of the ground and swung him around.  
"Climb on my back!" he told Ark, who obeyed with a little difficulty. Link breathed a sigh of relief as Ark's arms locked together around his neck. "Yes! How do you like _them_ apples! You okay, Ark?"  
"I…think so," he groaned. "I feel sick." Link winced.  
"Well try to hold it in until we get back to the ship. Or if you can't, make sure you turn your head the other way." Link looked at the ship that towed himself and Ark along and waved at the people lined up along the stern. One of the people that could be identified as Nyara jumped about and waved both of her arms above her head madly. She suddenly stopped waving and began pointing madly. Link turned his head in time to see a purple ball of energy hit the ice just behind him.  
"Yow!" he yelped, sliding off to the side. The black-haired girl was after them once again.  
"Watch out!" Ark told him. Link turned back to the front in time to avoid a chunk of ice by swerving off to the side. In the next instant, another burst of purple energy from the girl impacted with the ice just off to his side. He was almost thrown off-balance, but managed to keep upright with some arm-windmilling.  
"She doesn't look very happy," Ark murmured.  
"Ark, you're a master of understatements," Link told his friend. "Quickly, I have an idea!" Link flicked one of the straps and unwound it from the railing of the ship. It reeled back in with blistering speed as Link turned his head to Ark.  
"Ark, jump!" he ordered. "Don't think about it, just do it!" Ark did as he was told and jumped from Link's back. As he fell back, the strap wound around him in midair before whipping him backwards and binding his back to Link's back like a harness. Ark blinked and looked at the girl flying along behind them.  
"Ah…I don't mean to sound skeptical, but what does this accomplish?" he asked.  
"Here!" Link brought his shield arm up. "Take it! Use it to deflect her shots!" Ark understood and unbuckled the shield and held it in front of him. He saw the girl raise her arm and pulse out another purple sphere. He held the shield ready and then moved it down behind Link's legs. The purple ball of magic pinged off the shield and went straight back towards the girl. He saw her spin out of the way and lose a bit of speed.  
"That's the way!" Link cheered. "Now I'll reel us in. Keep the shield at the ready; she's trying to hit me, not you." Their speed increased slightly as Link began closing the rather large gap between them and the ship. They continued on in that fashion, with Ark deflecting the livid girl's attacks and Link steering out of the way of icy obstacles.  
"Hurry!" Ark called suddenly. "She's catching up!" The bombardment of purple magic had ceased, and the girl was drawing closer, a smug grin on her face.  
"Augh! I'm going as fast as I can!" Link shouted. "Hold on!" He swerved again, shifting the weight to one foot in order to move out of the way of a chunk of ice and snow. Ark held the shield up protectively as the girl swiped her hand at him in an effort to grab his clothing. He could clearly see her determined expression as she lunged again, her fingertips grazing the front of the shield.  
"Ack! Go away, please!" Ark yelped at her. She laughed.  
"No such luck! I underestimated that fairy friend of yours, but I won't do so again! Come here!"  
"No!" Ark squeaked as she flashed her pointed teeth. "Ahh! Get away!" The girl rose up with her arms spread wide for what she thought was the moment in which she would snag Ark, but she was wrong. A ball of fire struck her in the chest, sending her flying backwards and onto the ice. The girl came to a gradual stop before sitting up and shaking her head. She swore horribly and smashed her fist into the ice before getting slowly to her feet. A large burn mark sat fair in the middle of her top and aside from a sore arm, she was relatively undamaged.  
"You'll both get what's coming," she growled. "Mark my word." Then, at a rather casual pace, the black-haired girl began following the tracks left behind by the ship.  
"Who's the greatest?" Fura laughed as Talen hauled Link and Ark back up onto the ship. The Gerudo held her finger up and blew out a tiny flame that burned merrily away at the tip. "I'm the greatest!"  
"Thank you, Lady Fura," Ark said gratefully as he hopped off of Link's back. She smiled at him and bowed.  
"My pleasure, Ark," she told him. "Now Link…how about a kiss for getting rid of the girl?" She fluttered her lashes and clasped her hands together under her chin. Link stared at her as the straps wound in to their usual length.  
"No," he said simply, walking off towards the door that led to the ship's interior. Fura blinked in surprise.  
"Hey! Zelda got one before! Get back here, you ungrateful weasel!" she demanded, running after him. Saria sighed and shook her head despairingly as Zelda laughed. Ark also watched after them, but turned around quickly upon hearing Nyara mew his name.  
"Ark!" she cried happily. Leaping at him and knocking him off his feet. He lay sprawled on the ground as Nyara assaulted his face mercilessly. "Ark all right! Ark fight off scary girl! Nyara proud!"  
"But…Link…Lady Fura!" Ark spluttered as Nyara's rough tongue scraped across his face. Naturally, Nyara ignored him and continued to show just exactly how pleased she was that he was all right.

Aside from some bruises, both boys were quite unharmed. Ark's stomach was feeling decidedly tender, preventing Nyara from being too rough with him. Link was feeling quite exhausted after his ordeal with the black-haired girl, as was Ark and both boys fell asleep as the light outside grew dusky.  
"Oh, right in the middle of a game," Zelda frowned, looking at Link as he lay on his back behind the checkers board. "Would anybody like to take over?"  
"I would!" Florella said quickly, skipping over.  
"No cheating," Talen murmured from where he sat. Florella screeched to a halt and looked at him. The smith was polishing Link's sword and shield slowly and carefully as he leaned back in a chair.  
"Are you implying that I _cheat?_" Florella asked incredulously.  
"Of course not," Talen said, not looking away from his task.  
"Good."  
"It's a known fact," Talen finished. Florella stamped her little foot down  
"Enough!" she snapped. "I'm a Great Fairy! Great Fairies don't need to resort to cheating!"  
"Then why are you getting so worked up about it?" Talen asked, a small smile playing about his lips as he continued to polish Link's weaponry. Florella huffed and folded her arms across her chest.  
"You're being mean," she told him.  
"Zelda," Talen said, glancing over. "Right hand pocket." Before Florella could react, Zelda had reached into Florella's pocket.  
"Extra pieces?" Zelda smirked. Florella went red.  
"I- he- it's all Link's fault!" she wailed, pointing at him. "He must have planted them on me! That's his revenge! He's trying to discredit me!" Link, who lay on the floor, opened his eyes blearily and looked at Florella.  
"Ugh, your voice is making me sick," he mumbled. Florella opened her mouth just as he flicked up one of the rings and tripped her over. He yawned and rolled over, going back to sleep in an instant while Florella flailed around on the ground, tangled in one of the Key's straps.  
"Don't anybody dare laugh!" she ordered, though it only seemed to serve as a source of even more amusement for the occupants of the cabin. The Great Fairy of Spring was decidedly sour with Talen for the rest of the afternoon.

Morning came and brought with it slightly less-windy conditions and a massively-transformed landscape. Great, glassy spires of ice stuck up all over the place along with great rippled sails of frozen water.  
"It's amazing!" Zelda breathed, looking around in awe. "Just look at everything!" They passed underneath a huge, natural archway of ice that resembled a wave that was just about to break.  
"Everything's so beautiful," Saria whistled, craning her neck to look at the top of the arch. "It's hard to believe that somebody didn't carve all of this."  
"You're right there," Talen agreed. "Is the city like this?"  
"Somewhat," Impa murmured. "You'll see when we get there…which will be quite soon. Look." The Sheikah woman pointed off towards a towering cliff in the distance.  
"That's the city?" Link asked, peering at it.  
"It's built on top and inside. The whole cliff is essentially the city, my boy," she laughed. There are ice caves, walkways, halls and all manner of caverns that the people inhabit running up through it."  
"Hmm," Talen frowned thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "I wonder how-"  
"Oh Talen, _please_ don't go gaga over how the place has been built," Florella groaned.  
"What's the matter?" Link scoffed, tapping his finger on top of her head. "Can't compete with nice _wall?_" The fairy blinked, whirled around and lashed out with her foot, catching him solidly in the shin.  
"Augh!" he grunted, hopping around briefly. "Is that your answer to everything?"  
"_That's_ for sneaking up one me," she scowled. "Come on everybody. Let's go and get our things together." Florella turned her nose up and strode away as everyone followed. Link, however; lagged behind with a self-satisfied grin on his face.

"It's hard to believe that there are so many people in such a cold and remote place," Saria said as they disembarked from the ship. The vessel had stopped in what could be called a port at the base of the cliff…only there was no water, only ice and snow. They headed over towards the cliff and a huge crack that ran partway up it. Inside was even more breathtaking than out. People milled about in a vast, hollowed out chamber made almost entirely of ice and stone. Houses, shops and all manner of buildings lined the walls and stretched up towards the top of the cavern. Walkways of ice or rock connected the different sides, terraces and balconies ran along the walls and flights of stairs interconnected various levels.  
"Incredible!" Talen breathed. "It must have taken _years_ to design and build all of this! Simply breathtaking!" Florella smacked her palm to her forehead and sighed.  
"You can gawk at the sights later, Talen," Impa smiled. "We need to find a place to stay first." The tall woman led the way through the crowd, with Nyara keeping a firm grip on Ark so he didn't get lost again. They eventually found their way to an inn that was situated about halfway up the side of the cavern. To their amazement, it was found that there were many other dwellings that stretched back far into the rock and ice, with tunnels and hallways running every which way. Luckily, signposts were situated at every intersection and corner to point people towards places like inns and well-known points. Surprisingly, the interior of the city was mild and not freezingly cold as they had expected, yet the ice remained hard and frozen. Impa booked their rooms the usual way, with the three boys sharing a room and the girls being spit up with the others. Large beds covered in layers of furs and blankets sat in each room along with comfortable looking chairs and thick rugs.  
"Well this is certainly nicer than what I expected," Zelda said happily, bouncing slightly on her bed. "Very nice indeed."  
"We just have to be careful that Fura doesn't melt everything away," Saria snickered, elbowing the Gerudo. Fura snorted.  
"Hah! I'll have you know I have complete control," she told them all haughtily. "Besides, we can just use Zelda's feet to refreeze anything that gets melted." Zelda stuck her tongue out as she rummaged through her pack.  
"Impa," Florella spoke up from across the room. "Just what exactly is this place called?"  
"Aurora City," the Sheikah woman informed them. "Named so after the lights that appear in the sky each night. If you want, we can all head up to the top of the cliff to watch. A lot of people do, it's quite an atmosphere."  
"Oh that sounds wonderful!" Florella squealed. "I'll go and tell Talen!" She was out the door in seconds.  
"We should probably start looking for the next Lock tomorrow," Zelda suggested, removing a bundle of undergarments from her pack and scattering them about her bed.  
"But remember," Impa said. "It doesn't look like it's in the city. We'll have to go out into the wilderness, and for that we'll need to be prepared."


	39. Aurora

**Chapter 38 – Aurora**

"Come on, Nyara! Give it back!" Link pleaded as he attempted to chase the animal girl around the room. He had just deposited himself in one of the comfortable-looking chairs when his cap had suddenly been whisked off of his head. Nyara was the culprit; having sneaked into the boys' room to play with anyone that was willing, or in Link's case, unwilling. The tawny-coloured girl far out-maneuvered Link, slipping through his legs, vaulting over his head and climbing up the walls with his precious cap held in her mouth. Not even the Key seemed to be able to help him, since Nyara had the uncanny ability to slip out of the way whenever he sent one of the straps snaking towards her.  
"Please, Nyara," he groaned. "You're getting it all spitty." Nyara came to rest in the corner, her pupils enlarged and her tail flicking about. She chewed purposefully on her prize as if taunting the boy, shifting on her haunches as he drew near.  
"Having fun there?" Talen asked mildly from where he sat relaxing.  
"Shut up, Talen," Link grumbled. "She doesn't pick on _you_." Talen laughed at him before Nyara suddenly leaped forwards and bowled the blonde boy over.  
"Link too slow. Never get hat back," she taunted him, dangling the aforementioned item above his face while he lay sprawled on his back. He made a mad grab for it and managed to grab a fistful of material. What ensued was a tug of war between the two of them; Nyara using her teeth and Link holding on with all his might.  
"Urgh! Let go!" he demanded. Nyara grinned and simply opened her mouth. Link, who was leaning back with most of his weight, was sent straight to the floor with the sudden lack of tension. Nyara was on him in a second. She slapped him lightly around the face for a few moments before leaping away, whipping his forehead with her tail as she went. She went straight to Ark, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed folding his clothing neatly. She tackled him head-on, rolling across the blanket and off the other side onto the floor. All that could be seen of either of them was Nyara's tail thrashing over the edge and one of Ark's arms flailing about.  
"Holy Farore" Link sighed in despair as he watched. "Nyara, leave the poor soul alone." Nyara's head popped up along with Ark's since she had his collar in her mouth.  
"Nyara play," she told him through clenched teeth. "Link play, Ark play!"  
"Link no play," he told her flatly. "Link dry spitty hat." Nyara flicked her tail in irritation before letting go of Ark's collar and crunching onto his ear instead.  
"M-Miss Nyara!" he squeaked as her teeth gnawed at him lightly. She ignored him and growled playfully before rolling around with Ark on the floor.  
"Ark tummy sore still?" she asked, stopping for a moment.  
"N-No…" he panted. "Thank you for your concern, Miss Nyara…but can you please let me g- ahh!"  
"Nyah!" the animal girl yowled, grabbing the back of his clothing and hurling him over onto his bed. He lay there breathing heavily for a few seconds before he looked up to see Nyara descending from the air in another tackle. She hit, sending herself and Ark into a tangled ball of limbs and sheets that ended up on the floor again.  
"Well at least it's stopped you from moving around," Link told the animal girl as she wiggled around helplessly. She mewed at him for help. "No. Hopefully we'll get a little bit of peace now." Nyara pouted and looked down at Ark, who happened to be bound to her front.  
"Miya! Ark have fun, yes?" she asked, bobbing her head from side to side.  
"Ah…"  
"Can Ark move? Nyara can't, Nyara stuck," she frowned. Ark looked pleadingly at Link as the animal girl began to thrash around in an attempt to free herself. She eventually gave up and flopped her head down, bumping it against Ark's. She laughed as Ark tried to rub the spot with his only free arm, but found he couldn't because Nyara was in the way. So to help him out, in Nyara's view anyway, she scraped her tongue over his forehead a number of times.  
"This would be funny if it wasn't horribly pathetic," Link winced as Nyara continued to bubble about, despite her restricted state. "I'm going to go see what there is to eat around here. Coming, Talen?"  
"Why not?" the smith shrugged, getting up and following Link to the door.  
"W-Wait!" Ark called. "What about me?"  
"Oh…sorry, Ark," Link said apologetically. "Erm…a little help, Talen?" Together, the two of them managed to release Ark and keep Nyara tangled in the sheets. She thrashed about as Ark got up.  
"Ark no leave Nyara! Nyara want to play!" she squawked. Ark faltered and hesitated between going with Talen and Link and staying with Nyara.  
"Hold it there, Ark," Link said, holding his friend back. The blonde Hylian looked around for a moment before rummaging around in his pack. He soon pulled out a crumpled ball of parchment which he tossed from hand to the other.  
"Nyara!" he said sharply. "You see this? You see this?" Her eyes went wild and she began moving her head from side to side as she followed the ball's path from one of Link's hands to the other.  
"Go get it!" he told her, throwing the crumpled parchment across the room. Nyara's head snapped around and she started clawing her way after it with a look of rapt excitement in her eyes.  
"Go!" Link hissed, shunting his two friends out the door, leaving Nyara to play with her new toy.

The boys' room opened into a wide hall with rich tapestries adorning the rock and ice walls. The hall in turn led to a flight of stairs that led down to the front desk, which opened into the dining hall. In a stark contrast to the rest of the inn, the dining hall was furnished with a hardwood floor, great wooden posts that reached up to the roof and a roaring fire in a large stone hearth against the far wall. There were but one or two people sitting either at the bar drinking or at one of the many tables eating.  
"I think I'll just get a sandwich," Link frowned. "I'll probably get told off if I eat too much now and not leave any space for dinner…not that _that_ could ever happen." Talen grinned and walked up to the counter with his blonde and grey-haired companions. They ordered a plate of sandwiches before sitting at one of the tables close to the fire. Link let out a rather heavy sigh.  
"Whewf, it's good to finally be here, especially after our run-in with Hell Girl."  
"She's annoyingly persistent," Talen frowned. "And that big scythe she carries around makes her even more dangerous. To think a little fellow like Ark could cause her so much trouble."  
"Big things come in small packages, I suppose," Link smiled, patting Ark on the back.  
"I'm not _that_ small, am I?" Ark frowned after swallowing a mouthful of sandwich.  
"Of course not," Talen said, shaking his head. "You're taller than Saria and Florella…not that that's saying much, though." True, Ark was shorter than most of his companions, but not by much; he was closest in height to Zelda, standing just about an inch below her. His great quills of hair, however; stuck up equal height with Talen and Link. He was also a little bit on the scrawny side, but the few months of wandering around the world, fighting and being force-fed by Nyara had put a little bit of extra meat on his bones- not that it was easy to discern through the layers of clothing he always wore.  
"I want to know what she'd be getting for capturing you," Talen murmured thoughtfully, referring to Ark. "All we know is that she finds it extremely valuable."  
"We don't even know her name," Ark frowned.  
"Well…there must be a way of finding something out about her," Link said. "I mean, she's a person you can hire to do certain things for you."  
"Like a bounty hunter or something similar at least," Talen murmured as he ate.  
"Exactly. What that means is that there must be _some_ way of communicating with her to…I don't know, _hire_ her I suppose," Link shrugged. He scratched his head. "Somewhere in the world there must be people that know about her. In the very least we'd be able to find out her name and where she resides; that'd be of _some_ help, wouldn't it?"  
"I guess if we knew where her home was it could prove as an advantage if ever Ark was taken again," Talen nodded. "But how do we go about finding it out?" The three boys fell silent and looked at each other. They each slumped forwards with heavy sighs before finishing off the rest of the food.  
"I wonder if Miss Nyara is all right," Ark frowned. "Maybe we should…"  
"She's fine, Ark," Link assured him. "That ball of parchment could keep her entertained for hours. Even them I'm sure one of the others would have barged into out room by now to make sure we're not getting into some kind of trouble."  
"Warms your heart that they trust us so much," Talen laughed. "And of course we'll get into trouble for not telling them where we've gone."  
"Hmph, Ark will get off scott-free no doubt," Link said, poking his grey-haired friend in the arm.  
"I don't try to," Ark said defensively.  
"We know," Talen said sympathetically with a nod of his head. "But in the end your placid nature is going to make it all the more easier for Florella to marry you off."  
"I- she wouldn't do a thing like that, would she?" Link and Talen looked at each other before they burst out laughing.  
"Oh, that's rich!" Link chortled. He suddenly went very serious. "You're doomed, doomed, _doomed!_ Doomed by the dreaded Great Fairy of Miser- ow!" Link's ear has suddenly found itself in the possession of Saria, who stood behind him with an unimpressed look on her face.  
"So _this_ is where you three snuck off to," she said archly. "I had a feeling you'd be wherever there was something to eat." The rest of the party stood behind her.  
"Oh…hello everyone," Talen said over Link's pathetic whimpering as Saria continued to twist his ear about.  
"You don't sneak off without telling us where you're going," the Kokiri girl told the blonde boy sternly. "All right?"  
"Anything you say!" Link said quickly. Saria let go and shook her head despairingly.  
"Keeping track of you is very hard on me," she sighed dramatically, sitting at the table. Florella began berating Talen in a similar way, but without any physical reprimands. In the end, she began giggling inanely and sat herself down on his lap.  
"What about Ark?" Link protested as Fura drummed her knuckles repeatedly across the top of his head. Zelda, who was watching Fura wrestle with the boy with some amusement, looked over at the grey-haired boy that sat by rather quietly.  
"What about Ark? I'm _sure_ he was dragged along against his will and had absolutely _nothing_ to do with any mischief," the Princess said, shaking her head.  
"What mischief?" Link scoffed. "We came down to get something to eat, that's all."  
"You tied Nyara up," Zelda frowned, shaking her finger at him.  
"She did that to herself!" Link protested. "She was harassing Ark!"  
"Ark, has Nyara ever "harassed" you?" Zelda asked sweetly. Ark opened and closed his mouth for a few seconds.  
"No," he said in a rather small voice.  
"Nyah!" the aforementioned animal girl yowled, wrapping her arms around Ark's chest from behind and lifting him out of his seat. She began laughing and squeezing him with all of her strength, eliciting a number of odd popping noises from the boy.  
"What do you call that then?" Link asked. Zelda frowned thoughtfully and watched as Nyara began nuzzling Ark's cheek.  
"Hmm, I'd call that being _adorable_," she smiled. "Something you know little about."  
"Oh I don't know about that," Fura said, clamping her hand over the boy's mouth as he prepared for a snide little remark. "I think he can be just _precious_ sometimes. Oooh! I could just _eat_ you up!" She pinched his cheek and shook her head at him.  
"I can't take this in public," Link groaned, rubbing his red cheek after she had let go. Fura stood up and put her hands on her hips with a smirk.  
"Well back to the _bedroom_ then," she told him. Fura, together with the rest of the girls, began to snicker and laugh as Link's other cheek changed colour to match his already crimson one.  
"That wasn't funny," he grumbled.  
"Oh, lighten up," Zelda told him, taking hold of his arm and pulling him up. "You just don't like _our_ humor because-"  
"It's _naughty_," Fura whispered in his ear before blowing in it. Link immediately slapped his hand over it and looked at the grinning Gerudo.  
"Ugh, let's just go before you embarrass us any more. We were sitting here nice and quiet, when all of a sudden _you_ all came along to disturb the peace. Just take a look at _that_," he snorted, pointing at Nyara. The animal girl was twisting from side to side with Ark still held in the air. Nobody seemed to care.  
"Very nice," Zelda said. "Now let's go; we need to get ready for tonight."  
"Why? What's going on?" he asked suspiciously.  
"Oh you'll find out," Fura smiled clapping him roughly on the back.

"Aurora? You want to go all the way up the cliff to watch the sky change colours?" Link asked as he sat on the floor of the room that Saria, Fura and Zelda shared. "Why?"  
"How often do you get to see something like that?" Saria asked him.  
"Not that-"  
"Not that often, no," she finished. "It's one afternoon, no complaining." Link drew his finger across his lips and kept his mouth shut.  
"Good," Saria said in a satisfied manner. "Now sit still." The Kokiri girl began to pull her comb through Link's hair.  
"You know…we were talking before, about that girl," Link murmured.  
"Which girl?" Fura asked curiously, sitting up straight. "Oh, _that_ one." She lay back down on her bed and continued playing with a cat's cradle she had.  
"What about her?" Zelda asked, pausing in her game of checkers with Talen.  
"Well…we were thinking that there must be _some_ people that know about her. After all she seems to like money and jewels a whole lot and she must get them from people that pay her to…" He gestured towards Ark. Florella, who was busy combing Nyara's rough hair, paused thoughtfully and tapped the comb against her cheek.  
"That's some good reasoning there," she nodded. "Not bad at all. We could find out more about her so we could-"  
"Set her on fire!" Fura exclaimed, kicking her legs into the air.  
"Yes, Fura," Saria said, rolling her eyes. "Set her on fire." The Gerudo looked a little sheepish and went back to her cat's cradle.  
"Just a suggestion," she mumbled.  
"You can set the stump here on fire if you want," the Kokiri said. "I don't mind if you do that. Burn some manners into him."  
"Hey!" Link grumbled.  
"Shush, keep still," Saria tutted, twisting his head around.  
"Oh! That reminds me of an interesting little fact," Fura exclaimed, sitting up. "It kind of relates to you, Linkie-do." Link swiveled his eyes up and stared at her.  
"What?"  
"Part of the Gerudo courtship ritual!" Fura laughed. "It's to prevent other Gerudo from…stepping in on your territory."  
"This sounds interesting," Saria said, putting her comb down.  
"No it doesn't," Link grunted. "It sounds unpleasant if it involves burning." Fura laughed at him.  
"Well when a Gerudo finds the appropriate man and they eventually get to the point where they, ahem… go to "make three", as it were," Fura coughed.  
"Make three?" Link frowned. "What does…oh _yuck!_" The girls laughed as realization dawned on him.  
"Anyway, after a night of passion and so on and so forth, wink-wink, nudge-nudge, heh…you _burn_ your mark into the man's shoulder!" Fura exclaimed, stabbing down onto the bed with her finger. "Tssssss! Bound together until the end of your days!"  
"Augh! You do _what!?_"  
"That's right! First you have to set up a little brazier of coals in the room before anything starts…just tell the man it's for mood or lighting incense or something- men are too thick to realize anything's up. Then, when he's all tuckered out and a little absent-minded from all the activity"…pluck the carefully concealed branding-iron from the coals and score one on the shoulder!"  
"That's hideous! How has your race stayed alive for this long with such a practice?" Link winced, absently covering his shoulder with his hand.  
"I suppose the lure of a fine femme from the desert outweighs the risk of being singed…plus I don't think too many men want to admit they were stupid enough to let it happen, so nobody really knows about it!" Fura laughed. She suddenly smirked at him. "Let's see how alert _you _are in a few years, hmm?"  
"Euh! That's _not_ going to happen!" Link squeaked, shuffling back.  
"That's right, you go ahead and think that," Fura said, waving her hand. "But when you're passed out after a full night of you-know-what, there's not a lot you can do, is there? And if that fails, there's always the hypnotic power of _these_." She pointed proudly at her bust, at which point Link dropped his face into his hands.  
"Make it stop," he whimpered. "Talen, help."  
"You're on your own," Talen told his friend, holding his hands up. "I'm not going near this with a fifty-foot pole."  
"Coward," Link grumbled. "Can we all move onto a different topic?"  
"Of course, Linkie-do," Fura told him. "Whatever you wish."  
"I want a branding-iron too," Zelda said quite suddenly. "A big one…that says "property of Zelda" in big letters."  
"Oh no…" the blonde boy groaned. "That's it, I'm leaving."  
"How big?" Fura asked.  
"Oh, I don't know…big enough to cover his entire back! That just _screams_ "property of Princess Zelda of Hyrule", don't you think?" Link shook his head and stood up to go to the door.  
"Nobody's burning _me_," he said quite firmly.  
"Oh come on," Zelda laughed. "We're only teasing you. We're not _really _going to brand you. Fura just made that up, right?" The Gerudo grinned and grabbed one of the Key's rings as Link went past, yanking him backwards and into her grip.  
"Hey," Fura snickered. "I'm not lying. If things go my way you're going to be wearing the official mark of Fura right…_here_." She dug her finger into his right shoulder, making the boy squirm.  
"Ooh, all this talk of odd marks on Link has made me remember something…I noticed some odd little lights on his black skin when he and Zelda were having a nice little kissy-kissy before," Florella said. "What _was_ that?" Link went red and he began flailing his arm about in an attempt to get to the door before an embarrassing conversation got started.  
"Well we have no idea," Fura shrugged, wrestling away to keep Link still. "It just happens whenever romance is in the air, right?"  
"I want to go."  
"Of course you do, Linkie-pie-darling," Fura said, not really paying attention to him.  
"Well this is _very_ interesting," Florella smiled, rubbing her hands together. "Fura, Zelda…you two don't mind assisting me in discovering what's happening, do you?"  
"But of course," Zelda smiled. "I'd be happy to help."  
"Same here," Fura grinned. She looked down at Link. "You hear that, Link? You get to help too." Link didn't look all that enthusiastic.

Because the time that the Aurora was to visible was still a few hours away, Florella insisted upon finding out what the colourful lights that swam about Link's black skin were. He refused on the outset, folding his arms and putting on a serious expression. Fura changed his mind rather quickly by taking hold of her purple brassiere-like chest piece and threatening to give him a really good view. He did, however; utterly refuse to participate unless only Zelda, Fura and Florella were present.  
"Fair enough," Florella shrugged. "All right! Everybody out!" Florella's brisk command prompted everyone to get up and leave.  
"Not you!" Zelda tutted, grabbing Link's arm as he tried to sneak out the door. He gave a disappointed sigh before wandering back over to the middle of the room.  
"We'll just be in the next room if you need us," Impa smiled, closing the door behind her.  
"Now…" Florella began. "Do any of you three have any idea what it is?" They glanced at each other and shook their heads.  
"Uh-uh," Fura said. "But it feels funny."  
"Funny?" Florella asked curiously. "In what way?"  
"Well…it tickles…and it's warm to the touch," Zelda frowned, trying to describe it. Florella pursed her lips and rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet. "Oh, and the colours are different too." Florella looked at the Princess.  
"With Zelda it's yellow light, with me it's red. Other than that it seems the same," Fura shrugged.  
"There's something else too," Link spoke up. The three girls looked at him. "I can feel it…and it's not just here and here." He held up his arm and pointed to the mark on his face.  
"There are other places you can feel those little twinkly lights?" Zelda asked. "Where?"  
"Everywhere," Link frowned. "I can't see them…but I can feel them over every inch of my body, inside and out. It's like having butterflies in you stomach…but they've migrated everywhere else as well."  
"Well this is very, _very_ interesting," Florella whistled, rubbing her hands together. "Now how exactly does it occur?" Fura and Zelda both looked at Link.  
"Well…the times it's happened so far have been when we've…" Link left it hanging and averted his eyes in an embarrassed manner.  
"I see," Florella giggled. "Well…it doesn't happen when you're just making physical contact?" Fura poked Link in the side of the head before smooshing her entire hand over his face. Nothing seemed to happen. Zelda tried too, but with a simple hold of the boy's hand. Again, nothing seemed to happen.  
"Right then!" Florella declared, cracking her knuckles. "Time for a demonstration!" Link immediately tensed.  
"W-Wait…do you really _need_ to figure out what it is? I mean…it hasn't done any harm, has it?" he winced, holding his hands up in front of him.  
"Oh don't be such a party-pooper," Florella snorted. "Can we really afford _not_ to figure out what's going on? Just think of it as a noble cause." Link tapped the tips of his fingers together nervously.  
"But…I…" he murmured, trailing off as Fura and Zelda gazed at him.  
"Aww, don't fret," Fura told him soothingly, sidling up and putting an arm around his shoulder. "You promised us back in Gale, remember?"  
"Yes, but…that was only to get you to stop hurting me," he said in a small voice.  
"Just a little one," Fura told him, holding her thumb and forefinger a tiny distance apart. "One for me and one for Zelda…just so that Florella can find out exactly what this thing is that happens between us."  
"Well…I suppose if you put it that way-"  
"Great! Me first, Zelda got the last one!" Fura grinned happily, clapping him roughly on the back. In the next instant she whirled him around and pressed her lips against his. His dark skin instantly began to swim with tiny red flecks of light. Florella whistled and skipped over to take a look. The fairy held his arm up and ran her hand up and down it, giggling slightly as the lights tickled her.  
"All right, Fura. That should be enough," Florella said. Fura kept on going.  
"Fura," Zelda frowned. "Be fair." The Hylian Princess flicked the Gerudo's ear, causing her to part with a squeak. Link gasped loudly and wiped his lips furiously.  
"Only a tiny one, huh?" he muttered sardonically. Fura smiled at him.  
"The longer the better!" she laughed. "And I'll steal 'em from you however I can! I'm a Gerudo after all." Zelda cleared her throat politely, prompting Fura to move. Unlike the boisterous Gerudo, Zelda was far more delicate and simply leaned in and brushed her lips against Link's. Similarly to Fura, the little white speckles of light began to swim and sparkle about his dark skin. Once again, Florella peered closely at the spectacle and felt his arm in various places with a thoughtful look on her face.  
"All done," the fairy proclaimed, clapping her hands together. Link and Zelda came apart, with Link wiping his mouth with the back of his hand whilst keeping his gaze averted.  
"What did you keep your eyes closed for?" Zelda asked, folding her arms across her chest.  
"I did? Well…" he winced, scratching the back of his head.  
"Honestly, boy," Florella sighed. "It isn't _that_ scary, is it?" Link twiddled his fingers.  
"Can I go now?" he asked.  
"Fine, fine, you can _go_," Florella sighed, shaking her head and flicking her hand at him. "But you disappoint me, I'm afraid." Link scurried over to the door.  
"Aww," Fura pouted. "Just when you've gotten me all hot and bothered." She pulled her chest piece away from her body slightly and began to fan herself with her hand. Link went slightly red and fled from the room. Fura leaned out the door after him.  
"Not even a grope?" she called before coming back into the room and laughing. "It's so easy to make him squirm these days it's not funny." Zelda shook her head and sighed.  
"Honestly, Fura," the blonde girl tutted. "You catch more flies with honey than trying to grab them out of the air and shoving them into your cleavage." Florella snorted in amusement and Fura grinned.  
"Oh, says you," the redhead scoffed. "You need to be aggressive! Beat them into submission! That's the Gerudo way! That and kidnapping…but I've never been fond of that. Then again…keeping one tied to your bed with some stout rope does have a certain excitement to it…"  
"Oh Fura, enough," Florella laughed.  
"That doesn't really happen, does it?" Zelda asked with wide eyes.  
"Not as often as it used to," Fura frowned. "And then you'd sit by with a bare torso until the thought of being partnered with a Gerudo for the rest of your life didn't sound that bad anymore. Ahh, romance is wonderful, how do you think my mother met my father?"  
"Wow," Zelda said. "Your mother and father, are they still…?"  
"Together? Oh my yes," Fura smiled. "I don't see him all that often- what, with the rule about no men being allowed at the fortress…but you're permitted frequent visits to go and see your life partner. After all, you know how cold the nights in the desert can be, if you know what I mean."  
"You're being particularly suggestive today, Fura," Florella smirked. "Any reason?" The Gerudo shrugged.  
"Not really. I just thought I'd give Linkie-do a bit of a kick in the pants is all."

After all of the fuss with Link, Fura and Zelda, Florella had to admit that she had no idea what the lights in Link's dark skin were. The blonde boy also refused to give Florella any more demonstrations on the outset and took refuge near Talen. The smith was busy making an extraordinarily complicated house of cards on the floor of the boys' room and had even enlisted the help of Ark to keep Nyara occupied lest she decide to get a little playful. Ark, however; was beginning to regret his helpful act of keeping the animal girl out of Talen's way. She had managed to get him to start scratching her on the back of the neck some time beforehand, but once he'd started she wouldn't let him stop. If he took his hand away, she'd force herself under his arm until he started again.  
"Oh how cute!" Zelda exclaimed when she saw the blissful smile on Nyara's face as she purred away in front of Ark. "Ark, that's just precious!"  
"I-"  
"Ark no stop!" Nyara pleaded. "Ark good scratchies with Nyara."  
"But…my hand's getting sore, Miss Nyara," Ark told her. "Can't I just take a break?" She sat up and frowned at him with large, luminous eyes.  
"But Ark no scratch best spot yet," she told him, pointing to the base of her tail. Ark went red.  
"B-but…I can't do that!" he gasped. "It's too close to…to…I'm sorry, Miss Nyara. I cannot disgrace you like that." Nyara looked at him like he was crazy.  
"Disgrace?" she asked curiously. "How Ark disgrace Nyara? Nyara proud of Ark! Nyara not even mind when Ark use Nyara as pillow."  
"Ah…I think he understands, Nyara," Florella said quickly. Nyara took her hands away from her chest and Ark eventually uncovered his eyes.  
"You three boys are all so…so _straight_," Fura sighed. "Anybody _else_ would be admiring the view. I mean…look at Nyara! She _must_ have done something to please the Gods in a past life!"  
"Oh no," Link sighed. "Why does conversation always have to head in that direction with you girls? Why don't we talk about something nice for a change?"  
"Breasts are nice!" Fura declared.  
"Augh! Don't _say_ that!" Link squeaked, waving his hands. "I'll tell you what; I'll go along to see the aurora later on without protest if you just drop this line of conversation, all right?" The Gerudo considered it for a moment, narrowing her eyes at him thoughtfully.  
"Holding hands," Fura countered.  
"What!?"  
"Both of us," Zelda cut in. "To be fair." Link threw his hands up in the air and clenched his teeth together.  
"Rrgh, fine! It's a deal then," he grumbled. "Are _all_ women as underhanded and treacherous as all of you?" Impa was trying her very hardest not to burst out laughing as she sat in one of the chairs with her book. Saria wasn't coping to well either and had to hold her mouth shut with her hand.  
"It's not funny!" he told the two of them. "And Impa, you're supposed to be an adult! Wash their mouths out with soap or something!"

A short while later, the group trudged up through the city to the top of the cliff via numerous tunnels and walkways. Since Link was generally one to keep his word, he found himself walking between Fura and Zelda with his hands held firmly in theirs. While the two girls seemed entirely pleased with things, Link looked decidedly embarrassed and walked the entire way with a flushed face; particularly since a lot of people seemed to be staring at Fura's strange attire. They finally reached the top of the cliff by way of a wide set of stairs leading out of an opening in the ground. If the lower part of the city was amazing, then the upper part was spectacular. Streets and buildings sprawled off on either side of a wide canal that flowed with partially-frozen water. Ice-covered oil street lamps glowed cheerfully in the darkening air, while frost white carriages ferried people around the city. Far up the icy river there could be seen a grand ice palace that sat above the chilly water with great snow-covered domes rising from the roofs. Everything seemed to sparkle and glitter either white or blue as people dressed in thick, furry clothing milled around the streets.  
"This place is _incredible!_" Saria gasped. "It's all so pretty!"  
"Is that _real_ ice they've used for the buildings?" Talen frowned. "I wonder how-"  
"Oh _please_ don't, Talen," Florella whimpered. "Can't you save it for a time when the mood best suits it?" Talen grinned sheepishly.  
"Sorry."  
"Oh don't be," she sighed. "Let's just go and watch the aurora, which way do we go, Impa?"  
"Over this way," the tall woman told them, guiding them towards a spot right near the edge of the cliff. A number of bench seats had been set up, many of which were occupied by couples. Fura and Zelda dashed over to one of the remaining seats, dragging Link with them. The rest sat nearby; Florella sat by Talen and Impa while Saria, Nyara and Ark took up the last seat.  
"When does it start?" Link asked. "It's cold out here." He suddenly felt Zelda bump into one shoulder before Zelda bumped into the other, their hands still threaded together. He sighed, but didn't say anything due to his promise he made earlier.  
"Any moment now," Impa smiled. "Just sit back and relax." Link sighed again, doubting that he actually could.  
"Don't be so tense," Fura chided him lightly. "Here." She reached up behind his neck with her free arm, felt around for a second before squeezing her fingers together sharply. There was an audible crack and the boy let out a shuddering whoosh of air before slumping back against the seat.  
"What was _that?_" he asked, feeling decidedly flopsy.  
"Just a tension-reliever I happened to know of. Don't worry; you'll just feel a little bit feeble for a while. It isn't anything permanent and besides; you're feeling plenty relaxed now, aren't you."  
"I guess…"  
"Wonderful!" Fura smiled cheerfully. "Zelda, you keep a hold of him on that side and I'll do the same on this side so he doesn't slide off onto the ground."  
"That sounds like a good idea," the Hylian Princess beamed. "This is going to be a beautiful night."


	40. Eshlee Attack

**Chapter 39 – Eshlee Attack**

Once the aurora had started, Link didn't seem to care what position he was in. The sky lit up like it was burning with a holy fire, washing the entire city in a myriad of colours that glowed on the icy surfaces. Link gazed up in amazement, as did the rest of the party as the fantastic curtains of shifting light and colour danced across the sky.  
"By the Goddesses," Fura breathed. "_That's_ something you don't see everyday."  
"You're telling me," Link murmured. "I'm beginning to think that you dragging me up here was quite a good idea."  
"Don't mention it," Zelda told him. "Just be safe in the knowledge that we know best."  
"Hah, I haven't completely lost all reason, you know," Link snorted. "I'll admit that-" The boy stopped suddenly and tore his attention away from the sky.  
"What's the matter?" Zelda asked, noticing his sudden change in attention.  
"Did it just get colder?" he asked, shivering slightly.  
"I don't know," Zelda smiled, her hands going up to her head. "This fine hat of mine just bottles in the heat."  
"No, he's right," Saria frowned, huddling closer to Nyara's warm, furry body. There was suddenly a scream from one of the other benches where a couple had leaped up onto their seat.  
"What the heck's going on?" Fura grunted. "They're interrupting my quality time!"  
"Ack! With good reason!" Link exclaimed. A handful of creatures seemingly mad from ice had emerged from the ground. They were rather chiseled in appearance, with gangly arms tipped in long claws. Their bodies and legs were relatively small and their heads were essentially a set of large jaws. They snapped about angrily, breathing out flecks of snow as they moved about using mostly their long arms.  
"Quickly!" Link barked. "Let's take care of them before- oof!" The blonde boy had jumped up to attack, but had simply fallen flat on his face.  
"Uh-oh," Fura winced. "You're still a little wonky there."  
"Fura!"  
"Hey! I didn't know this was going to happen! Erm, Impa! Can you take care of him?" the redhead called. Impa dashed over and threw the boy over her shoulder.  
"Zelda, come with me," the Sheikah woman ordered brusquely. More and more of the ice beasts began appearing as the people around them began to flee. Ark, Talen and Nyara came to Fura's side.  
"Ark, are you all right?" the Gerudo asked. Ark nodded and held his staff at the ready.  
"I will help, you are my companions after all," he said firmly. Fura grinned.  
"Atta boy! Now let's go!"  
Fura ran into the fray before the others, her scimitars held out on either side of herself. In a shower of ice chunks, she cleaved the head of one of the monsters clean off before whirling around and detonating another with a ball of fire from her palm.  
"Come on you ugly little snowflakes! Is that all you've got!?" she laughed gleefully. Another two fell as she lashed out with both of her weapons, spinning in the trademark Gerudo style. She then let loose with a barrage of fireballs that reduced a whole group of the ice creatures into fragments of semi-melted ice. Talen slogged his way through them, pounding his fists into their brittle bodies and shattering them into tiny pieces. Several leaped at him, swinging their sharp claws. Talen whirled around and launched a sharp rock needle, then another. The first attack crunched into the head of one of the beasts while the second one drilled into its small body. They were both sent straight to the ground where they writhed around in a feeble attempt to attack before Talen drove his boots into them, smashing them apart. Nyara darted to and fro, swiping at enemies with her razor-sharp claws and inflicting heavy damage. The arms, legs and sometimes heads of the monsters were hacked from their bodies with Nyara's savage strikes. Several of the ice creatures surrounded her, so she leaped into the air and landed on top of one of the monsters in a handstand. The rest of the creatures came at her and swung their long arms, but the nimble girl managed to twist herself up into the air, leaving the other monsters to shatter the one she had just been on. She landed a short distance away before the creatures still after her were blown to pieces by a bold of electricity from Ark.  
"Go Ark!" she cheered dancing about happily.  
"Miss Nyara, watch out!" he called, directing her attention to three more of the beasts. With a twirl of his staff, Ark summoned up three balls of lightning that hovered in the air for a few moments before the grey-haired boy thrust his hand out, directing them to Nyara's assailants. The balls of electricity whistled harmlessly past the girl and detonated against the three creatures that had snuck up behind her. She grinned at him before darting away to claw her way through more of the odd monsters.  
The fight was over rather quickly and the remains of the ice creatures littered the ground all around the seats.

"Well so much for Zelda's beautiful night," Fura muttered, clipping her scimitars on her back. "What were those things?"  
"Who knows?" Talen sighed. "At least they didn't bleed." Impa, Saria, Link, Zelda and Florella rejoined them and observed the remains.  
"Nicely done," Impa smiled. "You're becoming quite the fighter, Ark." The boy smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck before Nyara caught him in a bone-crushing hug and wrenched him around a short distance away. Link shook his head from atop Impa's shoulder.  
"It didn't look like those things came after us, though," he frowned. "They went for anybody nearby."  
"You're right," Fura muttered. "Impa, do you have any idea what they are?"  
"I'm afraid I don't," the tall woman sighed. "That's the first time I've seen them."  
"You!" a new voice said sharply and quite suddenly. Impa whirled around, accidentally throwing Link to the ground in the process. He hit the snow with a grunt before Zelda hurriedly helped him up. The owner of the voice turned out to be a hulking great man dressed in thick clothing with an armored chest plate. His hair was cut short and he seemed to have a permanent scowl about him.  
"On behalf of the Royal House of Aurora, I Galden thank you for defeating the swarm of Eshlee and saving the lives of the children of the Royal Family!" he boomed. The group's attention turned to three girls dressed in thick, furry white clothing and a boy that looked about Link and Talen's age and height. The girls wore hats similar to Zelda and looked to be twins with light blue eyes, pale skin and very light blonde hair.  
"'Ello."  
"'Ello."  
"'Ello."  
"Euh!" Link blinked in a surprised attempt at telling them apart. The three of them spoke one after the other in a soft, throaty and accented manner.  
"Link! Don't just grunt! Mind your manners!" Saria snapped, smacking him in the back of his head.  
"It's nice to meet you," their brother said politely, looking slightly amused at Link's misfortune. The brother had dark hair and brown eyes and he was dressed in clothing similar to Link, Ark and Talen's, but it was finer and had an insignia stitched into the thick cloak.  
"Oh!" Impa said with some surprise. "Well it's-" She was cut off by a low growl as a lone Eshlee suddenly exploded out of the ground in between the two groups. Zelda squealed and Link cried out in surprise before the Hylian Princess let go of Link and held both of her hands out the same time as the blonde boy extended his dark arm. Glittering white sparks of magic erupted from the tips of Zelda's fingers and a burst of shadow came forth from Link's open palm. The Eshlee was obliterated in an instant and Zelda was thrown back by a small backlash of her own magic and Link, without anyone to hold him up, fell back beside her. The two of them lay in the snow flat on their backs as everyone peered down at them.  
"Go Zelda," Fura snickered. "Are you two all right?"  
"Curse you, Fura," Link groaned. "You've crippled me."  
"Oh you'll be all right," she smiled in amusement. She bent down and hauled him up before keeping him steady and brushing all the snow off of his clothing. Impa helped Zelda up and cleared the snow off of her too before depositing her puffy round hat back on her head.  
"Thank you," Zelda murmured in a slightly embarrassed tone. She composed herself and looked back over at Galden and the young members of the Royal House.  
"I must thank you again!" Galden rumbled. Impa winced at the volume of his thundering voice.  
"No, no, it's quite all right," she assured him. "Allow us to introduce ourselves. I am Impa; chief servant of the Royal Family of Hyrule and nursemaid to Princess Zelda who stands before me. Fura; Fire…Maiden of the Gerudo, Talen; son of the Royal Weapons Forger of Rockvale, Saria; a member of the Kokiri race, Link; swordsman, protector and Shadow Mage, Ark; Thunder Mage of Agria Village, Florella; the Great Fairy of Spring and finally, Nyara; erm…Ark's owner I suppose." Galden and his charges stood with surprise evident on their faces.  
"Then truly we are in the presence of nobility!" he thundered. Impa winced slightly. "Come! You must go with us to the palace so that the King and Queen can hear of your brave actions!"  
"If it's still left after you shake it to pieces with that voice of yours," Link whispered. Saria stomped on his foot and glared at him.  
"We would be honored," Impa said, bowing formally.

The trip to the palace was taken inside a rather large white carriage drawn by white horses. Since space inside the carriage was limited, Link, Ark, Talen and Nyara rode outside with Galden- in Nyara's case she ran alongside. The three identical Princesses' names turned out to be Mia, Meia and Maia while their slightly older brother was called Teran. The three identical twins were rather talkative and were very curious about other lands around the world. Teran, however; seemed to be the quiet type and merely sat at the end of his siblings with his gaze aimed out of the window.  
"And 'ou…come from a forest, no?" one of the twins asked Saria. "Ees your forest like ze forests we 'af 'ere?"  
"They're similar," Saria smiled. "But Kokiri Forest has much bigger and many more trees than the forests here. There's also lots of grass and birds and streams."  
"We 'af streams too, but zey are mostly frozen," another of the twins said. Zelda and the others looked at each other in an uncertain manner, unable to recall who was speaking. Teran seemed to sense that fact and turned to his sisters.  
"Put your brooches on," he told them. "It will make it easier for them to tell you apart."  
"'Ou don't 'af to wear one, beeg brother," one of the twins pouted.  
"That's because I don't have two identical twins. It'll only be temporary, Meia," he sighed, giving an apologetic glance in the guests' direction. "Just until they learn to tell you apart themselves. It won't take them long I'm sure." Mia, Meia and Maia each placed a small brooch on the front of their clothing, with a different colour indicating a different twin. Mia's was blue, Meia's was green and Maia's was white. Teran informed Zelda, Saria, Impa, Fura and Florella of which colour represented which twin.  
"That should make things easier. It happens whenever we have guests at the palace." "Ah…excuse me for asking, but you sound…" Fura trailed off.  
"The accent?" Teran asked. "It's gender-specific. All the women in the land have it, but for some reason the men do not."  
"That's odd," Zelda frowned. "It has a nice sound to it though…like Nyara's, but in a different way."  
"Nyara ees ze furry one, no?" Maia asked curiously. "Ees she, 'ow 'ou say…like a wild animal?"  
"Oh no, no, no," Florella giggled. "Though Link seems to think so sometimes. Nyara's mannerisms may seem strange, but she's very endearing."  
"And ees she really ze owner of ze boy wiz ze grey 'air?" Mia asked curiously.  
"Well…that line has become a little blurry since they met. Nyara feeds and protects Ark with great enthusiasm…whether he likes it or not. The poor boy's much too polite and timid to tell her to stop, though," Saria laughed. The girls in the carriage continued talking about various things ranging from where they lived to their relations to the boys outside.  
"Are zey your brothers?" Meia asked.  
"Oh no," Florella grinned. "Let's see…Talen- the one with the brown hair and the green eyes- is going to marry me one day." Mia, Meia and Maia looked visibly shocked.  
"'E as proposed already? 'E must be quite ze romantic."  
"Well…actually _I_ stuck the ring on his finger and told him to marry me," Florella said sheepishly. "All three of them are about as romantic as a punch in the face."  
"And ze boy wiz ze collar?"  
"Erm, he's a little harder to put your finger on," Saria frowned. "It's better to actually see for yourself. I'm sure there will be some demonstrations." She looked at Fura and Zelda, both of whom snickered quietly.  
"Ees 'e a servant zen?"  
"He'd see it that way," Florella snorted. "He may be brave with a good head on his shoulders, but he's frightfully dense sometimes."

"Yes, I am a blacksmith like my father is. We used to have a small forge in Rockvale- just for repairing things mostly, but now we live in the palace grounds in a house that's actually too big for my liking. We make everything from weapons to armor for the soldiers there," Talen told Galden. "After my mother died it was something that my father and I could to together. He may be a big man, but he's an equally big softie."  
"Ah, blacksmithing; a proud and noble trade!" Galden boomed. Talen, who was sitting nearest to him, flinched. "My father was a blacksmith, which I too would have become had it not been fore my enlisting in the garrisons at the palace."  
"Why didn't you?" Link frowned. "I mean…you're obviously built for it."  
"That may be so," the huge man rumbled. "But I lacked the patience and coordination to excel in that field. The life of a soldier was the life for me, and there is no greater honor than defending the Royal Family!" The boys refrained from asking him questions for a while lest they be assaulted by Galden's tremendous voice. It was getting rather dark, yet the aurora reflecting off of all the icy surfaces made the city seem to glow.  
"I must say, this place is certainly a feast for the eyes," Ark murmured, gazing around.  
"Indeed. It is hard to believe that mere frozen water can produce such splendor," the big man rumbled. Ark looked a little strained at the mention of water, but he soon got over it as he went back to looking around.  
"Help Nyara up!" Nyara's voice suddenly sounded up from the ground. Link sighed and dangled one of the Key straps over the side of the carriage, allowing Nyara to climb up without the carriage having to stop.  
"Why didn't you just ride up here to begin with?" Link asked her. Nyara stuck her tongue out and shoved the boy out of the way so that she could sit by Ark.  
"Nyara like to run, but Nyara's feet get cold from running on snow so long," she informed the disgruntled Link, sticking her tongue out at him in the process. The animal girl yawned and promptly flopped against Ark. "We eat soon? Ark need dinner; no good for him if he no eat."  
"Miss Nyara…I'm not really all that hungry at the moment. I will be all right without-"  
"Dinner very important!" she cut in. "Ark need dinner!"  
"Calm yourself, little lady," Galden rumbled. "There will be a great feast at the palace in your honor!"  
"See Nyara?" Link told her. "There'll be more than enough food there to shove down Ark's throat." Nyara slapped Link across the face with the tip of her tail and hugged Ark protectively.  
"Link no make fun of Ark and Nyara," she growled. "Link nice and juicy, Nyara cook Link up and feed to Ark!"  
"All right, all right," Link said quickly, holding his hands up. "Besides, I'd taste horrible."

Aurora's palace was quite expansive; thought not quite at the scale of Morgan's enormous royal dwelling. The carriage stopped inside the palace grounds at the main doors, whereupon Galden dropped down from the reins and opened the door of the carriage to allow those inside to get out. Link, Talen, Ark and Nyara jumped down too, landing in the relatively thick covering of snow that carpeted the side of the pathway. Link, however; fell flat on his face in the snow since he was still slightly on the feeble side after Fura's relaxation attempt. Talen helped him up.  
"This way; the interior of the palace is quite warm and I am sure you are eager to get out of the cold," Galden told them, leading the way up the few stairs that led to the main doors.  
"Hmm, I wonder how they do that. If the palace is ice…wouldn't it melt?" Talen frowned.  
"Only the outside is ice," Teran told the smith. Everything inside is made of stone and brick, the ice is just a coating to make it look nice."  
"Well how about that," Talen whistled, craning his neck and looking up the height of the palace as he walked inside. Florella shook her head despairingly. True to Galden's word; the interior was quite warm.  
"Please, wait here a moment while I go and inform the King and Queen of your presence. I am sure they will be delighted to meet with the Princess of Hyrule as well as so many other important guests." The big man left them all and exited through a set of large doors located at the top of a landing accessible by means of two sets of stairs that curved around the edge of the foyer.  
"Oh dear," Zelda breathed, taking off her hat and shaking out her long blonde hair. "It's a little too hot in here to wear this." Mia, Meia and Maia similarly took their puffy hats one after the other, revealing their long, pale-blonde hair. Nyara shook herself and dislodged a powdering of snow that had settled in the white balls of puff on her body.  
"I have to say that your city is most spectacular," Florella told the three Princesses. Teran seemed to have slipped away from his siblings to talk with Link, Ark and Talen. "Is it like this at all times of the year?"  
"Yes, eet ees. Ees eet not ze most beautiful city 'ou 'af ever seen?" Meia smiled.  
"Eet sparkles like a diamond," Mia sighed happily. Teran, who was listening to his sisters, shook his head and rolled his eyes.  
"Please don't leave," he groaned. "You're the first male company I've had here for so long. Have you any idea what it's like living with three sisters?"  
"Look at what we came with," Link told him. He began pointing from Saria to Zelda to Fura and to Florella. "Bossy, squealy, scary and El Fairy Diablo."  
"We can hear you, you whelp!" Florella snapped. Link winced and Navi laughed at him, digging her tiny foot into the top of his head.  
"You forgot Nyara," Talen laughed.  
"Oh…the beast too," Link frowned; making sure his voice was much quieter.  
"Miss Nyara isn't that bad," Ark said in a small voice. "She's just a slight overprotective, Lord Teran."  
"Lord?" Teran blinked. "I'm used to being called things like that by servants and such, but you don't have to-"  
"Don't even bother _trying_ to convince him otherwise," Talen chuckled. "Link's nemeses over there have tried on numerous occasions without any luck. Just let it go, Ark'll be much happier that way."  
"Well if that's the way you want it, then that's the way it shall be, Ark," Teran grinned, clapping the grey-haired boy on the shoulder. "Nayru knows I wouldn't want to fall into ill-favor with the only three males of similar age that have been here in a long time."

Galden reappeared a short time later and led the up to the doors he had just come through. What lay beyond was the throne-room. Large shields, swords and various spears and other weapons hung from the walls as did thick tapestries of vibrant colour. The King and Queen sat at the end of the large room in their thrones, waiting expectantly for their children and their guests to approach.  
"Your Majesties; King Lond and Queen Eda! I present to you the honored guests that disposed of the Eshlee that threatened the lives of the Royal children!" Galden boomed before introducing everybody one at a time. The boys bowed and the girls curtsied, except Impa who gave a respectful nod. Lond was a fairly big and muscular man, but not nearly as imposing as Galden. His hair was dark like Teran's and his eyes were also brown. Eda looked every bit the queen. She was slender and rather delicate-looking with the same hair and eyes as her daughters.  
"An honor to meet all of you," Lond said, bowing his head.  
"Ze Eshlee are a particularly fearsome beast zat inhabits zis land, though zey do not usually venture so close to ze city. We must sank you for disposing of zem quickly and before any 'arm could befall our precious children," Eda smiled. "Please, make zis palace your home for as long as you need."  
"The thought alone is enough, your Majesties," Impa said. "But we have lodgings at an inn a-"  
"We simply cannot take no for an answer. Why, it would be a disgrace to the monarchy of Aurora if we allowed guests such as the Great Fairy of Spring and the Princess of Hyrule to stay at a mere inn," Lond told her, holding his hand up. "But for now you must feast! I'm sure the journey here has given you quite an appetite. Galden, lead the way to the table." Galden saluted smartly and led everyone through a side door to a dining hall occupied by a single large table that practically ran the length of the room. It was covered in all manner of exquisite-looking dishes that steamed hotly with delicious aromas.  
"Control yourself," Navi told her partner from where she sat on his head. "Try to eat slowly."  
"Yes," Saria told the boy archly. "Remember the company we're in."

"Well Link, it was nice to see that you were very well-mannered at the table," Florella told the blonde boy after dinner was over with and they had been shown to the palace guest rooms. "It's too bad you couldn't even remember the twins' names."  
"They sound the same!" Link protested. "But my stomach hurts and I think I need to lie down. Stop picking on me."  
"Well that's what you get for being a piggy," Saria snickered, poking him in the stomach. "I'm still amazed at how much food you can put away."  
"Well I guess you weren't looking at Florella then," Link smirked. "She wasn't doing half bad."  
"Quiet! It's been a while since I've had a big hot meal. I was simply enjoying it," she sniffed haughtily, turning her nose up at him. "In any case it's past your bedtimes. Goodnight boys." The boys mumbled and yawned their goodnights and collapsed onto their beds. Before Link had the chance, however; Fura caught him with a sharp slap to his backside and sent him leaping away from her.  
"Fura! Don't _do_ that in front of other people!" he hissed, going red.  
"Then would you rather I do it in private, Linkie-pie-darling?" she asked innocently, putting a finer to her bottom lip.  
"You know what I mean," he grumbled while the other girls left the room giggling at him.  
"Gotcha, in private then," Fura winked, sauntering out the door. "Nightie-night, Linkie-do." Link watched her go before sighing heavily and collapsing onto his bed.  
"And you can stop laughing, Talen," he grumbled as his friend snorted into his pillow.  
"Sorry."  
"No you're not," Link growled, hurling a pillow at him, which only served to make the smith laugh even harder. "You don't have Florella slapping and pinching you in all kinds of inappropriate places. Ah well, at least they don't lick me like Nyara does to poor Ark." Ark said nothing since he had already passed out and it didn't take much longer for Link and Talen to do the same.

"Rrgh! Where are they!?" a rather angry girl with black hair growled. Her big scythe materialized in her hand and she whipped the blade around, smashing it into the wall next to the innkeeper's head. "Tell me!"  
"I-I don't know who you're talking about!" the innkeeper gibbered.  
"The people that were here before! Two of them had fairies with them, another was covered in fur and had a tail!" the girl snapped. "Where are they!?"  
"H-Here! Take the keys to their rooms! They went out a while ago, p-probably to see the aurora!" The girl snatched the keys off of the innkeeper and tore her scythe from the wall before stalking off to the rooms. Rather than actually using the keys, she cut the doors of their hinges with her weapon and stepped in. She looked around the first room she went into, finding some packs and items of clothing that only girls would use. She growled and smashed her way into the second room before grinning to herself.  
"Jackpot," she chuckled. She ripped into the packs until she found Ark's. The girl frowned and began to pick through his belongings carefully. "Hmph, pity he didn't leave his staff behind. That jewel on the end would make a nice little prize for me. No matter, the sooner I find- what?" The girl dug down to the bottom of his pack and pulled out something white and neatly folded. It was some clean bandages, but not just any bandages; they were the ones the she herself had used to staunch the blood from the crossbow wound Gravan had inflicted upon him in Alujah. The girl blinked and looked at them more closely and found that they had been carefully washed and very carefully folded. Why had he bothered to keep them for so long? The girl frowned before tossing them negligently back into the pack and leaving the room and the inn. She slung her scythe over her shoulder and walked up the passageways that led to the top of the cliff where she could start searching around for Ark. It was dark by the time she arrived at the aurora lookout point, but the light she was able to produce from a ball of purple energy was enough to allow her to see the damage caused by a fight.  
"Well, well, well," she murmured, looking around. "What have we here?" There were various holes in the ground that had obviously been caused by the use of offensive magic. Charred spots on the ground indicated fire, but there were others as well.  
"Ark…you were here, weren't you?" she murmured, running her hand around the hole his lightning attack had made. Her attention moved over to some tracks that had obviously been made by a hoarse-drawn carriage of some description. She stood up and walked over to them, noticing a group of footprints, specifically; the prints of someone who wasn't wearing any footwear.  
"That animal girl," she snorted. The girl held the glowing purple ball in her hand up as high as she could, allowing her eyes to follow the carriage tracks for a small distance. She was, however; able to discern the direction it had gone in.  
"So…you're at the palace, are you?" she smiled, clenching her hand around her scythe. "Well look out, Ark…here I come!"


	41. Trouble Brewing

**Chapter 40 – Trouble Brewing**

Link held his breath as the man with the rather large knife walked past his hiding place without seeing him. Once the coast was clear, he darted out and kept low to the floor whilst weaving in and out of support pillars and ducking under the odd table. Another man, this time sporting blood-soaked clothing and holding a large cleaving knife came stomping past the table the boy was hiding under. He muttered a few things under his breath before leaving through a door at the end of the room.  
"I have to be very, very careful," Link murmured to himself. "One wrong move and I'm toast." Suddenly, it caught his eye. The treasure he had snuck all the way in there for. Keeping his wits about him, he stuck to the shadows and darted towards his goal that stood atop a glowing stone pedestal. He took a careful look around him to make sure nobody was around before reaching up in preparation to take his shiny prize.  
"Link! What are you _doing_ down here!?" a voice demanded crossly. "Don't tell me you're raiding the kitchen of this palace too."  
"Ack! Oh God!" Link yelped, bumping the pot that bubbled merrily away on top of the glowing stove. It toppled over, spilling its burning hot contents all over him. Link began his merry dance of pain, yelping and cursing as an entire pot full of melted butter seared his skin.  
"Saria! What are you doing here?" he cried.  
"Looking for you. I come to get the three of you for breakfast and I find you down here filching food from our hosts!" she blared, putting her hands on her hips. "What do you have to say for yourself?"  
"I'm in pain!" he squeaked, wiping hot butter off of himself. Saria blinked.  
"Oh dear," she frowned, only just noticing what had actually happened. "That looks painful."  
"No, I love the feeling of searing hot butter in the morning! Ah! My world is pain!"  
"Oh stop bellyaching and come with me. It's bath-time, my boy."  
"A bath!? But…at this end of the world?"

"What in the world happened to_ you?_" Fura smirked as a butter-stained Link appeared at the breakfast table accompanied by Saria. "And why do you smell so delicious?"  
"Ack! Stop that!" Link said hotly. "It was Saria's fault!" The Kokiri girl rolled her eyes and shook her head.  
"Whatever you say, Link," she sighed before turning her attention to the King and Queen at the end of the table. "Excuse me, Your Majesties…but Link here had a bit of an accident. Is it at all possible for him to get washed up?"  
"But of course!" Lond said with suppressed mirth. "We have baths in the lower part of the palace; a hot spring feeds into it, so it'll be nice and warm."  
"That's a relief then," Link sighed.  
"And 'ou will need a change of clothes," Eda smiled. "Zey will be set out for 'ou while 'ou bathe."  
"Oh thank you," Saria smiled, clasping her hands together. "I must apologize for his behavior; his _stomach_ seems to rule his sensibilities." Saria punctuated her sentence with a brisk elbow to Link's stomach.  
"Teran, please show out buttery guest where the baths are," Lond chuckled. Link frowned as a snickering Teran led him from the room filled with people trying so very hard not to laugh at him.

For the duration of his rather hot bath, Link scrubbed himself furiously to rid his skin of the butter. Once had conceded that further scrubbing would result in the loss of skin, he got out of the water, dried himself and dressed quickly in the clean clothes that had been set out for him. They were essentially the same as his previous outfit, but his tunic had been taken to be washed. He left the baths and stepped into one of the many corridors, sighing heavily as he did so.  
"What the- I still smell!" he cried, catching a strong waft of butter. He was temporarily torn between turning right around and heading back into the baths, but his desire for something to fill his stomach won him over. "I guess I could just go back later." Grumbling to himself, he wandered back to the breakfast table where everyone bar the King and Queen were sitting and talking. Link sat himself down and immediately helped himself to a plate of eggs.  
"Oh Link, you haven't _brushed your hair!_" Saria tutted, tapping the table three times as she finished speaking. Link picked up a fork and ran it through his hair a few times before digging into his rather heaped plate.  
"Oh you're hopeless," the Kokiri girl sighed despairingly. Mia, Meia and Maia watched him curiously, having never seen anybody act quite the way Link did. There seemed to be something else though.  
"Excuse me, Link ees eet?" one of the twins asked. Link looked across the table at them and tried to figure out which one had spoken.  
"Ah…"  
"We 'af been told zat 'ou are something of a hero, no?" Link frowned.  
"Erm…I don't know about that…ah…" he fumbled, trying to recall at least _one_ of their names.  
"Mia, Meia, Maia. Blue, green, white. It's not that difficult," Florella told him. Link scowled at her.  
"Would 'ou please tell us some stories? About ze things 'ou have seen and done?" The blonde boy scratched his head.  
"Well…sure, I suppose. What would you like to hear about?" he asked.  
"More tales of romance!" the three of them told him simultaneously, clasping their hands under their chins. "We want to 'ear more about ze Spring Festival!"  
"Roman- what?" he blinked. He looked sharply over at Fura, Zelda and Florella. "What have you three been saying?"  
"Zey tell us zat 'ou are a great dancer, no? Zat you swept zem around ze ballroom?"  
"Oh _did_ they?" Link muttered, narrowing his eyes at the three girls. They whistled and found other things to look at around the room.  
"I never knew how many exploits of passion and romance you've been on until today," Talen told him. "You probably still don't."  
"Euh! Trust the three of you to do something underhanded like this!" he grumbled. "I-" He stopped suddenly as he felt something on his shoulders. He looked down to see a tawny-coloured hand that could only be identified as Nyara's. He blinked, tilted his head back slowly and saw her sniffing at him with her eyes closed.  
"What are you doing?" he demanded. She inhaled deeply and licked her lips.  
"Link smell…_tasty_," she purred.  
"Oh no you don't!" he told her, prying her hands off of his shoulders. "I do _not_ smell tasty, it's the butter! Don't even think about it!"  
"Mmm," she sighed, sniffing at him again.  
"Ack! Wait, did you hear that, Nyara?" Link squeaked. "Ark's hungry and can't feed himself properly, whatever shall we do?" Nyara's head snapped up and she instantly zeroed in on Ark, who froze like a cornered animal.  
"But…" he began helplessly.  
"Sorry, Ark," Link winced as Nyara descended upon his poor unfortunate friend.

"Come on, Zelda! You can do better that that!" Link told the blonde girl as she sat atop his shoulders. The children were out in the palace grounds playing in the snow. Link, Talen, Ark and Teran were piggybacking Zelda, Fura, Florella and Meia around as the girls attempted to hurl snowballs at one another. Florella and Ark were doing surprisingly well, perhaps because the two of them were smaller targets to hit. Laughter rang out across the snowy ground accompanied by squeals and squeaks as the girls assaulted each other with snow. Fura and Zelda took turns with riding on Link's shoulders and all was going well until they both jumped on at once. The three of them collapsed in a crumpled heap, giggling and laughing as they went. Florella smiled to herself from atop Ark's shoulders. The three of them looked absolutely precious; with Link's roguish grin and Fura and Zelda's gorgeous smiles. They began to tumble about in the snow, with Link wrestling Fura while Zelda jumped on his back in an attempt to knock him to the ground again while the other members of their respective genders cheered them on. Mucking around without a care in the world was a very important thing to do, and it was something that they could all do together without any complaints.  
Of course, the opportunity of hurling snowballs at people was far too good to pass up for the boys, Ark excluded. With Talen's strength, they constructed a snow-fort in no time at all and barricaded themselves inside. Shortly afterwards, a barrage of snow began piffing into the girls as they made snowmen, eliciting squeals of shock and surprise. Florella copped one in the side of the head courtesy of Link. Fura began blasting the snowballs out of the air with bursts of flame while the rest of the girls hurriedly built themselves a shelter. Florella helped a fair bit and they soon had a formidable fort to hide behind. Ark merely stood off to the side and tried to stay neutral until he was spotted by the girls.  
"Take the enemy!" Fura bellowed. "We shall have a prisoner!" Nyara shot out of the fort and bounded towards him, but before she could snag the grey-haired boy, he was whipped into the air courtesy of the Key straps.  
"Not today, you cheating harpies!" he called triumphantly, flicking Nyara away after Ark was safe and sound. "Now face thy snowy doom!" A barrage of snowballs came whizzing over from the boys' fort and was met by an equally fierce salvo from the girls. Ark eventually got into the spirit of things and began launching gobs of snow at the enemy. In the end, Talen began lobbing huge balls of snow, breaking down the walls of the girls' fort and leaving them exposed. They squealed and screamed before charging at the boys with Fura in the lead.  
"Seize them!" she bellowed. "Kill their blonde, smartassed leader!" Link turned on his heel and ran whilst the rest of the boys scattered. Fura wasted no time in chasing him down and, with a few well-placed fireballs; she managed to get him to stumble. She tackled the boy as he scrabbled to his feet and pinned him to the snowy ground.  
"Concede!" she ordered fiercely, holding his arms down.  
"Never!" Link told her defiantly. He managed to worm his shield from his back, whereupon he picked it up with the Key straps. He then scooped up a rather large pile of snow and held it above the Gerudo's head.  
"If I go down I'm taking you with me," he grinned. Fura narrowed her eyes.  
"Meh, it's a sacrifice I'm willing to take," she smirked. That being said, she dug her fingers into his ribs and tickled him without mercy. Link's heels kicked the ground and the snow slipped off the shield, dumping all over Fura as the boy laughed hysterically. It didn't seem to bother her, however; as she merely shrugged the snow off of her back while Link continued to struggle and laugh.  
"P-Please stop!" he cried shrilly.  
"Gimme a kiss and I will."  
"No!"  
"Just a little kiss on the cheek," she told him.  
"Ack! Fura! People were watching! I can't do that!" Link wailed, his face terribly red.  
"Come _on!_" she insisted. "It's just on the cheek!" She stopped tickling him, but held her fingers at the ready in case he tried to escape. He hesitated before muttering something and kissing her lightly on the cheek.  
"What a performance!" Florella grinned. "Do we get an encore?"  
"No!" Link said hotly as Fura climbed off and helped him up.  
"What was that? You want to give me one too?" Zelda asked. "So that I don't feel left out?" She looked imploringly at him with large, sparkling eyes. He winced, his face flushing red before he brushed his lips against the side of her face very quickly. Mia, Meia and Maia were blushing and giggling profusely which made Link go even redder.  
"Ze stories are true!" Mia giggled. "'E _ees_ romantic!"  
"Augh! No I am not!" Link declared. "It's all them!" He pointed accusingly at Fura and Zelda. The twin Key rings swept along the ground and scooped two heaps of snow onto Fura and Zelda's heads.  
"Serves you two sneaky witches right. Come on boys, let's go!" Link, Talen, Ark and Teran took off across the grounds.  
"Zey are running," Maia frowned. "And Link deed not tell us any stories."  
"Well then Zelda and I will just have to go drag him back," Fura grinned. "Come on Zelda, let's go hunt us a butter-boy."

"Oh, so this is where the lot of you have been hiding," Impa said when she found the children still playing out in the snow. Link was in the process of hauling one of the twins up a hill in the castle grounds so that she could slide back down again. Instead of trudging up and down the hill like he had had done so many times before with Saria at home, he simply sat at the top and used the Key's straps to pull the sled along. The girls took turns in riding down the hill whilst Talen, Ark and Teran slouched around with Link.  
"Impa! What are you doing out here?" Zelda asked her nursemaid. "Is there something wrong?"  
"Well yes and no," the tall woman sighed, scratching her eyebrow. "Come inside."  
"Finally!" Link exclaimed. He unwound the straps from the sled and ran of down the hill with the other three boys. The sled containing Mia slid backwards and ground to a halt at the bottom of the hill.  
"But I 'aven't 'ad my turn!" she protested. "Beeg brother, take me up ze hill!"  
"Do it yourself, Mia!" he called over his shoulder. "You're only a year younger than I am and you're quite big enough to sled by yourself." Mia sighed, and since everyone seemed to be heading back into the palace she decided to go too. Sledding was no fun on your own.  
"All right," Impa said once everyone was seated. "Bad news first. There's a blizzard approaching; so we won't be able to go out looking for the next Lock until it has passed."  
"Well I'm sure it isn't going anywhere…unless the enemy knows how to find them," Link frowned.  
"Ark has the Compass," Talen said. "If the Lock starts moving, then we'll know something is wrong."  
"Lock? Compass?" Teran blinked.  
"Erm…we'll explain later," Fura told him before turning to Impa. "What's the good news? Being snowed in with Mister Warm n' Cuddly over there sounds rather appealing in itself."  
"Ugh, no fear," Link shivered. Fura stuck her tongue out at him.  
"The good news is…" Impa paused and looked around the table, and Link knew from the brief glance she gave him that he really, _really_ wouldn't think it would classify as "good" news. "There will be plenty for you to do in the meantime."  
"This is sounding very not good," Talen winced. "Impa, please tell us what this apparently "good" news is so my heart can have a rest." The Sheikah woman laughed and crossed the room in a series of odd, shuffling movements that made Link and Talen's blood run cold.  
"Get your feet ready everyone, there's a ball approaching," she smiled, bowing in front of the boys. "And it's all for you, O saviors of the Prince and Princesses."  
"Oh _nooo!_" Link wailed, clutching at his cap as the girls began squealing in excitement. "We're at the farthest reach of the world, in the middle of a snow-bound continent…yet an infernal ball manages to find us all the way out here!? What is _wrong_ with the universe!"  
"I'm having flashbacks," Talen groaned, sitting down with his face in his hands.  
"Don't be so dramatic!" Zelda tutted. "You should be honored at the prospect of taking us lovely ladies for a waltz around the ballroom."  
"Oh, this is so not right!" Link fretted. "Dancing…people…for God's sake, _Fura!_ We're doomed!" Fura laughed and rubbed her hands together gleefully.  
"Come on Romeo, you can show the Princesses the truth behind your romantic escapades on the dance floor," she snickered, sidling up to the boy and scratching her fingernails on his neck in a spidery manner. He shivered away. "Haha! Low-cut bodice, here I come!"  
"Not if I can help it," Link muttered. "Talen, quick! Break my leg!"  
"Then we can get Florella to heal you again," Zelda said coolly, clicking her fingers. "You're _not_ getting out of this, Linkie-do. There aren't many opportunities we get to dance, so just suck it up like a man."  
"I'm not a man, I'm a boy," he told her. "And until the ball has passed, I'm a _weasel_ too!" Saria strolled up to him and snatched his ear in the wink of an eye.  
"You're going to the ball, you're going to dance, you're going to love it, and if Fura _or_ Zelda decides that anything inappropriate will happen; it'll happen," she told him matter-of-factly. "Now…what are we doing?" She fluttered her lashes at him.  
"We're going to the ball!" Link cheered, sounding really rather pathetic.

"We're going to the _ball!_" Link wailed, sounding really rather pathetic.  
"Come on, balls aren't that bad; I quite enjoy them," Teran told him as the four boys sat in Link, Talen and Ark's room. Link looked up at him slowly and blinked. "I mean…how horrible."  
"It's been a while," Talen frowned. "I hope I remember how to do the steps properly."  
"How could you forget?" Link asked him flatly. Talen winced as his mind went back to the time Florella had taught him how to dance. Day in and day out she had drilled in the different steps associated with various dances. Never before had he held her hands so often.  
"What about you?" Talen asked his friend, shaking his head.  
"I wish I _could_ forget," he grumbled. "But _this_ thing's sister that sits on the back of Zelda's hand decided to burn that knowledge into the back of my brain."  
"Ahh, Windhill," Talen sighed. "So many unpleasant things have transpired at that lovely place."  
"I need to eat," Link said suddenly, digging into his pack and pulling out some dried meat. He began chewing on it in earnest. "Ugh, does anybody know when this horrendous event is going to unfold?"  
"Two days," Teran frowned. "So fairly soon."  
"That's two days of procrastinating then," Talen sighed. He rolled onto his back. "Maybe I'll get lucky and die."  
"Hah," Link scoffed. "Didn't work for me." Teran looked at him strangely.  
"Private joke," Talen told him. Teran nodded.  
"Well at least it's only one night," Link sighed. "And it makes them so happy. I'd be heartless not to go. Maybe it won't be so bad…and I guess they _do_ look nice when they're all dressed up…"  
"And at least we know _how_ to dance," Talen shrugged. Ark, who had remained silent since the announcement of the impending ball, tapped his fingers together nervously and cleared his throat.  
"Erm…I don't," he said in a small voice. Link, Teran and Talen stared at him.

"You can't dance?" Florella asked Ark as he stood uncomfortably in the doorway of the girls' room with Link and Talen. "Well why didn't you say so?" She skipped over and took hold of his hands before pulling him into the room.  
"R-Really, Lady Florella," he stammered, digging his feet into the floor a bit. "I-I don't want to trouble you. J-Just don't worry about it!"  
"Now, now, no need to be shy," she smiled. "We'll teach you how to dance, right girls? I think you'd make an excellent student…unlike _someone_."  
"Dancing is stupid," Link snorted. "I don't know what all the hoo-ha is about it. You girls always seem to lose what little sensibility you have whenever there's talk of a ball." The girls scowled collectively at him.  
"Listen, you," Saria told him sternly. "To us, balls are like food is to you. Now we're going to teach Ark how to dance. Why don't you boys make yourself useful and teach Nyara? She doesn't know how to either."  
"What? Nyara!" Link protested. "But…"  
"But what?" Florella sighed. "Go on. It should be a breeze with the four of you working hard, right Talen?"  
"Whatever you say, Florella," the smith murmured as Nyara bounded out the door after them.

Though Nyara did like dancing around a whole lot, she had some trouble coming to grips with the fact that she had to learn predetermined steps. She asked several times why she couldn't just make it up as she went along, thus making it much more fun. Link told her that she had to learn because if she didn't then Saria and Florella would murder him for not doing his job. Talen told her that since people generally danced with a partner at a ball, it would be rather difficult if the other person had no idea what she was going to do next.  
"Nyara dance with Ark?" the animal girl asked.  
"Sure, if you want," Link shrugged. "Though I'd hold back from any dancing that involves too much dipping and so forth. Ark's not as big as you are and you could drag him to the ground."  
"Link call Nyara fat?" she huffed, putting her hands on her hips.  
"No, no," he said quickly, holding his hands up. "You're far from fat, Nyara. You're just…there's more than you than there is of Ark." Nyara frowned.  
"That why Ark need eat more," she told him. "Ark have more meat on bones, but he need more."  
"I can't believe she actually feeds him," Teran whispered to Talen.  
"And cleans," Talen murmured back.  
"Come on then, let's keep going," Link sighed. Link locked his fingers with Nyara and put his mother arm around her waist. "And will you please stop sniffing me when I'm trying to teach you. It's unsettling."

"That's it," Zelda said. "One two three, one two three…see? It's not that hard once you get going. Just…don't be so stiff."  
"I'm sorry," Ark said in a small voice as Zelda waltzed around the room with him.  
"Not at all, Ark. You're a wonderful dance partner," Zelda told him. "And done!" Florella clapped along with the rest of the girls.  
"My turn!" the fairy declared, practically barging Zelda out of the way.  
"You seem awfully enthusiastic," Fura smirked. "What's going on?"  
"I'm on cloud nine," Florella grinned. "Here we have a _gentleman_ willing to learn the fine art of dancing! And he's _hero_ material to boot!" She twirled around on the tips of her toes before clapping her hands together.  
"So that's it. Given up on Link?" Saria chuckled.  
"Oh no," Florella said, shaking her head. "Ark's just a little easier to sculpt because he doesn't fight you _every_ step of the way with that "I'd rather go fishing" attitude of his. Hero? Yes. Handsome? Yes. Romantic? No, no and _no!_ He doesn't have a single passionate bone in his entire grubby body!" She stamped her foot on the ground a few times before taking a deep breath and composing herself.  
"But 'ou said in your stories zat 'e was-"  
"I'm afraid that's all they were, Maia," Fura sighed. "Just stories. If he had to choose between sneaking off and kissing in a hayloft, or stomping around in the mud…then he'd choose the latter without a second thought. He's a real-"  
"_Boy_," Zelda finished for her. "In fact…all three of them are decidedly lacking in the passion front. I guess the fire just isn't there." Ark tried to make himself as small as possible, which wasn't hard considering that, aside from Florella; he was the shortest person in the room.  
"But enough dilly-dallying!" Florella said suddenly, threading the fingers of one hand with Ark's and putting the other over his shoulder. "Ark's willing to learn how to dance and so we must teach him because he's just such a sweetie. Ready?"

By the end of the day, Ark was well and truly exhausted. Link and Talen weren't much better, having suffered at the hands of Nyara's boundless energy. They staggered into their room one after the other and crawled into their blankets as the snow fell outside the window.  
"A blizzard, huh," Talen sighed. "I hope it doesn't last long."  
"The Lock is out there somewhere," Ark murmured. "In all that snow and ice. I don't think it will be easy trying to find it."  
"Well as long as we have the Compass then we should be fine," Link yawned. He fumbled around on the nightstand next to his bed before closing his hand around a bottle of milk. He sat up and drained the icy, white liquid in one go before wiping his mouth on the back of his arm. "Ahh, milk."  
"You really like that stuff, don't you," Talen snorted in amusement.  
"It's my favorite drink," Link nodded, holding the bottle up proudly. "Beats water hands down with its delicious, creamy, cool…mmm." He flopped back and began snoring, the empty bottle rolling across his blanket before coming to a stop. Talen shook his head and listened as the regular breathing from Ark told him that the grey-haired boy had also dropped off to sleep. Talen yawned and huddled under his thick blankets, drawing them up to his chin. A whole day of teaching Nyara how to dance awaited Link, Teran and himself, and for that they would need all the energy they could muster.

Morning came, dull and grey as thick clouds expelled billions upon billions of snowflakes. Link yawned and opened his eyes slowly. He looked over at the window in an attempt to work out what time it was, but the overcast sky gave no hint of the position of the sun.  
"Urgh," he mumbled sleepily, blinking a few times to get his eyes into focus. "No point in taking any chances with the girls." Deciding it was better to get up before Saria or Fura came strolling in to tear off his blankets, Link rolled onto the floor and hastily put his thick winter wear on over his tunic. He pulled his boots on, placed the still-snoozing Navi underneath his cap and then clapped his hands together to rouse his two friends.  
"Yes, I'm up," Talen groaned, rolling over. A muffled sound came from Ark's bed with his long quills of hair moving out from underneath the blankets. The door suddenly banged open and Nyara came galloping in. She knocked Link out of the way and threw herself onto Ark's bed. The grey-haired boy woke up smartly after having Nyara's full weight slam into his chest.  
"Ark wake up!" she called, shaking him by the shoulders. "It morning!"  
"Uhh!" Ark groaned. "M-Miss Nyara! I'm awake!" She stopped shaking his shoulders and looked at him quite sternly before her mouth split into a wide grin. She jumped onto the floor and whipped her tail around excitedly.  
"Ark hurry and get dressed! Ark learn more dance so he can dance with Nyara! Link and Talen hurry too! Teach Nyara more, more!" she chirped.  
"I need breakfast first, Nyara," Link sighed. "You're going to have to wait until we've all had breakfast." Nyara frowned.  
"Nyara hungry too," she shrugged. "So Nyara have breakfast too." She trotted towards the door before pausing suddenly and sweeping around to face Link.  
"W-What is it?" he asked. She brought her face right up to his ark and took a deep breath through her nose.  
"Mmm, Link still delicious," she breathed. "Can Nyara taste?"  
"What? No! Nyara no can taste!" Link declared adamantly.  
"Just little taste! Link smell so good! Juicy, delicious…"  
"No! Get away!" he exclaimed. "Ugh! I'm going." He left the room rather quickly. Nyara frowned as he went.  
"But…just smell so tasty…"

Link shivered as he walked along the hall, not because he was cold; but because Nyara thought that he smelled like something edible.  
"It's all your fault, Saria," the boy muttered to himself. "I like eating butter, but I _don't_ like being eaten with it." As he passed the door to the girls' room, it flung open and prompted him to jump back. Fura was there in her underwear looking at him sleepily.  
"Oh, I _thought_ I heard some complaining out here," she yawned, holding her hand up to her mouth and tilting her head back. She looked at him through half-lidded eyes. "What are you doing up this early?" Link immediately averted his eyes to the ceiling.  
"Fura, _please_ put something on," he pleaded.  
"I do have something on," she frowned, looking down at herself.  
"I mean put something on _other_ than an outfit made of the same amount of material as a handkerchief," he told her.  
"Why?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips and furrowing her brow. "Don't you like the way I look?" Link _always_ dreaded that question, and it frequently popped up in conversations with either Fura or Zelda.  
"Of course I like the way you look, Fura," he sighed. "I doubt there's a person who wouldn't. Stop asking me." She grinned at him and slapped him heartily on the back.  
"What about me?" Zelda's voice called from inside the room.  
"Yes, Zelda. You're equally blinding."  
"You hear that, ladies?" Fura called before yanking Link in after her.  
"Indeed I did," Florella grinned at them from over the foot of her bed. "And it's all because of _me!_ Just call me Cupid!"  
"Did you ever notice that Cupid rhymes with stupid?" Link asked flatly. Florella hurled her pillow at him with an indignant little grunt. "And it is _not_ because of you, you little liar."  
"Ungrateful beast," she sniffed. "I am a Great Fairy! Respect me!" Link grinned at her and stifled a laugh.  
"Now, now, Florella," Saria tutted. "No need to get all bent out of shape first thing in the morning. We should be congratulating Link by giving him a tasty treat like one would give a dog for being good. If all goes well, we could get him to flatter us on command." Link rolled his eyes.  
"Are you quite finished?" he asked. "I was just on my way to get breakfast when Fura so graciously wrenched me in here."  
"Aww, you wanna leave so soon?" Fura pouted.  
"Yes I do. It's…not right to see you with so little on, and I'm sure the others would appreciate a little privacy," Link told her. "Besides, I'd much rather your Goddess-like presences at the table." He bowed down low.  
"How are Nyara's dancing lessons going?" Saria asked before he left.  
"Pardon? Oh…well surprisingly well, actually. She seems awfully excited about dancing with Ark, that's probably why she's trying so hard."  
"Oh that's so _sweet!_" Florella smiled, clasping her hands together. "Ark's also a very good student. I think it'll be adorable to see the two of them dancing together."  
"Whatever you say," Link said, shaking his head. "Now put some clothes on and come out to the breakfast table. If the weather isn't too bad we can go out and play in the snow again in between dancing lessons."


	42. Aurora Ball

**Chapter 41 – Aurora Ball**

"Ze-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-elll-da! Marr-ied to Link oh-so happ-ily! Link-ie doooo, Link-ie doooo!" the blonde Princess sung in her most musical of voices as she swayed her hips from side to side down the corridor towards the dining room. She was in good spirits, for whatever she was unsure, but she felt remarkably chirpy. Perhaps it had been all the laughing and playing with Link the previous day, or perhaps it was simply the thought of the upcoming ball.  
"Fingers in-tertwined! Dan-cing ro-mantically!" she continued, her voice rising several octaves and holding the last note, ringing it out for anyone who happened to be nearby to hear. The girl did a few odd little dance-like steps as she hummed away with her eyes closed. "Link-ie doooo! Link-ie doooo!" She began whistling and skipping before breezing into the dining room and surprising those already at the table.  
"What are 'ou singing about?" Mia asked. "'Ou seem awfully 'appy."  
"I'm just in a good mood," Zelda smiled, winking across the table at Link. He paused in the process of loading up his plate and waved uncertainly at her. She chuckled to herself and sat down, humming her little tune all the while.  
"That's rather catchy," Fura noted. The two of them were soon humming it in unison, creating a rather pleasant melody. Saria soon joined in, followed shortly by Florella, Nyara, Mia, Meia and Maia. Link, Talen, Ark, Teran and the other occupants of the table sat there listening to the girls hum and sing away. They overlaid each other, took turns in humming the chorus and then hummed all together.  
"It's almost hypnotic," Talen murmured, trying to turn his attention back to his breakfast.  
"I didn't know their voices could sound so…good," Link said, blinking at the girls. "Nyara especially. I didn't think she could carry a tune the way she talks."  
"Miss Nyara can sing rather well," Ark said in a rather small voice. "I…enjoy it." The girls finished their song on a lingering note, receiving a round of applause from the boys, Impa and the King and Queen.  
"'Ou sung beautifully, girls," Eda clapped, smiling as she did so. "Your voices are like zat of ze Goddesses zemselves."  
"She obviously hasn't heard them when they're angry," Link whispered to Talen, who stifled a laugh.  
"Something amusing you, Talen?" Florella asked archly.  
"Of course not, Florella. You know me better than that." She shook her head and sighed before gazing at Link.  
"I _definitely_ know you," she frowned as he grinned at her. His grin suddenly faded as he felt something tickling the back of his neck.  
"What the- hey! Nyara!" he exclaimed, whirling around to find her sprinkling pepper onto him. "What are you doing!?" The animal girl froze and looked around.  
"Nyara just…umm…"  
"You're seasoning me up, aren't you!" he gasped. "You're actually _seasoning_ me!"  
"It not Nyara's fault!" she cried defensively. "It Link's fault for smelling so delicious! Just let Nyara have a _little_ taste!" She went to lick him, but the boy slid out of his seat and ducked under the table before popping up next to Zelda.  
"Ack! No, you don't get a taste! I'm not food!"  
"Stop being such a baby," the Princess sighed.  
"She's not trying to eat _you_," he told her. Mia, Meia and Maia were laughing uncontrollably and Eda was having a hard time keeping a straight face, as was Lond.  
"And she's not trying to eat you either," Zelda sighed. "She just wants a taste…and I can understand why; you _do_ have a slightly de-_licious_ aroma about you." Link stared at her.  
"I can't believe you're even _saying_ that!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "While we're at it; who else wants to take a bite out of me?" Talen and Fura raised their hands. Link stared at the smith.  
"Well you smell like baked potatoes," he said defensively. Link turned to Fura.  
"I don't even want to know _your_ reason," he shuddered. Fura licked her lips and raised her eyebrows. "Ugh, then I'm off to the baths to get rid of this stink!"  
"Somebody help!" Saria suddenly cried.  
"Why? What's wrong?" Link asked as he spun around, genuinely concerned.  
"You're having a bath of your own accord! I'm going to have a heart attack!" Everyone began laughing at him at that point, prompting the blonde boy to grumble his way out of the room.  
"Well this has been a rather pleasant morning," Florella smiled. Link suddenly strode back into the room. Florella glanced at him. "Back already?"  
"I forgot something important," he mumbled, picking up his breakfast plate and leaving once again.  
"Ruled by his stomach instead of his Princess," Zelda sighed.

"Sorry, but you still smell of butter," Teran chuckled. Link's face fell.  
"I've scrubbed myself red-raw!" he whimpered. "What else do I have to do?"  
"Nyara lick flavor off Link," the animal girl grinned as she danced with Talen. "That get rid of butter scent."  
"Now way, no how," Link said adamantly. "You're not going to do what you do to Ark." The four of them occupied a room with plenty of floor space in which they could continue teaching Nyara how to dance. She was progressing very well and had gotten a simple waltz down to pat.  
"That's about all you really _have_ to know," Teran told her after leading her around the floor. "I doubt very much that Ark will be learning anything very complicated…but it would be handy to know something else too." The Prince finished up with her and turned to Link.  
"Your turn," he told him. "I need to sit down; she's got too much energy for me."  
"But…" Link began, looking at Nyara. She grinned at him. "Talen?"  
"No. It's your turn. I'm resting," the smith grunted.  
"Ugh, fine," Link sighed as he stood up and walked over to the animal girl. "But don't you dare try anything funny." They began to step around the floor in a relatively slow-paced dance. Nyara hummed away to herself as they went, occasionally whistling as Talen and Teran unconsciously tapped their feet on the floor.  
"See, Nyara?" Link told her. "It's just a simple case of back, side, side, forwards. Got it?" Nyara nodded and they both proceeded to execute the small step. However; as they came in close, Nyara grinned and opened her mouth. Link didn't see her coming until it was too late. With a satisfied little noise, she clamped her mouth over Link's shoulder. The boy gasped and froze as silence descended upon the room before things suddenly sunk in for Link.  
"She's eating me! She's _eating_ me!" he squealed in terror as he felt Nyara's teeth prick his skin and her tongue rasp. "Get her off!" Talen and Teran burst out laughing as Link thrashed about with Nyara clinging to his back. He staggered about and banged the door to the hall open before running out with Nyara still gnawing away at his shoulder.  
"Sariaaaaa!" he wailed loudly. "Heeeeelp!

"Ark, 'ou are dancing wonderfully for someone of your skeel level," Meia told him.  
"I'm sure I'm not that good," he blushed, scuffing his foot on the floor.  
"'Ou must not sell yourself short," Mia tutted, waving her finger at him.  
"'Ou must stand tall! Ze women love a man who ees full of confidence!" Maia told him, raising her fist in the air.  
"Careful, girls," Fura grinned. "If you get him too uncomfortable he can be prone to electrocuting you quite by accident." The twins looked at the boy in surprise.  
"I-I don't mean to!" he protested. "I…just can't help it sometimes."  
"It's okay, Ark," Zelda laughed. "I'm sure Nabooru and Nyara have no lasting damage." The boy's shoulders slumped.  
"Come on," Saria said reprovingly. "Stop making fun of the boy. He's-" She was cut off by an agonizing wail from out in the corridor.  
"What in the world is that?" Florella asked.  
"Oh _no_," Saria groaned. "What's he doing now?" Link suddenly burst into the room, causing Mia, Meia and Maia to scuttle out of the way.

"Someone help! She's eating me! _Eating!_" he cried, flailing about as Nyara continued to mouth his shoulder. "Saria! _Save_ me!" Florella began laughing so hard that she started crying, falling in a heap on the floor. Fura cracked up too, rocking onto her back and hooting with laughter.  
"Oh you have _got_ to be joking," the Kokiri girl sighed. "Link, stop moving around." He didn't.  
"The pain! The _pain!_" he wailed. "My shoulder's _gone! Devoured!"  
_"Oh it is not gone!" Saria exclaimed, sticking her foot out and tripping him over. He hit the floor with a thud and Nyara jumped away so she wouldn't fall with him. "Stop being a baby and calm down." Link stopped thrashing about and lay on the floor panting.  
"H-How bad is it?" he asked, not daring to look. "Tell me the truth."  
"Oh get up," Zelda laughed. "There's nothing there. It's just a little red." Link opened his eyes and saw everyone looking down at him. He then looked at his shoulder and found that, aside from a few teeth-marks, there was no hideous wound torn into his flesh.  
"Huh? Oh thank the Goddesses," he moaned. "She just took a shot at me...I'm alive…I thought I was a goner."  
"It's Link," Zelda sighed. "The boy who can take down a great big Wolfos, yet he quakes in fear at the sight of-"  
"Nyara!" the animal girl yowled, suddenly popping into the boy's field of vision. He yelped and stumbled back into Fura, who caught him by his shoulders.  
"Well? How'd he taste?" the Gerudo asked. Link looked indignant. Nyara licked her lips.  
"Mmm, salty," she purred. "Butter and Link taste good. Needed parsley."  
"Well has your burning curiosity been satisfied?" the blonde Hylian asked sourly. Nyara grinned at him and nodded. "Good, because I certainly don't want to relive th-" He froze and shuddered as he felt something damp on the back of his neck.  
"Hmm," Fura said, clicking her tongue on the roof of her mouth. "Not bad." Link whirled around to face her.  
"Augh! Fura! How _could_ you!"  
"Easily," she shrugged. "I've said on many occasions that I could eat you up. Now…if I just charred you a _little _bit…the butter combined with some rosemary would taste just _divine_." Tears flowed freely down Florella's cheeks as she rolled around on the floor, laughing helplessly.  
"Please stop!" she begged. "I can't breathe!" Link grumbled something under his breath as the other occupants of the room stifled laughter.  
"That's right, laugh at the expense of the boy who was almost eaten alive," he muttered. "Well you can count me out of giving anymore dancing lessons. They're too dangerous for my health. I'm going to get something to eat so I can calm my nerves. Come on, Navi." With that, he stalked out of the room as his friends' laughter followed.

Night fell, and for some reason Link was unbearably tired. He staggered into the room he shared with Talen and Ark after a rather embarrassing goodnight from Fura and Zelda before passing out within seconds. He had two dreams that night; particularly vivid dreams that stayed with him until he woke. The first involved two people he knew extremely well. It was as if he were looking through his own memories- memories of the time he'd spent with both Fura and Zelda. Images flashed through his mind; the time he and Fura had first kissed, the time he and Zelda had first kissed and many other moments of closeness he had experienced with the two girls. He suddenly saw the moment he had halved his life-force for Zelda and the time he had died protecting Fura in such a sharp contrast that he could swear he was reliving them all over again.  
"Wh-what is all of this?" he wondered out loud as he found himself floating in a dark void. Faint flashes of red and yellow flickered across his field of vision, making him wince slightly. An image of both Fura and Zelda materialized in front of his eyes. The two girls seemed to be moving slowly, smiling warmly.  
"_Two hearts…"_ a voice echoed quietly around him. Link's breath caught in his throat. An image of himself looking rather serious appeared.  
"_One heart…"_ another voice continued. The scene faded to Zelda and Fura sitting with Link. Each of them looked very happy- even himself.  
"_Which heart…?"_ a final voice concluded.  
"I-" Link began, but he lurched and was thrown into the second dream.  
Link was standing in an endless stretch of water that came up to his ankles. He could feel sand between his toes since he was missing his boots. Blue sky stretched off into the distance above him with puffy white clouds strewn here and there. He blinked and looked around, stepping back slightly as he did so.  
"_Tame the beast…"_ a soft voice echoed. Link whirled around and tried to identify the source of the voice, but it seemed to come from nowhere.  
"Beast?" he wondered out loud.  
"_To defend with the best of your abilities…"_ a second voice continued. Link frowned. It seemed as if it was the three voices that had spoken to him before about Fura and Zelda. Whoever they were; it seemed that they enjoyed speaking in the most confusing manner they could.  
"Who are you?" he demanded. "And why are you telling me all of this?"  
"_Because though we are prohibited from doing so directly…we so desperately want to help you…our little boy…"_ the third voice told him. He opened his mouth in surprise. To whom was he considered to be their "little boy"?  
"_Your dreams are the most convenient avenue of assistance…so listen well. You will be tested soon…and you will do your duty. This we know…because you're our little boy." _Something behind him made him turn around and he came face to face with himself, or rather a shadow that looked like him.  
"Is that…" he trailed off.  
"_It is you…what your turn into when the transformation is triggered."  
_"Triggered…what's the trigger!? What makes me become like that!?" he demanded, pointing at his shadow form.  
"_The answer will be revealed soon…and from that answer you will gain the knowledge of how to control it…"  
_"_For currently it is simply a state of rage…blind in its retribution…but learn to control it and you will be nearly…"_ His shadow form suddenly ducked into a fighting stance with its searing blue eyes glaring at Link.  
"_Unstoppable!"_ it roared, before leaping at him and sending his mind back to the waking world.  
"Come on sleepyhead, wake up." Link rolled away from the sound of the voice in an attempt to get some more sleep, snorting as he did so.  
"It doesn't look like he wants to get up."  
"Well he doesn't have a choice. Come on, Link. Up you get." Somebody shook him again.  
"You call that a shake? Come on, put some muscle in it! Those princessy "perfect arms" of yours aren't _that_ feeble, are they? Wait, I've got an idea! Show him your chest, Zelda; that'll wake him up quick-smart!"  
"Fura, _must_ you?" Link opened his eyes slowly and found himself looking up at both Fura and Zelda. They looked down smiled at him and he blinked a few times. Zelda's smile faded to a look of concern.  
"Are you feeling unwell?" she asked. "You look a little pale."  
"Even for a Hylian," Fura frowned. "Come on boyo, you can't get sick now; we have the ball today!" Link sat up and shook his head.  
"No…no, not sick," he mumbled, holding his hand to his face.  
"Bad dream? You were mumbling a little," Fura frowned. Link looked at the two of them.  
"No…not bad," he murmured. "Ugh, just odd…why are the two of you in here?" He looked around to find Talen and Ark missing.  
"We came to wake you, of course," Zelda grinned impishly. "It's already getting close to midday, but we thought you deserved a sleep-in after yesterday." Link yawned and scratched his head, making his already mussed hair even messier.  
"Don't remind me," he mumbled around a yawn. He looked at the two of them. "I'll be out in a moment. Just wait outside."  
"Why outside?" Zelda asked.  
"Because I'm actually wearing pajamas since it's so cold here and I'll need to get changed," he said in a level tone. "Go on, shoo." Fura grinned and her eyes flashed, but Zelda tugged on her arm before the Gerudo could let loose with another inappropriate comment. Link waited until the door had closed behind them before jumping out of bed and changing very quickly whilst simultaneously making sure that Navi couldn't see out from underneath his cap. Once dressed, he pulled his cap complete with sleeping fairy onto his head and went out into the hall. The two girls were waiting for him as expected and for the first time that day he noticed that both of them had different hairstyles.  
"So you finally noticed," Fura said dryly. "I wondered how long it would take."  
"Do you like?" Zelda asked with a smile. The Hylian Princess had her hair pulled back into a single ponytail that began on top of her head and was held together at the base with a small silver band encrusted with a single diamond, leaving her fringe hanging down just above her eyebrows. The usual ribbons of hair that hung down in front of her ears had been shortened slightly and thickened so that they only came down level with her cheeks. Fura, in the meantime, had hers back in the style she had worn when Link had first seen her; with a large, 'M'-shaped fringe and a thick ponytail held in place with a thick gold band, though it was a fair bit longer due to the added length in her hair.  
"Very nice," he said sleepily before pointing at Fura's flaming red hair. "I think that one has always been my favorite."  
"Well aren't you the sweetums today," Zelda giggled, pinching his cheek.  
"What?" Link grunted. He winced as Zelda squeezed his skin between her thumb and forefinger. "That hurts. You've gotten your hair done already? The ball isn't until tonight."  
"To someone like you it's hours away…to us it's _mere_ hours away. Understand?" Fura asked him. Link blinked at her and then Zelda before walking off down the corridor.  
"Not really," he mumbled. "I need to wake up first…I'll go and have a bath to make sure that butter smell is gone. Even _I_ was beginning to get hungry being around myself."

Much to the boys' dismay, the day seemed to pass far too quickly for their liking. All eight girls- the three twins included- had locked themselves away in some kind of grand preparation.  
"We'll look so fantabulous that it could cause one's eyes to bleed if not properly prepared to see us…so go and prepare yourselves whilst you get into your swanky outfits. Oh, Link? It'll be very interesting who _you_ choose to dance with first. Very interesting indeed," Fura had told them before disappearing along with the other girls. Link's expression then changed to one of thought before his mouth stretched into a very wide grin.  
Link, Talen, Ark and Teran had their clothes put out for them by the maids and they went about getting changed, albeit quite slowly. Their outfits consisted of doublets of varying colour and pants rather than hose. Link wore green, Talen wore browny-red, Ark wore grey and Teran wore a light, icy blue.  
"How much longer do we have to wait, I wonder?" Talen sighed, flicking a cushion into the air with his fingers before catching it and repeating the process.  
"Who knows," Link shrugged. "It's my theory the girls come from a different world than boys do; a world where time has no meaning." That earned him a few snickers from his friends. Navi tutted and shook her head from atop Link's own. She lay down and hung over his forehead and dangled into his field of vision.  
"You're _not_ amusing, Link," she told him. He frowned at her.  
"Then why did you laugh?" he asked flatly. Navi went slightly red before slapping his nose.  
"Don't talk back. I'm a guardian fairy, show me respect," she huffed. Link grinned and saluted.  
"Teran? What time does the ball itself start?" Talen asked tiredly. The Prince scratched his chin thoughtfully.  
"Erm…late afternoon," he replied. "Around the time that you can see the aurora, supposedly for a better atmosphere- that's what Mother thinks. She is the one that _always_ organizes these things because we'd never have them if it was left up to my father. Mother is a little disappointed that he rubbed off on me more that she did; which is a little greedy because she's got three daughters that twitter around like she does."  
"Ugh, the closer we are to this ball, the more I'm dreading it," Link groaned. "I don't want to pick who to dance with first." He scrubbed at his face with his hands.  
"Why not?" Teran asked.  
"Because…well because I don't want to upset one of them," he frowned. "Maybe I could make a daring move and…no, that wouldn't work. Nyara would just sniff me out or something." He slumped into a chair and covered his head with a cushion.  
"There, there," Talen chuckled.  
"Are you ready?" Florella called from behind the door.  
"We're ready," Talen replied calmly. The four boys had been standing in an adjacent room to the girls' changing room for the past half hour while their dress-wearing counterparts went through the final stages of getting ready.  
"Come on!" Link urged them. "If I'd known you were going to be _this_ long I would have brought something to eat!"  
"Just hold your horses!" Florella snapped angrily. "Impatient little toad, you have to wait for perfection! Okay, here we come!" The door swung open extravagantly and the girls swept out one by one. Florella emerged first, clad in a white dress that reached down to her ankles with a pink bodice. Her dark purple hair had been arranged in a staggeringly complex manner to make it look like a flower on the side of her head. Saria followed in a light emerald dress of similar design, though the sleeves seemed to have been made out of strips of green material that wound and coiled around her arms to make it look like she was wearing vines. Her hair remained practically the same as the style she always wore it in, though her dark green headband had been replaced by one encrusted with emeralds. Zelda came next in a pure white dress with the Triforce brooch Link had bought her some years before clipped just above her bust. Her ears tinkled with a tiny set of bell-shaped earrings made out of crystal. Fura didn't really surprise anyone with her choice in clothing, though it wasn't as extreme as some had thought it was going to be. The Gerudo girl was never one to be fond of clothing with lots to it; preferring something lighter and easier to move around in. Her outfit consisted of a tight fitting red bodysuit that went down to mid-thigh and left her arms bare from about three-quarters of her arms bare. In fact; it very much resembled the outfit she had worn when she had first met Link and company when they had gone to the desert. Unlike her other similar outfit, two thick red sashes emerged from the small of her back and connected to the thick gold bands she wore around each wrist. She also had her traditional white lipstick with the addition of two small white dots just below her eyes on her cheekbones. Her feet were clad in a pair of sandals that had a straps winding around her big toes to keep them in place. She winked at Link as she walked past. Mia, Meia and Maia walked out in quick succession, dressed in identical dresses bar the colour. Blue for Mia, Green for Meia and white for Maia. Nyara emerged last of all and surprised all of the boys with her appearance. Her hair had been brushed and combed and washed meticulously to make it quite shiny and soft. Two long ribbons of hair arced up from her forehead and came down in front of each ear, meeting the other tufts of hair that curled around from behind. She wore a dark red chest-piece rather like the one Impa wore; only it was made entirely out of material rather than metal. Around her neck she wore a similarly red ribbon tied at the back and two strips of red material; one around each thigh. Other than that; she wore nothing else. She didn't wear jewelry because she couldn't keep herself from playing with it and her ears hadn't been pierced.  
"Well? What do you think?" Florella asked, twirling around. The boys looked at each other before looking back at the girls.  
"Ah…" Link mumbled, attempting to find the right words. The girls began to frown until Talen came to the rescue.  
"You all look amazing. Mia, Meia, Maia…the three of you look stunning. You too, Florella- _especially_ with the way you've done your hair." Florella went all coy.  
"Oh…y-yes," Link said quickly. "Fura, Zelda, Saria, Nyara…you're all breathtaking." That seemed to save the day and the girls were blushing and giggling, particularly the twins. Nyara, however; seemed to be just a little bit embarrassed by the fact that she was wearing clothing.  
"'Ou are making us blush," Maia giggled, clasping her hands to her face. Ark, in the meantime, was looking at Nyara with an expression that resembled awe. His big green eyes went quite wide before he looked away rather hopelessly. Nobody seemed to notice.  
"And you boys are all looking _very_ smart," Florella smiled approvingly. She glanced at Saria as she straightened Link's collar. "Shall we go?"

Unlike at Windhill, the group entered the ballroom unannounced. They had met up with Eda, Lond and Impa beforehand, the girls noting with some disappointment that the Sheikah was not going to be dancing.  
"Sorry, but I would rather watch," she told them. "Besides, I wouldn't want to steal any of your dance partners." Link scowled as they arrived at the doors to the ballroom. There were already a fair number of people there, with many still filing into the room dressed in rather fine clothes. The double-doors that led into the ballroom were held open by two guards, both of whom saluted smartly. Lond nodded to them before passing through. The ballroom itself was magnificent. Great chandeliers hung from a crystalline ceiling supported by thick marble pillars. The floor was made from highly polished stone and since the ceiling was domed and made of crystal, it allowed the light from the aurora to filter through and play about the room. People were already dancing away to the music being played by a group of musicians at the far end of the room.  
"Why do people have masks on?" Talen asked, looking around at the people that had their faces covered by simple masks.  
"It adds a level of anonymity to the whole affair," Lond told him. "One of my wife's ideas. It's supposed to make people feel less inhibited so that there will be more dancing."  
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Zelda exclaimed. "And it's been a while since I've danced!"  
"Speaking of which…" Florella grinned, turning around to face the boys.  
"Do not be rude, Teran," Eda told her son as she twirled off with Lond. "Offer one of zees fine young ladies to dance."  
"Yes, mother," he replied pleasantly. He did, however; roll his eyes when she wasn't looking.  
"Do not be rude, beeg brother," Maia told him firmly. "Or we will not dance wiz 'ou."  
"Is that supposed to be a punishment?" Link whispered. Teran chuckled, but then quickly composed himself as his three sisters looked disapprovingly at him.  
"Well enough stalling. Come on Linkie-do, let's go dancing," Fura told the blonde boy. "Who are you going to dance with first?"  
"Erm…" he murmured, glancing around. Florella had already dragged Talen off, Teran- probably to irk his sisters more than anything- had started to lead Saria about the floor. The Hylian frowned. "Why not the two of you at once?" It was probably the best answer he could give without picking one over the other. Choosing someone _other_ than Fura or Zelda would have probably miffed the both of them. The aforementioned raised an eyebrow.  
"Two at once? Are you sure you can handle us, Linkie-do?" she asked smarmily.  
"Of course I can," he told her. "Unless you'd rather me find somebody else to-"  
"_No!_" the two of them exclaimed in unison. Link blinked as the two girls stood there looking rather sheepish.  
"Well come on, let's strut our stuff," Fura grinned, grabbing one of the boy's arms as Zelda grabbed the other.

Ark watched the others go and the three twins stand off to the side to wait for their turns.  
"Will Ark dance with Nyara?" Ark flinched slightly as the question was asked. He turned his head and looked at her before his body followed.  
"P-Pardon, Miss Nyara?" he asked uncertainly.  
"Will Ark dance with Nyara?" she repeated, smiling at him. "Nyara want to dance."  
"You…want to dance with _me?_" he asked. "But…I'm probably not very good…" Nyara grinned.  
"Nyara no care. Nyara only just learn dance too. Nyara just want dance with Ark." She held out her hand. "Ark and Nyara dance badly together." Ark steeled his nerves and swallowed.  
"I…all right, Miss Nyara," he said shakily, taking her hand and walking out onto the floor with her.  
"Oh!" Florella squeaked as she and Talen moved gracefully about the ballroom floor.  
"What's the matter?" Talen asked. Florella's little hand slipped out of his and pointed across the room.  
"It's so cuuuuuuute!" she giggled. Talen squinted as he tried to find what Florella was pointing at. It turned out to be Ark and Nyara moving about carefully. It looked rather funny, particularly due to the fact that Nyara was a fair bit taller than Ark. Ark himself looked clearly uncomfortable with his arm around Nyara's waist and his hand in hers. He was also quite preoccupied with trying not to step on her feet since she wore no footwear. Nyara, on the other hand; looked like she was enjoying herself immensely.  
"Oh, I see," Talen murmured. "They seem to be going quite well."  
"As is stump boy, surprisingly," Florella snorted, turning his attention to Link, Zelda and Fura. The boy switched from girl to girl after a series of complicated steps, allowing the other to dance around them for a short while before he switched back again. The fairy frowned. "Now that doesn't look half bad."  
"Oh please don't," Talen shuddered, dipping her slightly. "I've got my hands full with just you, Florella."  
"Oh Talen, you _do_ say the naughtiest of things," she giggled, blushing as she did so. Talen blinked.  
"That's not what I meant," he said flatly. Florella grinned at him and winked.

They switched partners after the first dance; with Link, Talen and Teran taking the three excited twins for a waltz around the ballroom. Link took, Mia, Talen took Meia and Teran took Maia. Link was slightly outraged that the girls had allowed Ark to have a rest and sit off to the side for a while, whereas he had to keep his legs moving.  
"It's his first time," Saria told him.  
"You didn't extend the same courtesy to me. If I remember correctly it was you, you, you, Ruto and Shera…_twice_. With no rest breaks in-between."  
"But Ark's a gentleman and you're not," Florella shrugged. "Now go and dance." Link scowled, but as he turned away, he grinned sneakily.  
"So how was it, Nyara?" Zelda asked the animal girl.  
"Nyara have lots of fun with Ark," she chirped. "Ark nervous at first; keep shaking…but he stop soon and move better."  
"The two of you looked so _adorable_ out there!" Florella gushed. "There's no other way to describe it!"  
"Don't pop, Florella," Fura chuckled as the fairy clenched her fists and shook her head from side to side in rapid succession.  
"Hey…speaking or Ark, where is he?" Saria asked, looking at the spot he had occupied moments beforehand.  
"Hmm," Zelda frowned. "Maybe he's gone to get something to drink. He may have been feeling a little thirsty and dry-mouthed after being so nervous."  
"Nyara wait for Ark so he can dance with Nyara again," the animal girl smiled, tottering off to the spot he had been sitting in moments before.

Ark, however; had not gone to get a drink. Moments after he had sat down to rest, a figure had stepped into the spot in front of him. Judging by the dress she wore, it was obviously a female. Ark looked up and stood quickly so as not to be disrespectful.  
"C-Can I help you, Miss?" he asked politely. He looked at her. She wore a mask that covered her face, as did many of the other people in the room.  
"May I have this dance, kind sir?" she asked in a light voice. Ark could swear there was something oddly familiar about the way she talked.  
"O-Oh…erm…I am sorry, but…I'm not very good at dancing and…you see…" he stammered with a flushed face, pointing over towards his friends. The girl suddenly stepped grabbed him and forced him into to correct stance, with his arm around her waist and her arm over his shoulder. He squeaked as she began to lead him off into the crowd.  
"M-Miss!?" he stammered. "Wh-who are you?" She grinned wickedly and pulled him very close to her face. She reached up with one hand and peeled the mask off her face to reveal that, in fact; she was the black-haired girl. Ark gasped and his mouth opened in shock; he hadn't recognized her with her hair pulled back from around her face. She moved her face up to his ear and hissed a single word into it.  
"Zeel."


	43. Bloodcat

**Chapter 42 – Bloodcat**

Before Ark could breathe, he felt something sharp dig into his ribs. He sucked in his breath and stared at the girl he had just found out to be called Zeel with wide eyes. She clicked her tongue at him.  
"Do not cry out," she whispered. "Do not struggle…just dance." He gulped and nodded quickly. The pricking sensation disappeared and Ark's breath hissed out from between his teeth.  
"What…are you doing here?" he asked her.  
"I think that is obvious," she murmured. Her eyes suddenly flashed. "Don't stop moving! Keep dancing…unless you want to find out what it's like to have a few inches of steel in your lungs." He shuffled his legs woodenly and continued to dance with Zeel in a slow waltz. She moved with a fluid grace and Ark could feel her lean muscles moving underneath the dress. He gulped nervously at being so close to someone, especially her. The arm around her waist shook slightly and his breathing became ragged. Once again, she closed the gap between them with her remarkably strong arms.  
"I can feel you shaking…you are nervous?" her voice murmured quietly in his ear. She seemed to almost revel in his fear; questioning him in the softest- yet coldest- manner possible. "And your heart…how it pounds in your chest. Your blood; it courses through your veins! And power surges through you- hot and ready to burst…I can smell it." She breathed in deeply through her nose before letting out a shuddering gust of husky breath. Ark stiffened.  
"Why…are you…doing this?" he asked haltingly.  
"Because I can," she told him. "And I enjoy seeing you suffer. Make no mistake, Ark…I _hate_ you with every fiber of my body. If I could, I would kill you now; _nothing_ would please me more…but you saved my life, so I shall spare yours. Now we shall keep dancing until we can leave and then I shall have a small taste once again."

Link, Teran and Talen finished dancing with the twins and made their way back to where Saria, Nyara, Zelda, Florella and Fura waited. Impa had gone to get something to drink.  
"All righty!" Fura grinned, rubbing her hands together. "Time for a one-on-one. Zelda and I already decided who'd go first with a game of paper-rock-scissors. I won, so let's go!" Link held his hands up.  
"Hold your horses, Fura," he said. "Just let me have a short rest. Two dances in a row- one of which was with _two_ at once." She frowned at him, but allowed him to sit down.  
"Zey dance very well," Mia said, indicating to Talen and Link. The two boys were slouched rather unceremoniously in a set of chairs.  
"You wouldn't think so just by looking at them," Zelda sighed. She turned her attention to the two boys. "You two; can't you straighten yourselves up just a little bit?" Link and Talen looked at each other and sat up properly.  
"No hope," Saria sighed. "Though Link doesn't raise a stink when I try to brush his hair anymore."  
"Hey! Enough rest! Dance with me!" Fura called. Link was in the middle of murmuring something to Talen and he jerked his head up quickly.  
"What, now?" he asked.  
"Yes, now," Fura told him. He sighed and then grinned at Talen. The smith winked back at him.  
"What was that about?" the Gerudo asked him.  
"Huh? Oh, just a joke," Link shrugged. Fura didn't pursue it.  
"Well come on, Linkie do," she insisted, yanking him away from the others. "Remember to hold on _tight_." She laughed at that and Link shook his head despairingly.  
"Do you _always_ have to say things like that?" he asked. Fura looked thoughtful as she dragged him out onto the floor.  
"As a matter of fact…I do," she grinned.  
"What was your dream about?" Fura asked Link quite suddenly as the two of them danced.  
"Pardon?" Link asked.  
"Your dream. You said you had a dream after you woke up." Link frowned.  
"I did too…" he said slowly. He groaned mentally; he didn't really want to tell her about it because of its strangeness. The Gerudo could also use it as an excuse to get the two of them into some rather compromising situations. He was brought out of his thoughts by Fura squeezing his hand extra hard.  
"Huh?" he grunted.  
"I _said:_ if you don't want to talk about it, then that's fine," she sighed. "Honestly, Link. It's like talking to a brick wall sometimes."  
"Sorry," he apologized.  
"Oh don't worry about it…but you could do something to make it up to me," she told him. A few danger signs appeared in Link's head.  
"Erm…" She brought her lips up to his ear and whispered into it.  
"Gimme a _quick_ grab on the backside," she said. He blinked.  
"A _what?_"  
"Come on! Just make it really fast!" she wheedled. "Just a quick squeeze or pat and that's it."  
"Why?" he demanded, quite shocked and rather embarrassed.  
"Do you need a reason?" she asked. "Go on! Do not fear my butt."  
"Oh God," he groaned.  
"Yes, it _is_ fantastic, I know…and _you're_ the lucky boy who gets the opportunity!" she grinned, raising both of her eyebrows.  
"Fura…isn't that inappropriate?" he asked her in a pained voice.  
"Why? If the grabbee approves then the only problem lies with the grabber," she smiled. Link spluttered momentarily, giving her a number of partly-formed excuses. She kept smiling at him, however; her sunny expression unchanging. "Hey, if Zelda sees or finds out, then I'm sure all she'll ask for is one too. Think of the times I've given you a friendly slap. Doesn't _that_ count for anything?"  
"Euh! Shhh!" he hissed, making her giggle. "But…look at what you're wearing; it's like a second skin!"  
"Come _onnnnn!_ It's just a little squeeze! A light slap even! Don't be a chicken!" she pleaded. Her expression suddenly went rather sly. "It would really mean a lot to me." Link's will faltered. She had hit one of his weak spots.  
"Rrgh! Curse you and your mind tricks!" he grumbled. "All…All _right!_ If it means that much to you…then I suppose I can. But _one_ quick…whatever." His face had gone very red.  
"Yes!" she cheered quietly. "There's hope for you yet, my boy!" They continued to dance around the many other couples on the floor while Link plucked up enough courage to do what Fura wanted. He gradually brought the arm around her waist away from her body and held it out behind her. She grinned at him and winked reassuringly, though all it really served to do was make Link's face even redder. His expression changed quite suddenly to one of determination and with a quick flick of his wrist, it was over and done with.  
"Eep!" Fura squeaked as his palm grazed her lightly. She at least had the decency to blush a little before she started giggling.  
"Are you finished?" Link asked flatly.  
"Are _you?_" she asked back. He frowned at her. "Hah! Lighten up, frowny. See? That's all there is to it."  
"I'm not doing that again," he muttered.  
"Ah sure you will," Fura scoffed. "Nobody can resist my amazing a-"  
"_Please_, Fura. I get your point," he sighed, looking rather strained. She blinked her golden eyes at him before smiling roguishly. Link sighed and shook his head, his look becoming a little more relaxed. "Come on; let's go back to the others. They'll think you're a hog otherwise."

"Don't be a hog, Fura," Zelda tutted when Link and the Gerudo girl returned. Link smirked in an "I told you so" manner. Fura cuffed the back of his head with one of her gold bands. He rubbed his head and winced.  
"Ow, I didn't say anything," he muttered.  
"But you thought it," she sniffed. "Well, Zelda; he's all yours." The Princess crooked her arm around Link's elbow and led him away, despite his protests that he needed a rest. Nyara and Fura watched them go.  
"Looks like it's just the two of us," Fura said. "Where are the others?"  
"Teran and Talen dance with Florella and Meia. Others go get drink. Little glowy fairies go with them," Nyara told her. "Ark still no come back yet."  
"Don't worry, Nyara. He's probably just a little bit nervous. He'll be back soon enough…maybe he's stepped outside for some fresh air?" Nyara blinked and flicked her tail.  
"Nyara go look."

As soon as Link and Zelda began dancing, the music seemed to change to a much slower pace. Before the boy knew what had happened; he and Zelda were very close together.  
"Don't fret," Zelda told him quietly. "This gives us a good opportunity to talk."  
"Talk…?" Link murmured. Zelda rested her chin on his shoulder and began to murmur into his ear.  
"About your dream last night," she said. "You can't hide anything from me, Link. Besides; I was told in my own dream that it was important…something about helping you to control a beast."  
"Tha-that's right…how come you know about that?" he asked.  
"I don't know exactly. Somebody…wait, I think there's more than one- they're trying to help us."  
"There's three," Link whispered. "Three of them…they called me their little boy." Zelda chuckled quietly.  
"Strange…it was "little girl" for me. Who could they be? They can't be normal if they can communicate through the world of dreams." The two of them continued to move about slowly, with Zelda keeping her chin upon Link's shoulder. Zelda could tell that Link was thinking hard about something; he always went quiet when he did. She couldn't see his face, but she knew he'd have his eyebrows furrowed, giving him a rather serious expression.  
"I'm surprised you aren't more ill at ease," she told him after a while.  
"Would you rather I was?" he said. Zelda laughed.  
"Not at all. I'm just…surprised, that's all." Link grunted something.  
"Yes, well after Fura, this is child's play." Zelda smiled.  
"What's she done now?" the Princess asked. She could almost hear his face redden.  
"I'm not saying," he said shortly. Zelda giggled.  
"I thought as much."  
Link and Zelda continued to dance in silence until the music ended and a different tune was struck. Link crossed the floor with Zelda not far behind, dodging still-dancing couples as he went. The two of them sat down at the same time that Teran returned with Florella.  
"I thought you were with Talen," Link said. Florella shook her head.  
"I can't hog the boy for the _entire_ night," she told him.  
"I suppose not," Link shrugged. He yawned and scratched his head.  
"I haven't danced with _you_ yet," Florella said. Link looked at her from the corner of his eye.  
"Oh? Does that matter?" he asked. Florella's eyes tightened.  
"I'm a Great Fairy. You should be honored to dance with me," she frowned.  
"Here we go," Link sighed, rolling his eyes. "All right, Your Awesomeness. Will you do me the pleasure of allowing me to dance with you?" Link stood and bowed mockingly.  
"Don't be smart," she sniffed. "Come on."

"You're such a lump sometimes," Florella sighed. "But at least you've already danced with Fura and Zelda…and without a fuss too. I'm rather surprised."  
"You are?" he asked. Florella squeaked as he quite suddenly drew her close. "You flatter me, Florella."  
"Erm…that's all right," she said uncertainly. They kept dancing, with Link seemingly putting more into it than usual. The moved towards the back of the room where there was a balcony overlooking the semi-frozen river that flowed from underneath the palace.  
"Are you all right?" Florella asked him.  
"But of course, Florella," he said. "Why wouldn't I be?"  
"Because you're dancing and you seem to be enjoying it."  
"What's wrong with that?" he queried, flashing her a smile. She blinked, caught a little off-guard.  
"You hate dancing."  
"Usually, yes, but tonight…oh, I don't know," he said just a little dramatically.  
"Tonight what?" Florella asked. "Link, is there something wrong?" He led her outside and onto the balcony. Snowflakes drifted down all around them.  
"I'm sorry, Florella," he said in a voice thick with emotion. "But I cannot deny it any longer. I must tell you something I've been keeping secret since the moment we met!" Florella  
blinked.  
"Wha-wha-what?" she stammered, feeling decidedly nervous.  
"I have such strong feeling for you- feelings that I cannot contain! You move with a grace worthy of the Goddesses themselves and you possess a beauty eclipsing that of any celestial being! Your eyes are pools of wonder, your hair is a cascade of the finest silk, your face is the _very_ image of perfection! Florella; Great Fairy of Spring…you are a very, _very_ beautiful girl- nay! _Woman!_ What I would give to feel your lips against my own!" Florella froze, shock imprinted on her face. Her mouth opened and closed like that of a fish and her dark eyes were very, very wide.  
"Buh-buh-but…y-you…me-"  
"Yes! Me and you! Such a thing would make my life complete!" He held up her hand and kissed it, prompting the fairy to gasp and go red. She quickly clutched both of her hands together under her chin as Link grasped them in one of his own hands and used his free arm to hold her around the shoulders. Florella looked up at him as she was leaned back slightly. She couldn't help but feel flattered deep down inside and was simply unable to draw herself away from the pools of blue that were Link's eyes. She felt very hot; her cheeks were burning and her breath was ragged.  
"The arguing, the fighting; all of it was an attempt on my behalf to mask my true thoughts of you, Florella. Please! Say you'll be mine, my _darling!_" Florella's mind was spinning. It was almost as if Link's boundless flattery was intoxicating her, for in her mind there was a tiny voice telling her odd little things. He _was_ rather handsome and heroic…and the charm! Florella had never known him to be like this with anyone! Not even in a joking manner! And the way his eyes burned into hers, the way he held her; her knees went weak. Slowly, he moved his face closer to hers, closing his eyes in the process. Florella's lips quivered and her eyes closed also, for what reason she was unsure. Suddenly, another voice began to shout inside her head. Talen! What about him! _He_ was the one meant for her!  
"Ta…Talen! I love Talen! I love _Talen!_" she said desperately. "I can't!" Everything froze. Florella could feel Link's breath upon her face as she slowly opened her eyes. He was there- his face barely an inch from hers and he was…grinning?  
"Wha…?" she murmured.  
"Gotcha!" he said. Florella blinked. "Now we're even." He let go of her and the fairy almost fell over backwards into the snow.  
"Ev- huh?"  
"Even, Florella," Link told her. "For the Spring Festival. Had you going there for a while, didn't I? You should have seen your face." He turned and walked back inside, whistling Saria's favorite tune as he went. Florella stood still and watched him go, still in shock. He'd fooled her completely. Link's charm had tricked her into believing…no, she couldn't even _think_ of anything as preposterous as that. But then…how had she believed it so? And she had _considered_ it for a split second too! She was suddenly hit by a thought.  
"He got _me_ to fall for it?" she murmured to herself, blinking a few times. "Me, the Great Fairy of Spring? He…charmed-" She stopped suddenly. The most clod-brained, clueless and _unromantic_ person to ever grace the planet had managed to convince her he was madly in love with her? And she had _believed _it?  
"THAT ROTTEN _WEASEL!_" she seethed. "I'LL KILL HIM!"

"What do you mean you can't find Ark?" Link asked Talen when he met up with everyone inside.  
"Nobody has seen him since he was with Nyara. Quite frankly; I'm starting to get worried," Talen frowned. Zelda and Fura nodded.  
"Nyara look for Ark, but Nyara no can find," the animal girl said. "Hard to smell because so many people too."  
"And I never saw him get a drink. I was over where they were served the whole time," Impa muttered.  
"Well…maybe he went back to his room?" Link suggested. "Perhaps he got a little panicky and left."  
"That's _your_ trick," Saria told him. "Ark wouldn't do that."  
"Well thank you very mu-" Link was half way through his sarcastic remark, when an enraged Florella suddenly jumped him from behind. She wrapped her arm around his neck and began choking him whilst pulling at his hair with her free hand.  
"You little _fink!_" she roared. "How _could _you!" Link made a gurgling sound and staggered about whilst the others watched the two of them grapple. Mia, Meia and Maia looked rather shocked, the rest decidedly less so.  
"What now?" Zelda sighed.  
"You have _no_ idea what he just did!" Florella seethed.  
"You're- gak! _That_ upset that I got you back?" Link choked out.  
"I couldn't care _less_ about that right now!" Florella barked at him. "Do you have _any_ idea of your _potential!?_ You could charm the birds out of the trees, you idiot! Sell sand to the Gerudo! All that sweet-talking nearly worked on me! _Me!_"  
"Now _this_ is interesting," Fura smirked. Talen managed to pry the incensed Florella away from Link.  
"They'd be putty! _Putty!_" she continued to rage at Link whilst pointing at Fura and Zelda. "I'll tear you into little pieces and feed you to the fishes! I'll feed you to _Nyara!_" The animal girl looked momentarily appreciative.  
"Please, Florella," Talen butted in. "We have more important things to think about right now. Ark's missing." Florella nearly launched into a brand new tirade, but stopped short; her anger forgotten…for the moment anyway.  
"What?"  
"We can't find Ark, and we've been around the room several times," Teran frowned.  
"Has somebody checked the boys' room?" the fairy asked. It was at that point Navi and Chat flitted over to them.  
"He isn't there," Navi jingled.  
"And he's not in the girls' room or anywhere else either," the seldom-speaking Chat spoke up. They were about to start discussing what to do next, when Lond and Eda appeared. Both seemed rather breathless.  
"Mother, Father…where have you been?" Teran asked.  
"Why, dancing or course," Eda replied in her thick accent.  
"_All_ zis time?" Maia asked, slightly surprised.  
"Yes, is there a problem?" Lond asked.  
"Nyara no can find Ark," Nyara said desperately. "Nyara look all over, but no can find Ark!"  
"Oh, Ark?" Eda blinked. "We 'af seen him dancing wiz a pretty young girl wiz black 'air. Zey went outside a little while ago."  
"Black…hair?"

Zeel thrust Ark through the door before her, keeping his neck firmly in her grip. She had worked her way all the way down through the palace to an aqueduct that joined with the freezing river. She heard Ark gasp as the cold air bit his skin, but it did little by the way of earning him sympathy.  
"Don't stop. Keep moving," she growled. It had been quite a job trying to move around without being seen. There was the constant threat of the boy she held in her grip calling out to one of the many soldiers posted throughout the palace, and it was perhaps only due to her holding her hand over his mouth that he didn't. His relatively small build made it easier for her to drag and push him about. She herself was taller and stronger, but not overly muscular. Her figure was lean, which was simple to see after she'd ripped her dress off to reveal her relatively skimpy attire underneath. She suddenly swore. It wasn't going to be a simple case of grab Ark and go. She'd have to either find a way to break the Great Fairy's spell or get him far away enough for it to lose some of its potency.  
"Curse that fairy brat!" Zeel spat, hauling Ark along a narrow walkway that ran along the edge of the aqueduct. It was dark, but not terribly so. Light glowed from something hanging at the mouth of the aqueduct's tunnel. It turned out to be a lantern, which Zeel wasted no time in snatching down from its hook. She looked about as Ark's ragged breathing reached her ears. Her powerful grip was probably making it difficult for him to breathe, but that was the last thing on her mind. With her face lit chillingly by the lantern, she glared about their surroundings. They were directly underneath the palace on the edge of the river the flowed underneath the huge structure. The vaulted ceiling soared up above them sharply to hang a good few hundred meters above their heads. The water refracted what little light there was to create that odd shimmering effect on the cut stone ceiling.  
"We go this way," she grunted coldly, thrusting him along. He stumbled slightly, but was unable to fall because of the hold she had on him. Their path was wider than that of the aqueduct and allowed them to travel faster, which Zeel took full advantage of. She ran as fast as she could manage with Ark struggling to stay upright and thus keeping his airway as clear as possible. The two of them emerged from underneath the palace and were thrust into the swirling snow. Luckily; it wasn't a heavy fall, but with news of a blizzard on its way it wasn't likely to stay like that for too much longer. The city streets were deserted, save for one or two individuals making their way from one place to another. Nobody was interested in two young people, save for a decidedly burly-looking man that suddenly appeared from an alleyway brandishing a rather large axe.  
"Well what 'ave we got 'ere?" he snorted gruffly, hefting his weapon lazily. "You don't look like you kin carry much in those clothes of yours, little girlie…but da scrawny kid looks like 'e has a few Rupees worf me woile. 'And 'em over and I'll go easy on yer."  
"Get out of my way," Zeel hissed. "Or I'll make you very, _very_ sorry." The man glowered at her. He was much, _much_ bigger than she was and his axe made him quite a formidable opponent. Zeel didn't seem to find him that intimidating.  
"Oi suggest yer start cooperatin'," he growled. "Or oi'll cut yer a new breathin' 'ole."  
"_Get-out-of-my-way!" _Zeel seethed. The burly man swung his axe down quite suddenly, but Zeel was more than a match for him. In one swift movement, she hurled Ark to the ground and summoned up her scythe. The weapon blurred in the air and the man's axe was suddenly lying in pieces on the snowy ground. He looked at it in shocked disbelief before Zeel whirled around and smashed the head of the weapon into his face, knocking him down. She raised the weapon once again with the blade facing down towards the man's chest.  
"Wait!" Ark called out as she was about to swing. She turned her head and halted her strike. Ark had escaped to some distance away, but he had obviously stopped when he had noticed that she was going to do away with the robber. "He's beaten; you don't need to kill him!" Zeel narrowed her eyes before smashing the man below her with the head of her weapon one more for good measure.  
"Scum," she spat. Ark breathed a sigh of relief, but immediately tensed again as the girl walked swiftly towards him. He backed away in a feeble escape attempt, but in a few short steps Zeel reached him and grabbed him by the neck again.  
"You gave up escape to save scum like that?" she asked mockingly, holding his face close to hers. He tried to turn away, but she forced him to look at her by holding his jaw. "Tell me, Ark; why did you do that?" She looked into his big, green eyes and saw a faint tint of pain and perhaps pity in their deep depths.  
"Because…I don't like seeing people die, no matter who they are. He wasn't going to attack you again; you knocked him out cold with the first blow," Ark told her in a quiet voice. She glared at him and snorted.  
"You're remarkably stupid, Ark. Now walk; I want to get as far away from here as possible."

The main doors of the palace smashed open as Nyara burst through them. The guards stationed just outside whirled around in surprise as the enraged animal girl landed in the snow crouched low. She sniffed at the air before growling in an animalistic manner and taking off at full sprint. Rather than wait for the gates to be opened, she climbed over them and hit the ground running. Nyara moved amazingly fast. She tore into the streets whilst sniffing at the air in an attempt to find Ark's scent. She heard the rest of her companions exiting the palace some distance behind her, but she paid them no heed. All she cared about was finding Ark. Her figure slipped through the air like a knife thanks to her smooth fur, and with the claws on her toes fully extended, gripping the ice was no problem.  
"Nyara, wait!" Florella called out from somewhere behind her.  
"Nyara find Ark!" she called back, refusing to stop. She continued moving until she reached the side of the river, whereupon she lifted her head and inhaled deeply. Hundreds of different scents filled her nostrils, but there was one distinct one that caught her attention. It was Ark's. She jerked her head in the direction he was obviously heading before racing after it. She ran on two legs with her arms held back slightly and her fingers spread out all the way should she need to attack suddenly. She looked down and saw two sets of footprints visible in the snow. Since barely anyone else walked the dimly-lit city late at night, she had no trouble in following them. She continued following them at top sprint; her long legs stretching out as far as they could possibly go. Her muscles quivered and her chest wobbled as she tore along, turning tight corners with ease and even dashing up completely vertical walls to save time. All at once she cleared the buildings and found herself at the edge of the alpine forest that lay behind the city. Not wasting any time, she plunged into the dark woods and raced along under ghostly, snow-covered trees. The light of the moon and the aurora barely penetrated the branches overhead, but Nyara didn't need light to see. Her feline-like eyes gave her the ability to see in the dark almost as if it were day. The trail she followed was fresh; meaning that Ark and the girl were most likely not too far ahead.  
"Nyara coming, Ark," she breathed as she ran.

"We're almost there, keep moving!" Zeel barked, wrenching Ark along. The broke through the forest and arrived at a ridge that lay above a huge frozen lake that stretched off into the night. Not slowing, Zeel leaped out into the air and took Ark with her. She glided down and held Ark by the back of his clothing until they reached the ground. It was then that Ark noticed a sled with several snow-dogs leashed to it. Zeel dragged him over to it and then grabbed him by his collar.  
"Time for you to take a nap," she smiled. Ark opened his mouth in horror as she barred her pointed incisors at him. She lunged for his neck and Ark tried to hold her away by pushing at her shoulders.  
"There's no point in struggling!" she growled, inching closer. "You're…mine!" With a yell of triumph, she surged forwards and closed her mouth over the side of his neck. Ark struggled weakly as Zeel's arms would themselves around his back, holding him in place. She began to drink his energy greedily, making all manner of sounds as she robbed him of his strength. The last thing Ark saw before passing out was her intense eyes burning into him and her satisfied smile.  
Zeel licked her lips and smacked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as Ark collapsed against her. She lay him out on the sled and them bound him in place before throwing a large piece of cloth over him and securing tying in down to stop him from freezing.  
"Time to go," she muttered, stepping into the sled. Just as she did so, a noise from behind her caught her attention. The black-haired girl whirled around as Nyara exploded out of the forest with a fierce cry. She shot out over the ridge, her form silhouetted by the moon as she descended upon the surprised Zeel. The animal girl landed on all fours with her eyes burning at the girl before her. Her tail lashed about viciously and her hackles rose as a throaty growl escaped her curled lips.  
"You let Ark go," she told her. "Give Ark back to Nyara!"  
"Well, "Nyara"…he's coming with me, I'm afraid. There's not a whole lot you can do about it either," Zeel scoffed. "Now get going before I have to hurt you." Nyara hissed loudly and vaulted towards Zeel at blinding speed. The claws on both hands sharpened and she slashed them towards the girl. Zeel barely had time to duck out of the way as the razor-sharp claws swished through the air in front of her face. Nyara darted back as two locks of hair fell from Zeel's head. The black-haired girl caught them looked at them in surprise.  
"You'll regret that, kitty-cat," she spat. She thrust her hand out and launched a volley of purple blasts at Nyara. The animal girl zipped out of the way as the barrage of magic exploded in a trail behind her. She ran in a semicircle before kicking off the ground straight at Zeel. The black-haired girl opened her mouth in surprise before Nyara twisted around in midair and kicked Zeel solidly in the side of the head with the side of her foot. Zeel grunted and flew from the sled before hitting the ground and sliding along the ice sheet. She barely had time to rise before Nyara was upon her again. The animal girl swept her foot along and hooked it under one of Zeel's shoulder. She flicked the black-haired girl up before laying into her with a flurry of punches. While she was momentarily stunned, Nyara did a forwards cartwheel, striking Zeel with both of her feet in turn before backhanding her away as she landed back on her feet. Zeel managed to twist in the air before she hit the ground, landing on her feet. Nyara was circling her slowly and on all fours, ready to pounce at any moment. Zeel suddenly flashed her hand out, sending a searing ball of purple at the tawny animal girl, but Nyara was far too quick. She darted forwards as the energy ball passed underneath, barely an inch from her body. Zeel swore and tried to duck out of the way, but Nyara still managed to strike her. The animal girl landed in her hands in front of her before bunching her legs and kicking straight up. The balls of her feet struck Zeel square under the chin, sending her skittering across the ice once more. Nyara flipped from her handstand and landed gracefully on her feet with a small flourish.  
"Nyara too quick for devil-girl?" Nyara asked innocently.  
"Devil this, animal!" Zeel screeched. She jumped back to her feet and charged up a massive amount of energy between both of her hands before forming her scythe and slicing it straight down. A vertical purple line appeared in the air in front of her. It quivered and bulged until it burst, sending hundreds of purple beams shooting out in ever direction. Nyara began ducking and dodging the fierce attack in a display of amazing acrobatics, her incredibly flexible body bending and moving in a way that nobody else's could. She effectively avoided every single beam and stood with her arms held out on either side of her like a gymnast. Zeel narrowed her eyes.  
"Impressive, but try dodging _this!_" The black-haired girl spun her scythe like a propeller before slamming the butt of it into the ground. A great wall of purple energy roared towards Nyara, who had no hope of avoiding it. With a cry of despair, she covered her face with her arms before being blown back a second later. She lay still on the ice without showing any signs of life. Zeel lowered her weapon and snorted in satisfaction. She walked over to the sled slowly before climbing on and flicking the reigns. The dogs strained and the sled began moving, taking both Ark and Zeel away.

The snow fell on and around Nyara as she lay still on the ice. A single flake landed in the middle of her forehead. A second later, her eyes twitched and opened. The memories of the fight with Zeel ran through her mind, filling her with a murderous rage. She clawed her way to her feet and roared at the night sky. The sound echoed all around her, reverberating off the ridge and forest, and rolling out across the lake and ice monoliths beyond.  
"Nyara not lose!" she roared at the top of her lungs. "Nyara have fighter's blood! Nyara calls the ghosts of the Meera to aid Nyara! Help Nyara bring Ark back!" For a short while, there was silence as the snow fell silently around her. Then, gradually at first, a slight wind began to pick up. It stirred the snow around her feet, growing stronger and stronger until the snowflakes sun in the air in a great flurry of white. Nyara tilted her head back and roared again as the light of the moon shone down on her. At once, her skin began to ripple and quake as if something were moving underneath. Nyara let loose with a series of bestial growls and hisses, thrashing about until she fell to her knees. Her fur darkened, her hair lengthened and changed and her size increased under the ghostly, semi-darkness of the frozen lake. Then, as quickly as it had started; it was over. The large figure stood slowly on its new, powerful legs to examine itself. She stepped forwards into a ray of moonlight and her form was revealed. Nyara seemed to have lost all of her furry adorableness. The white puffs of fur had disappeared from her wrists, ankles and shoulders. The tawny colour of her fur had changed to a murderous, blood-red and her short, coarse hair had become long, flowing and coloured gold and silver. Her claws were a dark purple and were razor sharp on tips of her fingers and toes. The arches of her feet were bound in strips of black leather and each arm had a kind of purple cloth bracer that ran from wrist to elbow. Her ears had become longer and more pointed, flaring back behind her head. What seemed to be dark yellow fur growing amongst the blood-red was actually a form of ultra-thin clothing that was arranged almost like a flickering flame over her bust, flanks and ribs, leaving her stomach bare. Her tail was slightly longer and smoother and tipped with a metal spear-like barb that was almost hidden in a flare of golden fur that was much the same as the hair on her head. She was lean, yet powerfully built, with strong muscles rippling under the skin and fur of her long legs. She gave a low growl and cracked her tail like a whip, creating a great crack in the ice with the barb on her tail.  
"Run now, black-haired girl," she roared furiously. "Nyaragon Bloodcat will hunt you down to ends of earth!"


	44. Gaul

**Chapter 43 – Gaul**

"What in the world was _that?_" Fura asked as a hideous, echoing roar sounded out over the forest.  
"It sounds horrible," Florella shuddered. "But it seems to be a ways off. We have to keep moving and hope it doesn't come after us." Saria and Zelda had been made to stay at the palace with the Royal Family and Impa, but Florella had insisted on accompanying Fura, Link and Talen. The smith carried her since it was difficult for her to run in her dress.  
"Jeez, I've never seen Nyara move so fast before," Link grunted as he slogged through the thick carpet of snow that blanketed the forest floor. "I wonder how far ahead she is?"  
"I just hope she's all right," Fura muttered, puffing lightly. "That black-haired girl has a bad temper and I wouldn't like to see Nyara on the receiving end of it. She's got no magical abilities."  
"Nyara's strong; she'll be all right," Florella assured them. "Just keep following her tracks before the snow covers them."  
"I wonder where that girl is heading with Ark," Talen frowned.  
"Away from me," Florella muttered. "If she gets far enough away, then my spell will lose some of its strength. She may be able to break it then and take Ark away."  
"Well let's hurry then," Link growled.

They exited the forest and paused at the ridge. The great, frozen lake stretched out before them and disappeared into the distance. The moon reflected eerily off its cold surface, lending it a somewhat mournful air. They climbed down, mostly with Link's help, and started out across the lake.  
"Wait!" Fura called suddenly. "Look here." She motioned to a series of large chips in the ice.  
"Looks like a fight took place," Link frowned. "Nyara must have caught up."  
"But where is she? I hope she isn't hurt," Florella said.  
"No…if the girl had done something to her then there'd at least be a body. There's no reason for her to take Nyara with her," Link frowned. "Look, there are prints." He pointed to the footprints that lay in the light dusting of snow covering the ice.  
"But…" Talen murmured. "They don't look like Nyara's prints. Too big." Talen was right. The prints they were looking at were at least twice as big as Nyara's, and they were coupled with a large crack in the ice and a series of deep scratches.  
"Whatever it is, it's big," Fura said.  
"Oh no! That beast we heard has Nyara!" Florella wailed. "Hurry! We have to go and find her!" She dug her heels into Talen's side like a rider would to a horse.  
"Pudgy's right," Link said flatly. "And there are sled marks as well. Whatever the creature is, it must have taken Nyara and gone after Ark and the girl. We need to hurry." Without wasting any more time, the four of them took off over the ice.

Zeel smirked to herself as the wind ruffled her relatively short, black hair. She had won, well, almost. She simply had to get far enough away from the fairy and Ark would be her property once more. However; the problem still remained of him being rescued like the first time she had caught him.  
"I'll have to put him in a more secure location," she sniffed. The snow-dogs were running at a merry pace and for the first time in quite a while, Zeel felt rather good about things. She glanced down at Ark as he lay unconscious with only his head protruding from the cloth. He was strange, Zeel knew that much, and there was something odd about him she couldn't quite put her finger on. She shook the thoughts out of her head and focused her attention on her surroundings. Off to her right there was a large, ice wall that had been carved by the harsh winds that sometimes blew through the region. The strangely-shaped ice sculptures carved by the very same environmental conditions also littered the landscape, giving an almost alien look to the place. Zeel's ears suddenly twitched and she twisted her head around behind her. She could have sworn she heard something echo out across the endless expanses of ice, but no creature lived out beyond the trees; it was simply too hard to survive. Feeling more at ease, she turned her head back so she was facing forwards again…until she heard the noise again, only louder. It sounded like some kind of roar, but it wasn't the sound a creature in the snowy parts of the world made; it sounded feline. And it wasn't a deep, rumbling roar that many of the bigger cat species made; it was a vicious, tearing kind of roar. Zeel clenched her teeth and looked around, readying a purple ball of energy at the same time. She waited, but only the sound of the dogs' claws clacking against the ice and the sliding of the sled could be heard. She looked around the silent landscape once more before dissipating the ball of magic and letting out a sigh of relief. It was then, however; that the attack came. There was a whoosh of air and the ice on front of her burst apart with a great, crunching explosion. The dogs yelped in terror and tried to change direction, narrowly missing the crater left by the explosion.  
"Rrgh! What's going on now!?" Zeel demanded nobody in particular. She shook her head, dislodging snow and fragments of ice from her hair. She looked around before snapping her head in the direction of the ice wall some distance away. A large shape had just landed there, clinging to the horizontal surface. But when Zeel tried to focus on it, the shape vanished, moving at blistering speed through the air courtesy of an amazing leap. The thing crashed into the ice a few meters away from her, growling in a low, throaty manner.  
"What the-" she began, gaping at the creature. The creature appeared bestial in nature and was obviously female. It stood almost twice Zeel's size and seemed to possess a good deal of physical strength. There was on odd air or familiarity about it, but Zeel could swear she'd never seen such an imposing creature before. It began to chase after her at astonishing speed, its claw-tipped toes tearing great chinks in the ice as its powerfully muscled legs surged it along. It drew alongside the sled and turned its head to face Zeel.  
"Give Ark back!" it demanded. "Give Ark back or you make Nyaragon very angry! Angry Bloodcat mean dead girl!"  
"It's _you!?_" Zeel gasped, recognizing the beast as the animal girl she'd defeated beforehand. "Huh, so you changed your costume, big deal. I'm still more than a match for you." Zeel flashed her palm out and sent a ball of purple energy hurting towards Nyaragon. The Bloodcat bunched her legs and leaped high in the sky as the attack detonated on the ice where she had been running. She crunched down on the other side of the sled at a run, her long and lustrous hair billowing out behind her.  
"Hmph, you got fast," Zeel growled, narrowing her eyes. Nyaragon held a clawed hand up in front of her face as wisps of what appeared to be churning air began to coalesce around it. She suddenly raked her claws through the air, sending several blades of air tearing towards the sled. The sled's reigns were sliced neatly through and the dogs ran on ahead, scared out of their minds of the large Bloodcat chasing them. Much to Zeel's chagrin, the sled slowed and she found herself looking once again at her opponent. She swore and hopped off the sleigh before it stopped, brandishing her scythe in a threatening manner. The big, red Bloodcat didn't look at all impressed and stalked towards Zeel, her feet crunching against the ice.  
"Nyaragon warn you," she growled. "Go now, or you regret staying."  
"Not a chance!" Zeel spat furiously. "There's _far_ more at stake than you realize, _cat!_ I'm not just going to hand him back to you!" The black-haired girl began to draw in power to the palm of her hand, forming a large, purple sphere. Similarly, Nyaragon opened her palm and began to draw in massive amounts of what appeared to be compressed air until it was visible in a shrieking, white sphere of wind. Zeel hurled her attack at the same time Nyaragon hurled hers. The two pieces of magic hit each other and swirled together, sucking themselves into a single, minute point before exploding in a thunderous, purple detonation. Wind shrieked at them, forcing Zeel to shield her eyes from the fragments of ice that flew out in every direction.  
"So you're using the wind and air to fight, unusual," she muttered. Things weren't going as planned. Zeel wasn't sure if the creature before her exceeded her in terms of magic offence, but there was no competition when it came to physical power. Nyaragon's barbed tail thrashed menacingly and her lips pulled back slightly in a silent growl.  
"All right, you win," Zeel sighed, allowing her scythe to ghost away. Nyaragon narrowed her eyes. "Follow me, he's in the sled." The black-haired girl walked over to the stationary sled and pulled the cloth away. Ark still lay there breathing steadily, yet dead to the world.  
"Why he not moving!?" the Bloodcat demanded fiercely, slicing through his bindings and picking him up.  
"He's just asleep! I drained him so he wouldn't try anything," Zeel said quickly. "He'll wake up when he gets some back…if you'll let me, I can speed that up."  
"How?"  
"Well, you're going to have to hand him to me. I can put some strength back in the same way I took it out," Zeel told her. The Bloodcat clutched Ark protectively against her large bust. "Hey, don't blame me if he can't survive the trip back. You know what happens to people that fall asleep in freeing climates; they never wake up." Nyaragon frowned and looked down at Ark. His breath escaped his mouth in visible puffs of steam.  
"No funny tricks," she growled, handing the boy to Zeel. "I chase you down with no troubles."  
"Of course," Zeel agreed, holding her hands up as a sign of surrender. She took hold of Ark under his arms and allowed his head to loll to one side, leaving his neck exposed. She noted that the marks her teeth had made in his skin before had almost healed. She lowered her face and readied herself to bite, but she suddenly shot up into the air with a victorious laugh.  
"Hah! You're even more gullible than I thought!" Zeel taunted, holding Ark by his collar. "Ark's mine and you'll _never_ get him back!" The smug expression on Zeel's face suddenly disappeared as Nyaragon bunched her legs and launched herself straight up into the air. With a twist of her arm, the Bloodcat wrenched Ark free before slamming Zeel in the chest with a gust of wind. She grunted and sailed through the air before slamming into the ice wall in a shower of ice dust. The Bloodcat crunched back onto the ground with Ark held tightly and she didn't relax her grip until she was sure that Zeel posed no more of a threat. The big animal girl narrowed her eyes and surveyed the Zeel's limp form. She appeared to be out cold.  
"Stupid girl try to trick Nyaragon. Nyaragon not tricked so easily," she growled. She turned her head back to Ark as she began walking back in the direction she had come from. With her increased size, it was very easy to carry the relatively small boy. She cradled him against her bosom like a baby, keeping him warm and protected against the cold air. She poked his cheek, hoping to get a response, but he merely lay there sleeping.  
"Poor Ark," she frowned. "You get rest back at palace. Florella fix you up."

"Wait!" Link hissed, holding up his hand for everyone to stop. "Do you hear that?" Talen, Fura and Florella strained their ears to listen above the wind. There was a faint clacking sound drifting out over the expanse of ice and it was gradually getting louder.  
"What do you suppose it is?" Florella asked a little fearfully, tightening her grip on Talen.  
"Maybe it's whatever got Nyara," the smith grunted, readying the stone skin on his arms. Link drew his sword and held his shield with his other arm. Fura's twin scimitars twirled slowly in her hands and she crouched down low.  
"Get ready everyone," the Gerudo murmured.  
"There! I see it!" Florella squeaked, stabbing her finger ahead of them. A large shape came moving out of the light snow. It walked on two legs and towered over them at about the height of a very tall man. It had eerie, glowing eyes that reflected the light of the moon and a long tail whipped about its legs. The three fighters on the ground tensed themselves in anticipation of an attack from the fearsome-looking, blood-red beast.  
"You! What have you done with Nyara!?" Link demanded. The creature blinked at him and the faint flash of teeth became visible as it grinned amusedly.  
"Answer!" Florella demanded shrilly. The creature leaned forwards and became illuminated by Navi's glow. They saw Ark hanging limply in its arms.  
"You looking at Nyara, but now Nyaragon," it smirked.  
"Ny- what?" Florella blinked.  
"_Nyara!?"_ Link gaped. "You're _her!?_" The Bloodcat grinned at them.  
"What in the world happened to you?" Talen gasped. "You're…_look_ at you!"  
"Nyara Bloodcat now," she said proudly. "Now Nyaragon."  
"Nyaragon?" Florella repeated, completely confused.  
"Ghosts of Meera help Nyara. Make Nyara stronger so she become Nyaragon." Link scratched his head.  
"Meera? Bloodcat? You're not making much sense," he frowned.  
"Meera Nyaragon's people. Nyaragon have fighter's blood in veins, so Meera ghosts help. Bloodcat is what Nyaragon is now." Florella, Talen, Link and Fura looked at each other and then at Nyara.  
"You're certainly…imposing," Fura said. Nyaragon grinned. "But look at you! I bet any man would be dying to get their hands on you…if they were big enough that is." Nyaragon grinned even harder, but then she suddenly remembered the boy she was holding.  
"Florella help Ark," she said, kneeling down with Ark propped up on her lap. "Make Ark better."  
"Hmph, that girl did this, didn't she," Fura grunted. "Speaking of which, where is she?"  
"Nyaragon blow her away," the Bloodcat smirked. "She back that way somewhere." Florella made a few strange motions with her hands and a small mug of that strange, pink liquid appeared. Nyaragon tilted Ark's head back and Florella poured it down his throat a little at a time until it was all gone. Nyaragon began to stroke his head, her large hands almost covering it entirely.  
"I miss those puff-balls," Florella sighed absently. "Now you're very…womanly. Not that there's anything wrong with that, of course."  
"And you have some mighty big breas-"  
"Fura, no," Link cut in. "Must you _always_ be the one to point such things out?" The Gerudo grinned at him.  
"Well someone has to, and besides; she does," Fura insisted. "She's big, but not _big_ big. Doesn't have muscles bulging out everywhere."  
"Thank you for your insight, Fura," Link sighed.  
"My pleasure, Grabby Mc Buttgrab," she said snidely. Link gasped and went red and Florella's ears twitched.  
"Oho? What's this?" she asked curiously.  
"It's nothing," Link said sternly before leaning in close and whispering in her ear. _"Darling."_ Florella scowled furiously at him and drew her finger across her throat, mouthing "I will kill you" very slowly. A small groan from Ark got everyone's attention, and the small feud between Link and Florella was momentarily forgotten.  
"Ark! Is Ark okay?" Nyaragon asked, looking down at him. Ark's eyelids fluttered open and he blinked groggily. He looked up, only to see Nyaragon peering down at him. And Ark, not having been aquatinted with Nyara's new form, gasped and began to struggle instantly. Nyaragon's hands pressed down against his chest, holding him still with ease.  
"Ark, calm down!" Florella told him. "See? We're here, you're all right." Ark looked at her in surprise.  
"L-lady Florella?" he murmured. "Where…what happened? Who is that?"  
"That," Florella smiled. "Is Nyara. Well, Nyara_gon_ now, she says." Ark's eyes went wide.  
"M-miss Nyara?" he stammered, looking up at her. "Wha-what happened to you?"  
"Nyara got big! Became Nyaragon! Me Bloodcat now," she said proudly. "Nyaragon so happy Ark all right!" Ark suddenly found himself being lifted up by Nyaragon's powerful arms and before he knew what was happening, her big, rough tongue was scraping across his face.  
"Easy there," Florella cautioned. "He's still rather weak." Nyaragon looked reluctant to cease her show of relief, but she plopped him down in her lap anyway, her arms crossing down his front so he couldn't move. Ark looked like he was having a hard time taking things in.  
"Where- where's Zeel?" he mumbled.  
"Zeel? Who's Zeel?" Talen asked.  
"Her, the girl with black hair. That's her name; Zeel," Ark told them.  
"Zeel," Link repeated, testing the name out. "So that's what she's called."  
"Is she…" Ark trailed off.  
"Nyaragon leave her in snow," the Bloodcat told him.  
"But knowing her, she'll be back. That girl's as tough as old boots," Fura grumbled.  
"Not tough enough for Nyaragon," Nyaragon grinned, flicking her tail around and almost slicing Link with the barb at the tip of it.  
"Yow! Watch it!" the boy yelped.  
"Sorry." The Bloodcat grinned sheepishly at him before standing up with Ark. "We should go to palace. Sun rise soon; make it easy to see."  
"We've been gone all night," Florella frowned. "The others are probably worried sick." Ark tried to insist that he could walk and that he didn't want to be a burden, but his objections were met with a stern shake of the head from him carrier.  
"Ark need stay warm," she told him. "Nyaragon no let Ark walk. Ark carried is safer."

"There's the forest," Talen winced, shielding his eyes as the first rays of sunlight peeked over the horizon. As they drew closer, however; it was evident they were not alone. Two figures stood at the bottom of the ridge waiting patiently. They were both young, only one or two years older than Link and company. On closer inspection, it appeared that one was a boy and the other was a girl, both of whom were dressed in warm, yet oddly militaristic clothing. The girl's hair was brown and pulled back into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, whilst the boy's was blue and wavy. They appeared to ignore the small party as they approached and stopped a few yards away, just to be cautious. Nyaragon seemed to sense something was amiss and growled throatily before whirling around and sending a shot of compressed air at a group of Eshlee that had emerged from the ice behind her. With a rumbling crunch, the ice monsters were blown to pieces and tiny fragments of ice filtered down through the air.  
"Yow!" Fura yelped, hopping to the side. "What the heck was that? Warn us when you do that again."  
"Hmph, a simple air vacuum," the girl standing at the ridge said in a level tone.  
"Quite effective," the boy said similarly. Link narrowed his eyes at them.  
"Who are you two?" he asked slowly. "And what are you doing all the way out here?" The boy and girl didn't answer them for a while and simply regarded them without moving.  
"We've come to stop you from causing so much trouble," the boy smirked, thrusting his cloak back and drawing a thin rapier from a scabbard at his belt.  
"And to take revenge for out lost comrades, Bearer," the girl added. "It's hard to believe that such a group of misfits could have defeated Karam's Golem as well as Gravan. Those two may have underestimated you, but that won't be the case with us."  
"However…" the boy began, looking over the group. "We are not without honor, and would it not be unfair if all of you were to fight us?" Link exchanged uncertain looks with his companions before returning his attention to the two in front of him.  
"I suppose," he frowned.  
"Then allow us to pick our opponents," the boy smirked. Link looked thoughtful before nodding.  
"All right, but Ark and the Great Fairy are out of bounds."  
"That is acceptable," the girl agreed. "But who could deny the other two some entertainment?" Link was about to ask her what she mean, when the trees growing on top of the ridge suddenly splintered as a huge shape catapulted itself into the air. With a terrific crash, a giant Eshlee crunched into the ice and let out a horrific screeching sound. Freezing air wafted from its large jaws like steam and its semi-translucent body held two tiny blue spheres as its eyes.  
"Holy jeez!" Link hissed, scrambling back. The monster, however; made no move to attack and simply stood by the boy and girl.  
"I shall pick the Bearer," the boy smirked, pointing at Link.  
"And I pick the Fire Witch," the girl said, pointing at Fura. "The other two can decide for themselves how they fight the King Eshlee." Talen and Nyaragon looked up at the huge monster as it crunched towards them slowly. Unlike the regular monsters of its kind, the King Eshlee was incredibly lanky, sporting long legs and arms tipped with very sharp looking claws. Coupled with a long tail with an axe-like tip, the King Eshlee was a very formidable foe.  
"Talen stay with Ark and Florella! Protect Ark! Let no bad people near him! Nyaragon bust up Eshlee good and proper!"

"You should know I've never lost a fight," Link's opponent smirked, holding his rapier in a battle-ready position. "And you may call me Kishin. I feel it's important that your opponent know who you are, after all; I already know you well…Link." The Hylian didn't seem all that impressed.  
"I've lost plenty of fights before, mostly to the women I seem to be controlled by," Link shrugged. "But I've never lost important battles, Kishin." Kishin smiled coldly at him before dashing away across the ice and away from everyone else. Link followed with his sword drawn and his shield buckled to his arm. Navi zipped after him and hovered closely in case she was needed.

Fura and her opponent watched Link and Kishin dash away before turning back to each other.  
"Are you ready, Fire Witch?" the girl smirked. "Or should I call you by another name?"  
"I prefer Fura," the Gerudo sniffed, whipping out her twin scimitars. "You?"  
"I am Iliara," she said, drawing a set of long daggers from her waist. "Now prepare for battle. I shall not lose."  
"We'll see about that," Fura scoffed, twirling both of her blades. They ran to meet each other.

Since the Eshlee King didn't seem like the talking type, Nyaragon simply leaped at it with her claws extended. But with surprising speed, however; the big ice beast slid to the side and swung on of its long, clawed arms. Nyaragon saw it coming and twisted in the air, allowing the blow to pass over her stomach. She landed on the ice with a shower of ice fragments before the Eshlee King whirled around and crunched towards her with a series of horrible screeching sounds. Nyaragon flattened her ears against her head and scowled at it.  
"Nyaragon have sensitive ears!" she growled. "Ice-monster sound worse than Link complaining!" She ran backwards some distance, drawing it away from Ark, Talen and Florella. The Eshlee King lunged forwards suddenly, swinging its long tail over its head. Nyaragon jumped to the side and hurled a ball of compressed air at it as the axe-tail chunked into the ice a few feet away. The attack hit the ground under one of its legs, creating a large, airy explosion that sent the beast off-balance. While it was distracted, the Bloodcat leaped high into the air and came down with her feet together, smashing them into the creature's neck from above. It screeched horribly again, before swiping its tail over its own body, forcing the Bloodcat to leap away again. She hit the ice running, with the Eshlee King hot on her heels. The ice beast crunched along behind her, screeching and whipping its tail at her. But each time it tried to strike, Nyaragon darted to one side and the axe-tip of the tail simply smashed into the ice beside her. With the monster's attention fully focused on the Bloodcat, it failed to notice a mound of ice and snow that loomed up in front of it. Nyaragon ran up the near-vertical side of it and flipped backwards in the air, sailing gracefully over the Eshlee's back. The Eshlee, unable to stop in time, crashed head first into the obstruction. A moment later, a powerful impact caused by Nyaragon's wind magic sent the ice-mound crashing in on itself and the Eshlee King. Injured, but not down for the count, the ice beast rose slowly from the icy rubble and shook itself free of debris before turning around and resuming the chase. The monster, obviously realizing that its prey was very quick, resorted to a different approach. It raised its head an inhaled deeply before opening its jaws all the way and blasting a great torrent of freezing energy at Nyaragon in the form of a concentrated beam. The Bloodcat put on a burst of speed and ran in a wide circle, the beam following inches behind. Where it touched, large ridges and chunks of ice formed in a trail as Nyaragon desperately tried to outrun it. She suddenly sprung into the air, soaring high above the Eshlee King. She crossed both of her arms across her chest and formed two vacuum balls in each fist. As the monster below her raised its attack, she twisted in the air and the ice beam passed her by at such a close distance that a few strands of her long hair were covered in frost. With a shrill cry, she flung her arms out and hurled the vacuum balls at the Eshlee King. The two attacks spiraled around each other before impacting against the monster's side. There was a noise that sounded like an explosion being sucked in upon itself, and a huge chunk of the Eshlee's side imploded. The monster shrieked in rage as Nyaragon landed on the ground on all fours and hissed loudly. It thrashed its tail around and shook its head from side to side. It raised one of its legs, seemingly in one of its convulsions, but when it sent it crashing back down, a large chunk of ice burst up under the Bloodcat's feet and sent her crashing to the ground. The Eshlee King was on her in seconds and opened its mouth wide to swallow her. With quick thinking, Nyaragon braced herself against between its upper and lower jaw, thus preventing it from closing its mouth. The creature shook its head from side to side and tried to snap its jaws shut, but Nyaragon held on for dear life, straining with every muscle and refusing to yield. Then, to make matters worse; the Eshlee King began pounding its head against the ground in an attempt to dislodge her. She almost buckled, but managed to keep holding on until an idea formed. The Bloodcat suddenly pushed out as the giant Eshlee smashed its head down one last time, the resulting combination ending up launching Nyaragon out and across the ice. She slid along on her back for some distance before digging in her claws and flipping over onto all fours whereupon she ground to a halt with a yowl of triumph. The Eshlee King shook its head to regain its senses before focusing its beady eyes on Nyaragon. They squared each other off for a while, the Eshlee King scraping its front claws on the ice and creating a series of shrill, yet low growls from its large mouth. Nyaragon stood with her legs apart and whipped her tail from side to side, chipping large chunks of ice away with its barbed tip. Then, as if some unheard command had compelled them to do so, the two combatants charged towards each other.

Kishin slid to a stop rather suddenly and whipped his rapier around to slice at the still-pursuing Link. The Hylian reacted quickly and rolled forwards and under the strike before vaulting to his feet and turning on his heel. The sound of metal clanging against metal rang out across the frozen lake as their blades met. Kishin stepped back as Link went on the offensive, swinging his sword in a series of three strokes; down, across and then diagonally up. The last swipe scraped against Kishin's weapon, sending a shower of sparks in to the air. As Link recovered from his maneuver, his opponent retaliated with one of his own; a series of quick and potentially lethal jabs that came thick and fast. Link was forced to raise his shield and retreat slightly. While his blade was made more for cutting with its edge, Kishin's rapier was designed to be thrust into the enemy, and as such it was lighter, slimmer and faster, but not as powerful. Link decided to extort that weakness by deflecting Kishin's rapier with his shield and striking with a powerful vertical blow. He heard Kishin swear before raising his blade quickly to block the attack. The Ragnarok clanged into Kishin's rapier and knocked it out of Kishin's hand. The blue-haired boy dove for his dropped weapon, narrowly avoiding Link as he turned the Ragnarok in his hand and smashed the point down into the ice. Kishin rolled to the side, snatching up his weapon and tearing his cloak as Link's sword pierced it and pinned it to the ice.  
"That was my favorite cloak," he frowned. His gaze shifted from Link to his forearm, where there was a stain of red on his sleeve. He showed some faint surprise at the small wound and looked back at Link. "And that was my favorite jerkin."  
"Boo-hoo," Link snorted. "Do you have any idea how many times I've ripped and torn my tunic? Clothing never lasts long with me without getting torn."  
"I agree with you on _that_ part," Kishin smirked before surging forwards and whipping the tip of his blade at Link's face. The Hylian boy snapped his neck back, but not before catching the tip of the rapier across his cheek. He hissed and winced before blocking another swipe with his shield. Kishin suddenly leaped at him, slicing down with his blade. Link saw him coming and darted back in the nick of time, but in the wink of an eye, he darted forwards again and put his foot down on Kishin's rapier as it hit the ice. Kishin blinked before Link slammed his sword down and shattered the rapier. Kishin staggered back, scowling darkly at the remaining hilt.  
"Do you concede defeat, Kishin?" Link asked flatly. "You can't win them all. Nobody can." Kishin discarded his broken weapon and looked over at Link, a thin smile forming on his lips.  
"That's what you think, _Bearer_," he sneered. "We never lose." Link looked puzzled as to what he meant by "we", but then Kishin seemed to blur around the edges. He threw his head back and laughed manically, before he split into three separate images of himself, each holding a rapier similar to the one Link had just broken. Link swore.  
"Is this what you call a fair fight?" he demanded, backing away defensively.  
"All is fair in battle," the three Kishins laughed simultaneously. "Now fight!" The three of them came straight at Link with their weapons raised. Link met them head on, swinging his sword and parrying blows with the help of the Key. He passed through the trio of Kishins and emerged with a few more cuts and scratches to his name.  
"It looks like you were right about your tunic," the three Kishins smirked. Link looked down at himself to find a series of rips and cuts in the green material.  
"A bit of needle and thread will have it looking as good as new in no time," he shrugged.  
"Will a needle and thread keep your insides from spilling out once we cut you to pieces? _Hyaa!_" The three Kishins came at him a second time. Link readied himself, but instead of attacking, he shot high into the air with help from the Key's twin straps.  
"If _you_ can use magic, then so can I!" he shouted down at the three Kishins. He aimed his dark arm straight down and shot three masses of shadow down at them. They scattered, but one of the Kishins didn't escape the attack unscathed and staggered before falling.  
"Gotcha!" Link growled, thrusting his sword down and piercing the Kishin through his back. It cried out in despair before it flickered and vanished. The remaining two Kishins seemed to feel their twin's demise and flinched in pain.  
"You got lucky," the growled in unison. "But it won't happen again!" They lunged at Link, who found himself being pushed back by a deadly flurry of swipes and jabs by the Kishins' rapiers. Blade clanged against blade and shield as Link fought furiously to defend. A low swipe by one of his opponents created an ugly gash across his leg, causing him to fall slightly. Navi came to his rescue, zipping in and gouging her tiny foot into one of the Kishins' eyes. It staggered back and grunted in pain, swatting aimlessly at the small fairy as she darted out of the way. Link rolled back and got to his feet.  
"Link!" Navi chimed. "Try knocking them back together! If the magic used to separate him isn't that strong, then you should be able to do it!"  
"Right!" Link charged forwards and lashed out with his sword, scoring a cut on one of the Kishin's arms. He kept going some distance before grinding to a halt and standing at the ready. The two Kishins charged at him with identical battle-cries. Link waited, tensing himself as they got closer until…  
"Now!" he yelled. The twin rings of the Key snapped up and shot through the air like arrows released from a bow. They arced around and coiled themselves about the Kishins' necks. Link then leaped at them; passing in-between the two twins and whipping the Key straps back around to his front. His opponents were torn off their feet and swung around in wide arcs before they smashed together a few metres in front of Link. There was a flash, and the two of them suddenly became one again before dropping to the ground. Kishin lay there groaning for a few moments before propping himself up with one arm. He spat out a mouthful of blood and saliva before snapping his head up to see Link descending from above with his sword braced in front of him.

Fura slid to the side on the ice, narrowly avoiding a vicious slash from one of Iliara's daggers. The girl was quite fast, but to do any damage she had to get in close, and that meant braving Fura's scimitars. The Gerudo seemed to flow like water, slicing her twin blades in a series of complicated, dance-like maneuvers. Iliara ducked and dodged, almost completely avoiding Fura's assault. As the brown-haired girl stared her opponent down, she felt something odd at the back of her head. Fura smirked at her and put her hands on her hips, leaving her scimitars to thrust out from either side. The Gerudo had deftly sliced through Iliara's bun, causing her hair to unfurl partway down her back.  
"Now that looks better," the dark-skinned girl grinned. "You looked like a boy before." Iliara scowled at her.  
"You dare…mock me? This fight is a source of amusement for you?"  
"On the contrary; if I win this fight then I'll steal a smooch from my Linkie-pie-darling. Of course, he doesn't know about that yet, but he will," Fura told her. "I fight to win, _especially_ with something like that at stake. I'm taking it _very_ seriously." Iliara narrowed her eyes before her lips formed into a thin smile.  
"Is that so…?" A wave of air seemed to pulse out from Iliara and she began to float slowly into the air. The daggers in her hands flashed once, before a ring of smaller daggers formed around her. "Then is _this_ serious enough for you?" Fura swore and dove out of the way as two of the daggers shot towards her and embedded themselves into the ice. The girl began laughing manically as more and more daggers flung themselves at the Gerudo, chinking into the ice as she ran in a wide circle.  
"So you're a cheater, eh?" Fura scowled, smashing two of the small blades away. "Then take a few lessons from someone who's best at it, a thief!" As she ran, Fura summoned up three balls of flame between the two blades of her scimitars. They flew up into the air and dropped back down again, whereupon Fura smacked them towards Iliara with her weapons. The three fireballs streaked towards their target with deadly accuracy and Iliara had to dart out of the way to avoid getting hit. Fura skidded to a halt and shot three more fireballs at her foe, each one narrowly missing as Iliara dropped her height. Fura took that as an opportunity and dashed straight for her before leaping into the air and flicking one of her blades across. The tip of it nicked Iliara's arm, creating a light gash that ran from her wrist to her elbow. Fura landed behind her and whirled around in time to see three more daggers hurtle towards her. She twisted side-on and avoided a direct hit, but scored a deep cut on her cheek. She growled held her scimitars up defensively as Iliara's daggers began to reappear around her.  
"Humbled you now, have I?" the girl floating before Fura smirked. "You should know not to get above yourself, Fire Witch."  
"Hmph," Fura snorted contemptuously. The Gerudo crossed her scimitars over her front before grinding them apart. At once, a large burst of 'x'-shaped flame roared towards Iliara. The girl gasped and ducked out of the way, but the flame suddenly detonated at Fura's command and threw Iliara to the ground.  
"It's Priestess or Maiden! Not _Witch!_" she heard Fura bark. Iliara looked up as Fura charged towards her. In a move of desperation, she rolled onto her back and thrust one of her long daggers out to meet Fura's scimitars.

All at once, the three separate battles ended. Nyaragon dove onto her back and slid underneath the King Eshlee's jaws. As she passed underneath it, the Bloodcat aimed both of her arms up and sent a massive burst of compressed air into the creature's belly. It swelled for an instant before exploding in a great roaring of wind. Ice fragments and snow rained down upon the big animal girl as she got to her feet and folded her arms across behind her head in victory. Similarly, Fura swatted Iliara's hastily-raised dagger out of the way with one of her scimitars before twisting around and falling backwards onto the girl, driving the second blade through her chest. The instant Fura's weapon pierced Iliara; the girl went translucent and sank into the ground with a ghostly sigh. At the very same time, Link thrust his sword through Kishin's chest and into the ice below. Kishin clenched his teeth and let out a sound of anguish before falling back limply. Link regarded him for a moment before pulling his sword free and wiping it off with Kishin's clothing.  
"As I said, you can't win them all, Kishin," Link sighed before turning and walking back towards Ark, Florella and Talen.  
Link, Nyaragon and Fura arrived back where Talen, Florella and Ark were waiting at relatively the same time. Out of the three, Nyaragon was perhaps the one with the least amount of wounds.  
"That looks nasty," Link winced, looking at the cut on Fura's cheek. "Are you okay?"  
"I'm all right," she nodded, wiping her brow. "Oh, and you owe me a kiss, Linkie-do." Link coughed.  
"I owe you a _what?_ Why?" he demanded.  
"I won," she said simply.  
"And?"  
"It deserves a big smooch," Fura smiled.  
"No!" he protested. "Nothing doing!" Fura quirked an eyebrow.  
"Then watch your back," she smirked. Link had a sinking feeling that Fura was going to get what she wanted whether he liked it or not.  
"Come on, let Florella heal thy wounds," the fairy said a little dramatically. "Fura, you first." While Florella set about healing Fura, Nyaragon walked over to Ark and lifted him into the air.  
"Ark all right?" she asked.  
"Y-yes, Miss Nyara…gon…" he said uncertainly. "I can walk…you don't have to carry me now." Nyaragon frowned thoughtfully before relenting and plopping him back down on the ground. The Bloodcat put her hand on his head as if to keep him by her side, which was an easy task since Ark only came up level with her waist.  
"Now Link," Florella said, wiggling her fingers after she had finished with Fura. "Your turn."  
"All right," Link sighed.  
"But," Florella said quickly, holding her palm out to him. "Only if Fura gets her smooch right now." Link looked slightly outraged and Fura clapped her hands together.  
"That sounds like a fair deal," the Gerudo smiled. Link frowned at her.  
"Pfft, you get nothing," he snorted. "I'll just heal the good old fashioned way." Florella scowled at him and Fura shrugged.  
"Oh well. I'll just have to steal one when you least expect it then, right?" She clapped him across the back before coiling her arm around his neck. "I am a thief, after all."

Once the small party had finished licking their wounds, literally in Nyaragon's case, they got ready to head back to the palace. They started walking, but had gone no more than a short distance when Ark suddenly stopped still. The rest of the group continued on for only a few paces before Nyaragon noticed Ark was no longer right next to her.  
"Ark, what wro-" She stopped speaking quite suddenly, causing the rest of the group to turn around. Ark stood with the blade of Kishin's rapier held against his throat. A short distance behind Kishin stood a middle-aged man with the faintest hint of grey in his hair. He wore a large, ornate cloak over a rather simple-looking outfit made of dark blue material that fit his form very tightly. He had a reasonably square chin and a chiseled face complete with a set of piercing grey eyes.  
"Kishin!" Link spat. The thought-to-be-dead young man stood awkwardly behind Ark. Blood stained his clothing and a thin trickle of it ran from the corner of his mouth.  
"I'll still win…" he chuckled in a rasping voice. "If I kill Ark…then a great reward awaits me…"  
"Idiot," Fura growled. "If you kill Ark then the only thing that awaits you is the prospect of being torn limb from limb by her." The Gerudo jerked her head towards Nyaragon, who stood with her hackles bristling and her teeth clenched murderously.  
"Harm one hair on that boy's head and you won't live to see another second," Talen growled, smashing his fist into his palm.  
"Is that…so…?" Kishin sneered. He pressed his blade against Ark's neck, creating a deep cut just above his collarbone. He cried out in pain and attempted to shock Kishin with electricity, but his strength was such that a small buzz was all he could produce. At the sound of Ark's cry, Nyaragon almost went into a frenzy. She snarled hideously and clawed at the ground, her tail whipping about behind her.  
"You coward," Link spat. "Are you so pathetic that you have to sneak up on an unarmed opponent when his back is turned?" Kishin glared at Link coldly before tightening his grip on his rapier.  
"A win is a win," he said. He braced his arm to slice Ark's neck through, when another sound caught his attention. Kishin glanced up as something came from above and knocked him away with a fierce shout.  
"Miss Zeel!" Ark gasped, turning around to see the black-haired girl holding Kishin from behind.  
"Y-you!" Kishin wheezed. "What...are you…doing!?"  
"You fool! Did you just fall off the turnip wagon?" she sneered. She seemed to be breathing quite heavily. "A _real_ hunter doesn't lose the prey they want to catch! The reward for Ark belongs to _me!_ Nobody else!"  
"We're…same side…"  
"The only side I'm on is my own! I want what your master can give me, and I don't care if I have to kill each and every one of you cronies to get to it!" With that, she barred her teeth and bit down on Kishin's neck. He bellowed in pain and struggled briefly, but Zeel robbed him quickly of his strength. But unlike with Ark, she didn't stop. She continued to drain him of all his strength as he collapsed against her, beating her feebly with his fists. Then, suddenly, it was done. Kishin fell to the ground as a lifeless husk, his body disintegrating into dust as Zeel licked her lips.  
"Pah, tasted foul," she spat. "Not nearly as sweet as you, Ark." She made no move towards him, but rather stood a safe distance from him, or more specifically, the Bloodcat.  
"Y-you saved me," Ark stammered, looking at her with wide eyes. "Th-thank you." Zeel glowered at him and made to say something, but Nyaragon darted in and bundled Ark up in her arms. The strange man that had stood some distance from them was suddenly the center of attention.  
"And you! Who are you!?" Link demanded. The man chuckled quietly to himself and ran his fingers through his hair.  
"Be careful!" Florella hissed. "I can feel malevolence coming off of him in waves!"  
"Then it seems that I would be doing a service to all who follow my Master by eliminating you, correct?" he asked Zeel. The girl merely watched him. "But where's the fun in that? After all, is it not much more amusing to tear a fly's wings off of it and watch it scurry around before you put it out of its misery?"  
"Who are you!?" Link demanded again, drawing his sword. The man glanced at him.  
"You may call me Gaul," the man said. "And you must be Link. I must say that I'm very interested in you."  
"Oh?" Link grunted.  
"Why yes. You're a simply fascinating combination of Hylian and demon blended together to create some kind of bizarre crossbreed," Gaul explained. "But that isn't all. You and those two girls…I believe that's one of them there." He gestured towards Fura.  
"What about me?" Fura asked. "And which is the other?"  
"Why, the Princess Zelda, of course," Gaul chuckled. He made a gesture with his hand and Zelda appeared beside him, bound at the wrists and ankles with rope.  
"Link! Help me!" she cried.  
"Zelda!" Link shouted. "You'll pay for this, you monster!" Gaul's amused expression vanished and was replaced by a scowl. He raised his hand and suddenly clenched his fist. Fura and Zelda both felt something odd stir within them, but Link felt much, much more. He began screaming out in pain and clutching his hand to his chest. Talen rushed to his friend's aid and Nyaragon hissed viciously at the man.  
"Link!" Zelda shrieked.  
"What's wrong!?" Fura cried desperately, rushing to his side. He stopped screaming as Gaul unclenched his fingers. Navi flitted helplessly around his head.  
"I-inside," Link gasped. "It felt like…being ripped apart."  
"And who would think that it's because of you two?" Gaul laughed. "Fura and Zelda…the cause of so much pain for one boy." The two girls gasped.  
"U-us?" Fura gaped.  
"No! How could we be!?" Zelda demanded. Gaul turned to her.  
"Tell me, Princess…do you _really_ know what the Compass did when it swallowed you up? What it did to the three of you? No? What if I were to tell you that you're responsible for the boy's change in colour?" Something in Florella's mind clicked. That was it!  
"The two of you are the trigger!" she exclaimed.  
"What?" Fura asked.  
"Back at that inn! When he first changed! It was the two of you! Something about you triggered his transformation!"  
"Very good, Great Fairy," Gaul clapped. "And it's precisely that factor that allows me to do _this_." He clenched his fist once more and Link doubled over in searing agony until he unclenched them.  
"How is he doing that?" Fura demanded. "How is he causing Link so much pain?"  
"I don't know, I- Zelda! He's using Zelda!" Florella exclaimed suddenly. "The two of you are connected somehow to Link's transformation, and I bet you have something to do with when he turns completely into shadow. Gaul is tapping into Zelda's connection with Link to cause him pain!"  
"Correct again!" Gaul laughed. "You're a very smart little girl, Florella. Now watch this." He clenched his fist yet again and began shaking it with effort. Link thrashed about, screaming at the top of his lungs.  
"Stop it!" Zelda pleaded.  
"Leave him alone!" Fura roared. She hurled a ball of fire at Gaul, but the man simply waved his hand, causing the attack to simply dissipate into the air.  
"That's it!" Gaul smiled. "One more little scream should do it."  
"_Stop!"_ Fura and Zelda screamed in unison. Link immediately ceased his cries of agony and stood almost like a marionette with his arms hanging at his side and his head bowed. He raised his face and his eyes flashed before the straps of the Key cocooned around his body. Then, as before, they tore apart in a burst of dark energy to reveal Link in his shadow form. He spread his black wings and lifted himself into the sky with a mighty surge. He held his hand out and a massive sword made of pure dark magic appeared. The sword, which he had used briefly before, was easily as tall as he was and almost as wide. It was very simple in appearance, consisting of a relatively long handle and a rectangular base for the blade. The blade itself was the same width as the base with the tip of it shaped like a wedge, as if the blade had originally been long and rectangular and the corner had suddenly been cut off. Link twirled it several times as if it weighed nothing before racing through the air towards Gaul. Gaul watched him come almost lazily before clenching his fist once more. Link got to within a few feet of Gaul before black tendrils of energy began to wreathe from his chest. His mouth opened in a silent scream and he dropped limply onto the ice. He lay motionless before his body regained its proper colouring, bar his arm and the side of his face.  
"Link!" Fura wailed. Zelda was crying.  
"What do you want from him!?" Talen demanded.  
"Know your place, blacksmith," Gaul snorted. Talen suddenly flew backwards and slammed into the wall of the ridge. Florella shrieked and fluttered over to him.  
"Is…this about me!?" Ark demanded suddenly. "Am I the cause of this?" Gaul frowned at him.  
"Partly, Ark. You gave him the Key, thus making him a great threat. You, however; are still very much someone the Master wants removed."  
"Oh no you don't!" Zeel growled, her scythe appearing in her hands. "He's _mine!_"  
"You don't have any say in the matter, Zeel. It would be you against me for the Master's reward. First, however; I'll just dispose of the waste…" Gaul pointed at the ice and a fissure began to form. Fura made a mad dash for Link, but before she could reach him he was swallowed up by the ice. The fissure closed and Fura howled in rage.  
"I'll kill you!" she shrieked, drawing her scimitars. "I'll kill you a hundred times over!"  
"You'll do nothing of the sort," Gaul sniffed. Fura was knocked back through the air as if struck by an invisible wall. She slammed into the ridge next to where Florella was tending to Talen.  
"Now…" Gaul began slowly. "Does anybody have anything they wish to say?" However, unbeknownst to him and with her eyes closed, Zelda's lips moved as if she were speaking silently to someone. She spoke slowly and carefully, but gradually began to grow more desperate until perspiration began to show. A faint shudder ran through the ice, so faint that barely anyone felt it…except Zelda. She smiled and opened her eyes.  
"I have," she said. Gaul looked down at her. "Watch out." With a loud crunch, the blade of a black sword burst through the ice.


	45. Under The Ice

**Chapter 44 – Under the Ice**

Link bounced off the walls of the ice chasm as he fell scraping and tumbling all the way down. Strangely enough, had he not been shaken around so much, he wouldn't have woken up and used the Key at the last second to cushion his landing somewhat. He lay still as a rumbling from somewhere above reached his ears. Link had expected water underneath the lake, but his hard landing told him otherwise. The water that had existed there at some point in the past had long since frozen into a complex series of caverns and tunnels. Link tried to move, but all of his strength had left him. All he could do was lie on the cold ice and stare up at the roof of the vast cavern he lay in. He had lost the battle without even remembering, but he knew deep down that Gaul had trounced him seemingly without effort.  
"…Gaul…" he breathed tiredly. Link's only breakable arm and one of his legs throbbed painfully, telling him that they were more than likely broken. "What a way…to go…" His breathing slowed in the icy air of the cave and his eyelids drooped as a great weariness swept over him.  
"…_Link…"_ The Hylian's eyes opened again. _"Please…do not give up…"  
_"Z-zelda…?" he coughed. "Where…"  
"_I'm here…can you hear my voice?"_ Link wondered if he really _could_ hear her for a few seconds.  
"Yes…" he said slowly before swallowing. "I'm sorry, Zelda…"  
"_It isn't over yet,"_ her voice echoed in his mind. _"You need to control it…you need to control the beast…"_ Link opened his mouth.  
"Me…the beast is…me," he said in an almost amused manner. He lifted his dark arm and spread his fingers above his face. "What am I?"  
"_It doesn't matter what you are, Link,"_ Zelda's voice told him calmly. _"The shadow is only a part of you, what matters is who you are. You are Link, you are our protector…you belong to us…you will not die now."_ Her tone carried a certain level of finality in it.  
"I…want to help…but I don't know how…" he said sadly.  
"_Then let me show you as I myself was shown…"_ Link's breath caught in his throat as a pinpoint of light filled his darkening vision. He saw Zelda, Fura too, yet Zelda seemed to be the only one moving.  
"Is this…a dream?" Link asked. Zelda approached and gestured for him to rise, and he found himself unable to resist.  
"_I do not know for certain, but we are in a place where our souls can meet…when people have been through as much as we have together, a bond is formed…Fura has that bond as well, but has not found her way here yet," _Zelda told him. _"Link, look."_ She pointed at an image of himself, the image of him in his shadow form. He looked closely at it and even touched it with his own dark hand.  
"That's…me," he sighed. "Is that really what I become?"  
"_I don't have much time, but the desire…a strong urge to protect…that is what you need,"_ she told him. _"I know now that when both Fura and I feel great fear, the beast inside you awakens and takes control, destroying all in its path until the fear we feel has gone. Left alone, you are uncontrollable…but the dream…telling you to control the beast…I had a dream too and it told me to help you. You will control it, you will help us…because I say it is so, and you cannot disobey."_ Link knew she was right. There was some terribly powerful compulsion deep within him that told him that he had to do as Zelda commanded.  
"But…how?" he asked in a small voice. The image of his shadow self began to advance on him menacingly.  
"_Do not show it frailty! Be strong! Link, do you trust me?"_ Zelda asked. Link nodded. _"Then listen to me when I say you will do it! You must! You WILL! Control it! Help us!"_ With a fierce cry, Link snared his shadow-self around the neck with his hands and the two began to grapple fiercely. They struggled back and forth, raining blows upon each other until one of them gave in.  
"Yield!" he demanded. "I will help them, and you cannot stop me!" His shadow-self was suddenly thrown back by as if his words had struck him like a blow. Link was suddenly thrown back into waking. His heart beat like a drum in his chest and he felt his strength returning.  
"_Obey me!"_ he shouted at the top of his lungs. The Key came to life and wound itself into a cocoon around his body before tearing apart to reveal his shadow-form. This time, however; Link was in control and there to experience it. He looked at himself in amazement for a few moments before the thought of Zelda and the others up above brought him to his senses.  
"All right, Gaul!" he growled. "Prepare for some _doom!_"

"Now…" Gaul began slowly. "Does anybody have anything they wish to say?" A faint shudder ran through the ice, so faint that barely anyone felt it…except Zelda. She smiled and opened her eyes.  
"I have," she said. Gaul looked down at her. "Watch out." With a loud crunch, the blade of a black sword burst through the ice. Gaul stepped back with an expression resembling surprise as waves of shadow began to spread across the ice like rippling water. The sword rose slowly until it hovered about six feet in the air. The surface of the pool of rippling shadow began to bulge and another form began to emerge from it. A hunched form appeared, rising slowly with shadow dripping off of it. It tore an arm free of the shadows and used it to help pull itself up. The other arm came free next, followed by the rest of the torso and the legs. It stood and held its hand out, allowing the large sword above to drop neatly into its grip.  
"So you're back for more," Gaul chuckled dryly. "I'm surprised you're actually still alive."  
"It takes more than that to put an end to me, Gaul," Link growled. "Besides, I'd get into really big trouble if I got myself killed." One of the Key's chains shot out at blinding speed and coiled around Zelda before whipping her back over Link's shoulder and placing her gently near Nyaragon, Ark and Zeel.  
"So, you think you can fight me now?" Gaul asked amusedly. "Fine, then let me see what you can do." Gaul held his hand out and a large hammer appeared in it. It had a very long shaft, and had it not been for the large, rectangular head, then it would have looked more like a staff.  
"_Link! Do not underestimate him! I believe that Gaul has a power similar to yours, though it manifests itself in a different way,"_ Zelda's voice rang inside his head. Gaul charged towards him with his hammer raised. _"Gather your thoughts!"_ Link's black sword and Gaul's hammer met with a terrific clash of sparks and magic. Intensely bright light raged from the point at which the two weapons met and a sound like vibrating metal filled the air. Gaul laughed.  
"So you've discovered how to control it," he grinned. "I should have guessed, the Princess found out how to do it." Link grit his teeth and strained with all of his might.  
"_What are you doing!?"_ Zelda's voice demanded. _"Give it everything you've got! You must believe you can beat him!"  
_"I'm trying, but nothing's happening!" Link told her.  
"This is how you use it!" Gaul bellowed. The metallic noise grew louder and there was a series of flashes followed by an explosion that rocked the ground. Ice dust billowed everywhere and Link came sliding out of it on his feet. He ground to a halt by digging his blade into the ice before shaking his head.  
"How long do you plan on running?" Gaul asked. A movement off to his side caught his attention and there was a terrific bang. A blast of shadow magic from Link ripped through the cloud of tiny ice particles, but before it hit Gaul, a kind of invisible barrier stopped it right in front of him. He smiled coldly and the ball of shadow quivered in the air before sucking in upon itself and disappearing.  
"It's useless. You still don't have a clue of what you're doing," Gaul said as he began to walk slowly forwards. Link grit his teeth and held his weapon at the ready.  
"_Link, what's important is concentration. Breathe in and when you're about to exhale, let your sword have it all,"_ Zelda's voice told him.  
"Even if you say that…" Link began.  
"_Then imagine this! If you lose, Gaul will do whatever he wants to Fura and me! Things that only his twisted mind could come up with, things worse than death! Think about that!"_ Link's breath caught in his throat. _"You don't like it, do you."  
_"No…"  
"_Does it make you angry?"  
_"Yes…it does."  
"_He's planning on doing that…and more. Are you going to let him get away with it?"  
_"Never!"  
"_Then ready your sword…"_ Zelda told him calmly. Link rested one hand underneath the blade of his sword and held the other back so that the tip of the weapon stuck straight out in front of him.  
"So that's all you've got?" Gaul scoffed. "You disappoint me." The head of his hammer changed into a sharp blade, not unlike a spear. He held it out and charged at Link.  
"_It'll be all right…now close your eyes…and trust me…your sword will hit him…picture it…"_ Link closed his eyes and concentrated. _"Are you ready?"  
_"Yes…"  
"_Now, take a breath…"_ Link took a deep breath as Gaul came ever closer.  
"Die," he said coldly.  
"_NOW!"_ Zelda's voice exploded in his mind. Link's eyes snapped open and blazed and he thrust his weapon at the rapidly approaching Gaul. The tips of their weapons met and bounced off of each other briefly, before slamming against each other again as walls of invisible power built up in-between them. Energy wreathed out from the points at which they met, tearing up the ice around them. Light flooded the area, blinding almost everyone.  
"BEARER!" Gaul growled.  
"GAUL!" Link roared. He surged forward and broke through the barrier. Gaul's spear split right at the tip and came apart in his hands as Link's weapon sheared through it. The waves of energy emanating from the two of them became more intense and began to fluctuate wildly before singular strands of light and shadow ricocheted off of the magic barriers and made something akin to a web. The web contracted with a horrible tearing sound before exploding violently. A tremendous plume of light and shadow roared up into the sky as a shockwave tore through the ice and sent everyone reeling back. The ground frozen lake began to rumble and crack before completely collapsing in upon itself. Snow and ice billowed everywhere as the rumbling gradually subsided. The tiny ice particles cleared, leaving only the sound of the wind in the air as the snow sprinkled down on the deserted and ruined lake.

Zelda groaned and sat up as something warm and wet rasped against her cheek. She was underground, she knew that much by looking at her surroundings, and she also appeared to be leaning against something warm and furry.  
"Zelda awake now, yes?" Nyaragon asked, ceasing her licking of Zelda's cheek. Zelda blinked groggily and looked around at the big Bloodcat. She was curled into a ball, with Zelda, Florella and Talen tucked in against her belly with her hair all about them like a blanket.  
"Wh-where's Link? Fura, Ark…where are they?" she asked.  
"Nyaragon not know. No can smell Ark anywhere and Nyaragon not want to leave you all to freeze. It very cold in here," she frowned. "Nyaragon hope Ark is all right."  
"I hope so too…I hope they're all okay."  
"We go look when Talen and Florella wake up. Nyaragon find Ark as soon as possible, Zeel girl may look for him right now."  
"We need to find Link and Fura as well. I just hope that at least Fura's conscious. Link would most likely be exhausted from using so much energy up and she'll need to be there to make sure he doesn't freeze," Zelda fretted. She sighed and flopped back against Nyaragon's stomach. "Maybe I was a little bit too bossy. He may have strained himself too greatly because of some of the things I said." Nyaragon opened one of her eyes and looked at the Princess.  
"Nyaragon not understand what Zelda talk about," she frowned. "But Nyaragon positive Link all right. He say before that it take lots to kill Link. Nyaragon thinks sometimes he tougher than Meera to kill."  
"Meera…you're a Meera, aren't you?" Zelda asked tiredly.  
"Meera is Nyaragon's people. Nyaragon probably need go back soon. Tell everyone about what happen, how Nyara became Nyaragon," the Bloodcat murmured. She flicked her tail idly and twitched her ears.  
"Do you have a family back home?" Zelda asked her after a short pause. Nyaragon looked at Zelda and nodded.  
"Nyaragon have family. Mother, father and sisters and brothers." Zelda chuckled quietly at the thought of a whole family of Nyaras.  
"I'd like to meet them." Nyaragon looked a little unsure of herself.  
"Zelda get rest now. We go when others wake up."

When Ark opened his eyes, he knew that he was sprawled on his back with very cold ground underneath. He also realized that something was on top of him. Whatever it was, it was soft and warm and black. He pushed it away from his face and looked closely at it through half-asleep eyes.  
"What in the world is this?" he murmured, giving it a curious squeeze. There was a quiet groan from above and he tilted his head back to see Zeel's face hanging limply near his. He suddenly realized what he was holding and with a strangled cry he pushed her off himself and scuttled backwards until he hit a wall. The jolt of hitting the floor of the ice cave brought Zeel around and she sat up with a shake of her head.  
"Urgh, what the hell happened?" she mumbled. "That damned Link kid…it's all his fault." She hadn't noticed Ark yet and the grey-haired boy hoped she wouldn't. He held his breath in the hopes that she wouldn't hear him, but in the end it proved futile as she turned around and spotted him. There was silence between the two for a few seconds as they stared at each other, Zeel with a surprised expression and Ark with one of dread. As quick as a flash, Zeel pounced at him. Ark scrambled out of the way, but the confined space of the cave made the chase a very short one. She tackled him to the ground and held his arms behind his back before sitting on him.  
"Well, well, well," she grinned. "What luck. The cat seems to have caught its elusive little mouse."  
"Let me go!" Ark demanded.  
"What's the point?" she asked. "You've got nowhere to run and that blasted cat isn't around to help you." Zeel leaned down over his shoulder. "If that fairy hadn't have put that spell on you, this would be the perfect opportunity to finish my job." Ark kept struggling and he almost managed to slip one of his arms free.  
"Let me go!" he pleaded again. "Please, Miss Zeel! The floor is cold and you said yourself I have nowhere to run!" She narrowed her eyes and smiled coldly.  
"Or perhaps…perhaps I can just do away with you now? It could be nice and quick," she said, ghosting her scythe into her hand and holding the tip near his throat. "Or it could be slightly longer. I'm rather hungry at the moment, you know…" The scythe disappeared and she flipped him over onto his back before barring her teeth at him. Ark looked up at her in horror before she brought her face right up to his. He turned his head and closed his eyes as her hot breath blasted against his cheek.  
"P-please don't!" he pleaded, struggling all the while. She clacked her teeth and he flinched horribly. Zeel snorted and stood up before wandering out across the chamber they were trapped in.  
"Peh, I can't anyway," she snorted. "Believe me, I'd very much like to just do it right now and be done with you…but I have this stinking thing called honor I'm bound to. I may not have much, but I still can't kill you unless you try to kill me, so you can stop your shaking." Ark let out a sigh of relief and stood up to get away from the icy floor. Ark looked quickly around the cave from where he stood. The roof above them was a jumbled mess of broken ice that had wedged itself into place, blocking any means of escape. It didn't seem all that stable either, and small fragments of ice crumbled off in certain places and fell to the cave floor.  
"Time to get out of here," Zeel grumbled from across the cave. Ark whirled around in time to see her aim her palm at the ceiling. The image of tones and tones of ice crushing him flashed through his head.  
"Miss Zeel! You shouldn't!" he exclaimed.  
"Why? So you can wait here for your pussycat to come save you? Uh-uh, I don't think so. You're coming with me right now," she scowled.  
"But-!"  
"No "buts"! We're going, and we're going now!" Zeel spread her fingers and fired a burst of purple energy at the ceiling. There was a rumble as Zeel's magic struck the roof and detonated. All at once, the packed ice above them began to creak and groan as it began to cave inwards. Zeel swore as she was jerked out of the way of the falling roof by Ark. She landed in a heap and covered her head with her hands as Ice and snow thundered down all around her. When things finally stopped shaking, she found herself sprawled on the ground with Ark. The cave was drastically different to what it had looked like before. There was only a small amount of room left, the rest of the cave having collapsed in one itself.  
"Are you…okay?" Ark asked breathlessly. Zeel shook ice fragments from her hair and glared at him.  
"Well this is just fan-_tastic!_" she spat, untangling herself from Ark and shoving him away roughly.  
"At least it isn't dark," Ark sighed, rubbing his arm where she'd pushed him.  
"What, don't tell me you're afraid of the dark," Zeel scoffed. "Mother isn't here to look after poor widdle Arkie? Boo hoo hoo!"  
"I don't have a mother," Ark told her very quietly. "Or a father. They were killed when I was very little. Aarden; the man who raised me, won't tell me how exactly." Zeel ran her tongue between her teeth.  
"Hmph," she grunted, folding her arms across her chest and leaning against the wall. Ark wound his cloak even tighter around himself to try to stop himself from shivering. For some time, neither of them spoke and only the sound of their breathing could be heard.  
"I never thought I'd see the day when someone like you could cause me this much trouble," Zeel said, breaking the oppressive silence. Ark didn't look at her directly, but he swiveled his eyes to watch her as best he could. "I mean look at you; you're hardly the fighting type and you're scared of the _dark_. I'm having trouble catching a baby." Ark frowned, not entirely pleased with what she had called him.  
"I'm not a baby," he mumbled.  
"What?"  
"I said I'm not a baby, Miss Zeel," he repeated a little more firmly. She snorted.  
"Miss? You still haven't dropped that garbage?"  
"I was taught that there's no excuse to disrespect to a lady, no matter who she may be," Ark said in a manner that indicated that he'd never change his mind over it.  
"Peh, Miss Zeel," she snorted. "I won't put up with that for all the years you're going to be my prisoner." Ark didn't say anything. Zeel looked over and saw his head drooped and his eyes shut. She paused for a moment, remembering something about falling asleep in freezing temperatures.  
"Idiot! Don't fall asleep!" she yelled at him, slapping his face sharply. He jolted awake and put his hand to his cheek.  
"Wh-what?" he asked.  
"Stupid! You can't fall asleep! If you do that, you won't wake up again! Remember, I'm keeping you alive," she said threateningly. "Stay awake or I'll have to keep hitting you."  
"I'm sorry," he said, rubbing his legs under his cloak. "I'm just…feeling rather weak right now."  
"Hmph, are you're saying that's _my_ fault!?"  
"N-no!" Ark stammered quickly as she loomed over him with one of her pointed teeth showing. He shivered, a combination of the cold and his dislike of Zeel's unsavory ability to drain her victims.  
"You're scared of these too, aren't you," she smirked, showing off her incisors. "I know you're thinking it, after you saw what happened to that fool Kishin."  
"Erm…" Ark mumbled, fidgeting under his cloak.  
"Scared of winding up as a pile of dust," she continued, leaning closer and closer, her tongue feathering the sharp points of her incisors. "You know, everyone's energy has a specific taste, but yours is the most interesting so far and…I think I've developed a craving for it. It's like nothing I've ever had before." Ark made a small noise and banged his head on the wall in his hurried backwards shuffle.  
"B-but you said you w-wouldn't!" he squeaked as Zeel began to crawl towards him with her teeth bared.  
"Just a taste," she insisted. "I won't go all the way…just a small amount." She shoved him to the floor of the cave and pinned him there before tilting his had to the side.  
"But if I'm exhausted any more, I might pass out! You said yourself that I'd die if that happened!" Ark babbled, holding her away. She kept trying to move closer, but Ark got his hand up under her chin and held her away.  
"Rrgh! Stop it! You can't hold me off forever!" she growled. Zeel gnashed her teeth and swiped her hands at him, trying to lay purchase on his collar. "I'm hungry! And I get cranky when I get hungry!"  
"Please!"  
"What I want, I get!" she told him fiercely. From underneath them came an audible cracking sound before there was a sudden rush of air. The floor gave way and the pair of them were sent skittering down a steep slope. Ark yelled almost all the way down since he was on his back and facing the wrong way. Zeel, who was kneeling on his stomach, shielded her head with one arm whilst holding onto Ark's clothing with her free hand. With a sudden jolt, they stopped. Zeel was thrown over his head with a surprised yelp and landed in an undignified heap. Ark picked himself up out of the pile of crushed ice he had slid into, emptying his clothing of the freezing stuff before it melted and made him all wet. While Zeel swore and cursed, Ark took a look at their surroundings. They had stumbled into a vast tunnel that stretched off in either direction. Dim light filtered in, refracting through all the ice from the surface of the lake that lay who knows how far above. From the roof of the tunnel reaching all the way to the floor like giant trees were thick ice pillars. Ark wandered around in a kind of stupor, gazing at the incredible feat of nature.  
"You! Where do you thing _you're_ going!" Zeel barked suddenly. Ark whirled around with a squeak to find her standing menacingly in front of him.  
"I-I was just looking around!" he stammered quickly, holding his hands up. She curled her lip in a silent snarl  
"Don't leave my sight," she grumbled. "We're finding a way out of here." Ark breathed a sigh of relief, grateful that Zeel didn't berate him any further and _extremely_ grateful that she'd seemingly forgotten about her snack plans.

"_Liiiiink,"_ Fura sang. "Time to wake up now." She received a snort and a grumble for her efforts. The Gerudo muttered something under her breath and folded her arms across her chest before a horribly wicked smile spread over her lips. She moved right up to Link's side and wiggled her finger up under his sleeve so it jabbed into his shoulder.  
"Oh Link, you truly made me a woman last night, such passion I never knew you had!" she gushed. That seemed to register somewhat with the boy and one of his eyes blinked open slowly. Then, to put the icing on the cake, she heated the tip of her finger and waited for the desired result. Link gave a yelp of shock at the singing feeling from Fura's finger and leaped to his feet; thinking for one, gut-wrenching second that he was living out the events of the Gerudo courtship ritual. He didn't stay upright for very long, however; as the water he was standing in made him topple and fall.  
"Water?" he murmured to himself. Fura threw her head back in a helpless fit of laughter.  
"You should have seen the look on your face!" she cried. "You actually thought that we'd gone and-"  
"_Please_, Fura. I know what I thought. That was a cruel and unusual trick," he interrupted. "I- hey, what's all this?" Link had just noticed that he and Fura were sitting in a rather hot pool of water in the middle of a tremendously huge ice cave. His equipment, along with Fura's, lay in a heap on the ground nearby.  
"Well you were stone cold when I found you and this seemed to be the easiest way to warm you up," Fura explained. "We must have fallen under the ice after you defeated Gaul." Link frowned at the mention of that name and his expression became rather serious.  
"No…not defeated," he murmured.  
"What!? After _that?_" Fura demanded.  
"Gaul isn't one to be beaten so easily," Link frowned. "I know _that_ much about him. No, he's still alive."  
"And I'm so relieved that you are too!" Fura cried quite suddenly. Link found himself the recipient of a suffocating hug. "I thought you were gone for good! How did you manage to recover so fast? And you remember this time too!"  
"I got a little help," he choked. It was at that point he noticed that they were both clad only in their undergarments. He squawked in embarrassment, slipped out of Fura's grip and shot over to the opposite edge of the pool.  
"What's the matter?" Fura asked.  
"You're not wearing anything!" he squeaked. Fura looked down at herself.  
"Sure I am. I'm wearing my underclothes," she told him.  
"Close enough!" he groaned. "And what happened to my tunic?"  
"I took it off. I can dry the two of us just fine once we get out, but clothes are a little more difficult. Less effort this way, and besides; you should think yourself lucky, boy-o. Most boys would kill to have a view this good," Fura frowned. Link determinedly kept his back turned. "And you look so cute in those little green short-things you wear under your clothes. Can I have another hug now?"  
"No."  
"What about a squeeze for my ba-"  
"_No!"  
_"Just asking. Wow, I can almost feel the heat coming off your face from here."

The wall cracked and crumbled away, revealing Talen with Nyaragon, Florella and Zelda standing beside him.  
"It's a tunnel," Talen informed them. "A very big one at that." The smith stepped through the opening he had created, allowing the others to follow. Nyaragon had trouble fitting through, but managed to squirm around before popping into the tunnel.  
"Nyara…are you going to stay like that forever?" Florella asked, looking up at the Bloodcat as she stood. Nyaragon blinked.  
"No. Nyaragon can go back," she said.  
"That's good," Florella sighed in relief. "I mean, you're still great and all, it's just…well it'll be a hard time getting through doors and so forth. You wouldn't even be able to fit in a bed."  
"But…Nyaragon no know how," the Bloodcat admitted sheepishly.  
"Oh dear," Zelda giggled, covering her mouth to hide her smile.  
"Don't worry," Florella said with a wave of her hand. "We'll help you figure it out. Why, a problem like this is just _screaming_ for the attention of a Great Fairy! There's not a problem I can't fix!" Talen coughed, though it sounded an awful lot like "tail". Florella snapped her head around to look at him, but he walked along as if nothing had happened and even went so far as to start whistling. Florella went a little pouty, but it didn't stop her from worming her diminutive little hand into Talen's.  
"Are we going the right way?" Zelda asked suddenly, looking back in the direction they had come from.  
"Yes," Talen said simply.  
"How do you know?"  
"The air. It smells fresher in this direction. Don't worry; this is no different from the caves back home. I've been banging around in tunnels like this all my life," he grinned.  
"Talen have good nose," Nyaragon said. But not as good as Nyaragon. Nyaragon can smell…" She began to sniff at the air. She rattled off the names of a few things; trees, birds and a number of rodents, but she suddenly went rigid before dropping down onto all fours.  
"What's the matter?" Florella asked her.  
"Nyaragon smell Ark!" she hissed.  
"You do? That's great! We'll find him in no time then," Zelda smiled.  
"That not all Nyaragon smell!" the Bloodcat growled, her hackles rising. "Zeel with Ark!"


	46. Girl Vs Girl

**Chapter 45 – Girl Versus Girl**

"Come on! Just a little longer!" Fura pleaded.  
"But we need to get to finding the others," Link told her. "I don't want to stay down here forever." He waded over to the edge of the pool and prepared himself to get out.  
"How are you going to dry yourself?" she asked him slyly. "You'll need me for that."  
"Oh come on Fura!" he groaned. "We need to go, don't be difficult." The Gerudo sunk lower into the steaming pool and began humming to herself before sticking one of her long and shapely legs out of the water.  
"They're probably looking for us right now. Perhaps we should just stay put," she suggested, wiggling her toes at him before bringing her leg down quickly and creating a large splash.  
"I want to go and look for them," Link insisted, shaking his head to rid his hair and face of the water Fura had splashed on him.  
"We should stay put."  
"Look for them."  
"Stay put."  
"Look for them."  
"Oh the two of you sound like children!" Navi snapped, rising from Link's clothes. "You woke me up with that inane banter of yours. Link, Fura, please be quiet. I'm tired and sore after that altercation with Gaul, so please don't make my headache any worse." She flopped back down onto Link's clothing and burrowed into them to keep warm. The two in the pool blinked before turning back to each other.  
"I'm not going to dry you. Just you get out of the water and try to put your clothes on," Fura smirked. Link glared at her for a moment before turning around.  
"Fine," he snorted. Link stood up and stepped out of the hot pool. He lasted all of about three seconds. With a yelp, he jumped back into the water and sat with only his head sticking out. "You stink, Fura." She laughed at him and leaned back against the edge of the pool with her hands behind her head. Link sat opposite her and fidgeted uncomfortably in the water. He splashed his hands about for a moment and looked around the massive cave that Fura and himself sat right in the middle of. It was a strange sort of place, almost eerie. The pillars stretching from ceiling to floor were twisted and misshapen like melted wax, and an odd howling sound, like the wind whistling through the trees, filled the air. Link sighed and tugged at the Key's straps.  
"Stop being restless," Fura told him. "When's the last time you had a good soak?"  
"Come on, Fura! I need to be doing something! I can't just sit around!" he pleaded.  
"I know something we can do," she giggled. He felt something brush repeatedly against his foot. The Gerudo opposite him smiled coyly.  
"Fura, I'm not playing footsies," he said flatly, jerking his legs away from her.  
"Party-pooper," she pouted. "I wish I had some scented oils. That would really set the mood." Link shook his head despairingly.  
"Are you even listening to a word I'm saying?"  
"No. Not really," she shrugged. "Come on! Footsies! Who doesn't love footsies?"  
"Me!" Link exclaimed. He closed his eyes and beat his fists against the surface of the water, creating a good dead of splashing. "I want to get out, I want to get moving! Fura, let's go!"  
"Did you say something?" she asked, sounding much closer. Link opened his eyes and found her sitting right next to him.  
"Augh! What are you doing over here?"  
"Sitting," she yawned. "You don't know how to relax, what's the matter?"  
"You're the matter!"  
"Aww, don't say that," she frowned. She lay back against the edge of the pool and closed her eyes. "You just need to let the water take all the tension away. If that's too hard for you to manage, then I can give those stiff muscles a working over." Link's mind flashed over the last time she'd made him more "relaxed".  
"You're not doing _that_ again. You almost paralyzed me!" he told her firmly.  
"Don't be ridiculous," she snorted. "You were in an advanced state of relaxation. Come on, boy-o! Relax! It's only little old Fura!" Her arm lashed around his neck and she ruffled his hair.  
"Ack! You're all slippery and hot! Stop it!" he yelped.  
"Well I'm glad you find me so attractive," she grinned before shooting a great stream of fire into the water to keep the temperature up. "And how many girls do you know that can do _that?_"  
"Only one, Fura," he sighed. "Let go, you're boiling."  
"You're such an ungrateful beast," Fura tutted. "You're lucky to be alive, you know. Had I not created this pool of…pool of _wonder_, then you'd surely be frozen right now." Link rolled his eyes.  
"Pool of wonder," he snorted quietly. "I _am_ grateful for your efforts, Fura. But don't' you think we shou-"  
"The least you could do is bestow a kiss upon the fair maiden beside you!" she continued.  
"No," Link muttered, paddling away from her. Fura made an undignified little grunt.  
"You brute! Feel my wrath!" she declared. Link turned around just as she stood and leaped at him with full force. There was a good deal of shouting and splashing as Fura wrenched Link about with her arms locked tightly around his neck. He clawed at the edge of the pool in desperation, but Fura simply yanked him back in and resumed battering him about.  
"Ack! Stop!" he coughed. "This isn't proper! You're barely wearing anything! _I'm_ barely wearing anything!" Fura dunked him under the surface to silence his protests.  
"Oh pooh-pooh to proper," she snorted. "I'm proud of what I have. Come on, fight back!" She started pinching his arms and stomach.  
"Yow!" he squawked. "I can't do that! I might…come into contact with something I'm not supposed to! Ow! That hurts!" The Key suddenly came to life and the rings began to zip from one end of the pool to the other, weaving the straps into a kind of wall with Link on one side and Fura on the other. The boy breathed a sigh of relief and sank low into the water.  
"Hey! This isn't fair! Let me through, I'm not finished with you yet!" Fura demanded crossly from the other side.  
"What's that? I can't hear you," Link called. The sound of a frustrated strike on the wall echoed through the cave. "And don't throw a tantrum."  
"You owe me a kiss!" she shouted. "I plan to collect! Rrgh! Pull this thing down now!"  
"I don't think so," Link sighed happily. "It just suddenly got very relaxing over here."

A terribly loud silence had descended upon Ark and Zeel whilst the two of them trekked through the long and vast tunnel. Zeel made Ark walk slightly ahead of her so that he couldn't slip away, not that it would do him much good anyway. He still wasn't quite up to running and he certainly couldn't keep up a pace fast enough to get away from the rather fearsome girl for very long. Ark was also trying very hard to stay on her good side- if such a thing existed for the irritable Zeel; for he feared that she'd use her horrible draining ability on him again. Ark shuddered at the thought of it. The feeling of having his strength literally sucked right out of his body was almost sickening, and even worse was the fact that Zeel seemed to find his particular energy a delicacy. He rubbed his neck absently, noting that the puncture wounds that her teeth had made were nearly healed. Ark frowned and began wondering what was so valuable to her that she'd go to so much trouble just to catch him. She had pursued him across the seas, over mountains and through all manner of country, whatever her prize was it had to be of titanic value. He had contemplated asking her on several occasions what it was she was getting for imprisoning him, but decided against it since she'd probably just get angry with him again. It was strange though; despite Zeel's atrocious temperament, she appeared to be remarkably feminine, discounting her choice in clothing of course. She had a rather pretty face, slender figure and was quite curvy. Her short hair was very glossy, particularly the three large plumes that came out from the back of her head.  
"How long are we going to be in this infernal cave!?" she snapped all of a sudden. Ark jumped and made a surprised little sound. "We _must_ be getting close to the exit! Rrgh! This is all because of that blasted _cat!_ If she hadn't got in the way, then I'd be home with you by now!" Ark's temper flared slightly at Zeel's insult, but thought better of saying anything that may make her mood any worse. He'd just have to go along with her until an escape opportunity arose.

"Are you sure it's them?" Florella asked. "Ark and Zeel?" Nyaragon nodded insistently."Nyaragon never mistake Ark scent," she said with a shake of her head. "And Zeel scent familiar enough too. They head this way towards surface. Zeel try to get away with Ark again."  
"Then we need to hurry," Talen frowned. "If she gets out of here before we do, then she could put some serious distance between herself and us."  
"That's if the blizzard hasn't already set in," Zelda said. "If she can't get out because of that, then she may try to go deeper into the caves to hide." Nyaragon smirked and one of her canines protruded from her lip.  
"She can try. Nyaragon sniff her out with no troubles and then teach her a lesson! We go now!" the Bloodcat growled. She reached out with one big hand and picked Zelda up, depositing the Princess on her back. Nyaragon turned to Talen. "Talen keep up as fast as can." With that, she pelted off along the tunnel.  
"Hey, wait!" the smith called after Nyaragon's rapidly departing figure. "Jeez she's fast. Come on, Florella." The fairy gave a small whoop of delight and jumped onto Talen's back as he knelt down for her.  
"Hi-ho, Talen!" she called, pointing over his shoulder.

Link suddenly lurched awake coughing and spluttering. Fura's face filled his vision and she seemed to be slapping his face and asking him something.  
"…ite? Link, are you all right?" she said loudly, holding his head above the water. He coughed again and focused his eyes on her.  
"Urgh, what happened?" he groaned.  
"You passed out, that's what happened!" Fura exclaimed. "Using the Key like that must have worn you out completely and you almost drowned! How could you not know you were that weak?" Her tone was demanding and slightly angry. He groped for some kind of answer, in the end he simply shrugged at her with an apologetic expression.  
"Sorry." Fura's head dropped and she sighed helplessly.  
"You're a danger to yourself, my boy," she told him. "But you're safe and that's all that matters…but just to be on the safe side, do you need mouth-to-mouth?"  
"I do not," he told her flatly. "Fura, you _always_ say things like that, like before…I don't even _want_ to remember that." He shuddered and sat himself up against the edge of the pool. Fura moved over next to him in case he passed out again.  
"I thought it was funny," she giggled, slapping him across the shoulder.  
"The details of making babies isn't funny!" he exclaimed, going horribly red.  
"Hey, you put that wall up, expect something in return," she smirked. "Besides, all knowledge is valuable, right?"  
"Not _that_ knowledge!" Link told her. He sighed and put a small bit of space between them. "Honestly, where did you learn all of that garbage?"  
"From saucy romance books…and it is not garbage! It's a beautiful expression of one's love for another," she told him haughtily. "Jeez, almost every other boy in the world would want to know that stuff, but not you, no. I shudder to think how the Hylian race would survive if all men were like you."  
"Shut up," he grumbled sourly. "Those books have polluted your mind."  
"My mind was polluted far before I started reading those books," she laughed, clapping him across the back with a loud slap.  
"Yow! That hurts! Careful, Fura, I don't have a protective layer of clothing," he winced.  
"Sorry. Oh look, what a nice red mark you've got there now." Link let his face fall into his hands. "Come on, boy-o, don't be a downer. Maybe you need to hear some more ways you can-"  
"Twelve was enough!" he snapped suddenly. "Please, Fura. This certainly isn't the place to talk about such things! Come to think of it, nowhere is a good place."  
"It's considered healthy to talk openly about things like that," she pointed out in a shrewd tone of voice.  
"Then I must be unhealthy," Link sighed. "And I really don't want to get better. Can't we have a nice conversation, or better yet; get out of here and look for everyone else?" Fura smiled and closed her eyes.  
"Sure we can, but remember what the price is?" she asked. She made several kissy-sounds and Link wrinkled his nose.  
"No thanks, I'd rather…" Link began, but he trailed off halfway through what he was saying. "Did…you hear that?"  
"Hear what?" Fura asked, glancing sidelong at him. Link put his finger to his lips and pricked his ears.  
"There's somebody coming," he hissed.  
"Why are you whispering? It's probably one of the others."  
"But it could be somebody else," Link whispered. He craned his neck over the edge of the pool and peered about.  
"You mean…Gaul," Fura said a little fearfully. Link nodded.  
"They're still a ways off, though," he frowned.  
"Well it looks like we're getting out then," Fura sighed. "Wait a minute, I'm a Gerudo! What was I thinking?" Link, who was preoccupied with listening for more noise from the approaching person, or persons, was suddenly grabbed roughly by the shoulder. Fura whirled him around and pressed her lips against his in a brief, but fierce kiss. Link let out a surprised little grunt and jerked back, toppling the two of them off balance. There was a great deal of splashing and flailing of limbs as both of them went underwater. After some time, Fura broke the surface of the water along with Link. She released him from her vice-like grip and climbed out of the pool while Link coughed and spluttered in embarrassment.  
"_Fura!"_ he hissed, keeping his eyes averted from the splendor of her glistening form. She winked and blew him another kiss before a burst of intense heat radiated from her. The beads of water that had been clinging to her copper-hued skin vaporized in an instant, leaving her completely dry.  
"Hey, I couldn't let an opportunity like _that_ get away," she smirked. The Gerudo stretched one of her legs out and patted the boy's cheek with her toes before pushing him over. "And after all that complaining you're _still_ splashing about in the water."

Ark could almost feel Zeel's heavy breathing on the back of his neck. Her mood had improved somewhat since she believed that there was no way Ark could escape, but she was still remarkably ill-tempered. The grey-haired boy could sense her frosty gaze as if she were staring a hole through the back of his head. He chanced a quick look behind him and saw that he was right.  
"What?" Zeel asked flatly.  
"Nothing," he said quickly, facing the other way.  
"Tell me," she hissed in his ear. He heard her teeth click together and he gulped audibly.  
"Y-you just sound…y-your breathing, it's a little labored!" She narrowed her eyes.  
"I'm hungry," she grumbled. "That is all. When I get hungry I get weaker, and when that happens I get cranky. You're starting to look very, _very_ appetizing."  
"I am _not_ a source of food for you!" Ark snapped with uncharacteristic heat, whirling around at Zeel. "I don't care if you hate me or hit me, just don't treat me like a walking meal! I may be a bit of a weakling, but I'm still a person!" For a brief moment Zeel looked surprised, her mouth opening slightly. Ark recoiled from her with a horribly ashamed look on his face.  
"I…am sorry, Miss Zeel. There's no excuse for snapping at a lady…" he apologized, looking away. Zeel narrowed one of her eyes at him after getting over her initial surprise.  
"Hmph, somebody as sweet-tasting as you would probably rot my teeth after too long anyway," she grunted. "Keep moving." Ark obediently turned and kept walking, but soon found a question leaving his mouth.  
"Are people all you…well, do you eat regular food at all?" he asked. Zeel said nothing for a while and when she finally did answer it made Ark flinch.  
"Yes, I eat "regular" food," she said in her unfriendly tone. "But feeding on energy is a much faster way for me to regain strength…yours especially."  
"M-mine?"  
"Yes, you. A small amount of your energy replenishes the same amount as all of someone else's. Tell me, Ark…why is that?" she asked, turning him around and holding him against the wall of the tunnel. Her level gaze met his big, green eyes. "Why is it that you, of all people, are different? As I said before; all energy has a taste, but mostly that taste is a dull and bland taste- tell me, why is yours so…good?" For the longest of moments they stared at each other, neither of them saying a word. Ark suddenly realized that he was holding his breath and expelled a quaking breath. Zeel's eyes were very cold and hard like pieces of dark purple agate. They burned into his own with a dreadful intensity before she quirked an eyebrow.  
"Well?"  
"I don't know," he said in a small voice. "There's nothing special about me; I'm just a boy. I'm just…Ark." Zeel didn't seem satisfied with his answer, but left it at that and yanked him away from the cold ice wall.  
"Enough delays, let's keep moving," she grunted, thrusting him ahead of her. "I want to get home where I can eat."

Zeel and Ark emerged from the tunnel into a vast chamber. Twisted ice pillars stretched from ceiling to floor and upon a brief look-around a pool of water was discovered in the center of the floor.  
"It's still warm," Zeel frowned. "But it doesn't look like a spring of any kind." Ark, who was gazing up at the ceiling in awe, was suddenly jerked over to Zeel's side by the tip of her scythe. She grabbed him roughly by the back of his collar and held on tight whilst looking around suspiciously.  
"I know there's someone in here!" she called out. "Show yourself or I'll hurt the boy!" Zeel received no answer from the cavern. With narrowed eyes she peered about with her grip on Ark's collar iron-tight. A sound from above caught her attention and she snapped her head up only to see Link descending from one of the ice pillars. He swung around it in an arc using the Key and swiped Ark out of her hands.  
"Not while I'm around, _Zeel!_" he called, unwinding the Key from the pillar and landing on the opposite edge of the pool. "Don't tell me you actually thought you'd get away with this." Zeel's lips curled back into a furious scowl.  
"Oh you _horrible,_ interfering _LINK!"_ she spat, punctuating his name by swiping her scythe through the air.  
"L-Link!" Ark gasped. "What are you doing here?"  
"Trying not to get us both killed," he hissed. "I can't fight her at the moment; I'm not up to it, but Fura should be."  
"Lady Fura's here too?" Ark's question was answered when the Gerudo girl skidded out from behind another pillar and detonated a ball of flame right in front of Zeel. She growled in frustration and shielded her eyes from the blast, but when she was able to see again, Link and Ark had disappeared.  
"You can't escape me!" she howled. "You're as good as mine!" Another ball of fire sizzled past Zeel's head.  
"You'll have to deal with me first," Fura told the black-haired girl as she twirled her twin scimitars. Zeel glowered at her.  
"You want to fight me?" she growled. "Well then get ready!" Zeel shot straight up into the air and hurled a group of purple spheres at the Gerudo. Fura dashed to the side and countered with a stream of fire shot from one of her palms, forcing Zeel to somersault out of the way. When she righted herself, the dark-haired girl lashed her weapon through the air twice, sending two shockwaves of purple energy tearing towards Fura. She dodged the first one, and with one of her blades aflame, cut through the second.  
"Is that all you've got, you vulture?" Fura smirked.  
"_Vulture!?"_ Zeel hissed.  
"That's right, preying on the weak and injured," Fura jeered. "Why don't you go and make a meal of some dead rats." Zeel landed on the ground and charged the Gerudo, their blades meeting in a terrific shower of sparks. Zeel's purple scythe hummed and Fura's scimitars sang as they ground against each other.  
"You'll…regret those words…_witch!_" Zeel growled, straining against her opponent.  
"Not as much…as I regret looking at your face, Zeel," Fura grunted back. The two of them came apart before dashing along the floor of the cave parallel to each other. They watched each other carefully as they dashed along. The pillars of the cavern zipped between them until, quite suddenly, Zeel vanished as she passed behind one. Fura skidded to a halt and peered about carefully. She suddenly rolled forwards as a displacement of air behind her told of Zeel's sneak approach. As Fura rolled to her feet, she whirled around at the same time that Zeel shipped her scythe at her. Fura gasped as the dark-haired girl sheared the end of her ponytail off.  
"My hair!" she gasped, looking at the patch of red on the ice floor. "You'll pay for _that_ one!"  
"I'm shaking," Zeel snorted. Fura lunged at her and swung both of her scimitars together. At the same time, Zeel brought her scythe down to meet her. There was a loud clang and all three weapons went spinning through the air as they were knocked from the combatant's hands. The two girls looked at each other in surprise for a few moments before they began hurling magic. Zeel's purple energy thundered against Fura's fire in a series of violent explosions. The opponents leaped, ducked, dodged and slid out of the way of each other as powerful attacks were exchanged. Then, abandoning that line, they charged at each other and met in hand-to-hand combat. Fura rolled and kicked while Zeel blocked with her arms, retaliating by bringing her heel up and smashing it down on the ice where Fura had been moments before. They continued in that manner for some time, landing the occasional blow or kick. They suddenly leaped at each other and met in a kind of wrestle. Fura landed an impressive slap on Zeel's cheek while Zeel grabbed a fistful of hair and tugged with all her might. Link and Ark peeked out from their hiding place behind one of the pillars and watched the scene with wide eyes.  
"I know I shouldn't be watching…but I can't look away," Ark murmured.  
"Uh-huh," Link said absently, his eyes locked on the catfight.  
"We should probably stay hidden," Ark said, not bothering to do so.  
"Uh-huh."

Nyaragon ground to a halt at the opening of a large cavern. As she had drawn near to her current location, the sounds of combat and shouting had reached her sensitive ears. Zelda, who clung to Nyaragon's back, could also hear fighting.  
"Who could it be?" she asked a little fearfully. "It sounds rather violent." As if to answer her question, a fireball whizzed through the air and exploded nearby against the wall.  
"Fura fight Zeel," Nyaragon growled. "Ark be nearby!" She took off again, running full speed between the massive pillars that dotted the room. The battle between Zeel and Fura suddenly came into view, the two girls slapping and pulling at each others' hair.  
"Fura!" Zelda called.  
"Zelda! You're all right!" the Gerudo grunted, jamming her thumb into Zeel's temple. "Nyara too! Link and Ark are behind me a ways, go to them!" Nyaragon needed no further heeding and pelted past the two struggling girls. Link and Ark were quickly discovered thanks to Nyaragon's keen sense of smell.  
"Link! You're okay!" Zelda cried, leaping from Nyaragon's back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her face in his shoulder while Link struggled to maintain his balance. "I'm so glad you're not hurt!" Ark was receiving a similar, yet slightly more terrifying treatment. Nyaragon rushed up to the grey-haired boy and lifted him into the air with absolutely no effort. Mewing in relief, she proceeded to crush him against her chest until his vision began to go sparkly.  
"M-miss Nyara…can't…breathe…" he gurgled. The licking came next, with her wet, sandpaper-like tongue rasping against his cheek over and over again until it began turning red.  
"Ark safe!" she crowed. "Nyaragon smell Ark and follow. Think Zeel try to take Ark." She released her crushing grip on him but didn't put him down, opting instead to hold him under his arms as if she were carrying a pet. Ark didn't have the energy to resist so he simply hung against her front with a decidedly tired look on his face.  
"What happened?" Zelda asked Link after letting go of him.  
"Fura and I were…" he trailed off, not really wanting to relay that they'd been together in the small pool. "We were sitting in here against one of the pillars when Zeel came in with Ark. Because I was weaker, Fura decided to fight her while I got Ark out of the way." Zelda looked over at Fura and Zeel, both of whom had recovered their weapons.  
"Talen and Florella were a little ways behind us, they should arrive here soon. Then we can give that Zeel a hiding and get back to the palace!" Zelda declared, stamping her foot.  
"I just hope Fura is careful."

Zeel leaped backwards into the air after breaking away from Fura. Swooping down, she retrieved her weapon and turned with it at the ready. Fura had similarly snatched up her scimitars and brandished them threateningly.  
"You're pretty good, witch," Zeel puffed.  
"And you aren't so bad yourself," Fura breathed heavily. They stared each other down, both waiting for the other to move first. That move never came, however; as a shard of rock whizzed by Zeel's head and crunched into one of the many pillars.  
"What!?" she gasped, looking for the source of the projectile. It was Talen. He stood by the entrance to the vast chamber with Florella standing next to him. Zeel saw movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see everyone else emerge. They glared at her in an unfriendly manner.  
"So it looks like all of you have come out to play," Zeel snorted. "I'm not stupid enough to fight you all, though."  
"Then go away and don't come back, because we'll stop you at every turn," Florella told her. Zeel scowled and turned to look at Ark who hung in a hissing Nyaragon's grip.  
"This isn't over, Ark," she spat. "I'll return with help next time, and then you'll be coming back with me…for _good!_" With that, she vanished in a haze of purple. A collective sigh of relief was breathed by all present.  
"Thank the Goddesses it's over," Fura grunted wearily. "She was beginning to wear on me." A squeal from Florella bounced off the walls of the cavern as she came running over.  
"You're all safe!" she cried. "I'm so relieved!"  
"It's good to see you're unharmed as well," Fura smiled. "Is everybody all right?" She received an affirmative.  
"Then we should all get going," Navi jingled. "Saria and Impa are probably worried sick about us."

With Nyaragon's fantastic sense of smell, the battered party emerged from the ice caves at a small opening in the depths of the forest. From there they slogged through the thick snow towards Aurora city. The sky was getting dark and the sounds of various animals out in the forest made the group move all the more faster.  
"I never thought I'd be glad to be out in this," Zelda winced as thick snow flurried about in the howling wind.  
"This weather is pretty bad," Fura frowned. "The blizzard seems to be setting in!"  
"Then we need to get back to the palace before we freeze," Link told them. "Nyara, you can see and smell the best out of all of us, you take the lead." Nyaragon grinned, proud to be trusted with getting everyone back safely. With Ark on her back, she led the way through the beginnings of the blizzard. Fura held onto her tail, Link held onto Fura's sash, Zelda held onto the Key's straps and Talen held onto Zelda's dress with Florella clinging to his back.  
"There it is!" Nyaragon called to everyone, pointing to some lights barely visible through the trees and snow. They emerged from the forest to see Aurora city spread out before them.  
"Let's not waste time!" Link called. "Let's get back to the palace and out of this cold!" No more prompting was needed and the freezing troupe was soon hurrying through the streets of the city towards their destination. The guards at the palace gates showed some trepidation as Nyaragon's large form prowled towards them, but they let the party through without delay upon receiving a brief explanation.  
"We made it! Thank the Goddesses we're out of that weather!" Florella breathed, dusting great drifts of snow from her clothes and hair upon getting through the front doors. Nyaragon plopped Ark down onto the floor before shaking herself like a dog, sending gobs of snow flying over everything and everyone. While the Bloodcat had no trouble getting through the large main doors, the ones inside proved to be more of a difficulty. She had to squeeze through them, sometimes having to resort to crawling to get through. The Bloodcat, however; always seemed to be able to squeeze through with out too much trauma, her skeleton seemingly squashing in on itself to allow her passage.  
"I wonder where Saria and Impa are," Florella murmured as Talen carried her along on his back.  
"Well it isn't all that late. They may be in the sitting-room," Zelda frowned. "That's where I'd be right now." Following Zelda's suggestion, the group headed towards the sitting-room. Upon arriving, muffled voices could be heard from inside, so Link wasted no time and turned the handle and pushed the door open. Impa sat in one of the large armchairs with a sobbing Saria in her lap. Teran, Mia, Meia and Maia along with their parents hovered nearby looking anxious. Upon hearing the door open, they all looked around.  
"Hello everyone," Florella greeted them. "We're back." Saria's head snapped up.  
"Fl-Florella?" she sniffed. "Florella! You're back! Is Link with you?"  
"I'm here," the boy spoke up, pushing Florella into the room. "Don't just stand there, move so we can all get in." Link, Fura, Zelda, Talen, Ark and, finally Nyaragon, filed into the room.  
"Link!" Saria cried in relief, leaping from Impa's lap and running at him. The blonde boy caught her and lifted her into the air. "You're safe! I was so worried; you've been gone for two days!"  
"It's been two days?" Fura exclaimed. "Jeez, how long were we down in those caves for?" Navi and Chat jingled around each other while Teran expressed his relief at Talen and Ark's safe return. Mia, Meia and Maia were each on the verge of tears as they hugged everyone in sight and chattered over the top of each other asking questions about what happened. Impa busied herself with seeing to her charge and making sure she was unharmed after her abduction.  
"I'm so relieved," the Sheikah woman breathed. "That man appeared in the palace and just…took you. We were powerless to do anything." She reached out, seemingly without looking, and grabbed Link by his shoulder. "I must thank you, Link, for bringing her back unharmed."  
"Erm…that's all right," he said rather bashfully.  
"But…how did you manage to beat that man? It was as if…I was nothing before him," Impa sighed.  
"All in good time, everyone," Florella said. "There are things we have to do first."  
"Like what, Florella?" Talen asked.  
"Well first we need some hot food to get our strength back…" she began before her face twisted into a dark scowl that was aimed at Link. "And then I will personally see to it that you can never have children!"


	47. Cold

**Chapter 46 – Cold**

"What's wrong with you now?" Link asked the angry Florella. "You're not still irked about the ball, are you?"  
"You better believe I am!" she fumed. "Look at you! Look at what you could accomplish! But you just sit there like a stupid rock! You're such a…an _idiot!_"  
"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black," Link snorted. "Careful you don't start foaming at the mouth, it's not a very good look for a girl." She began stamping her feet on the floor and making angry noises.  
"Rrgh! You make me so furious!" she growled. She suddenly straightened and pointed her finger at him dramatically. "Oh the world will be a horrible place if your offspring turn out to be anything like you! Perhaps I should just sterilize the equipment in case something that dreadful happens! Rrgh! I'll never, _ever_ forget that ball!"  
"Tut, tut, Florella," Fura said, waving her finger at the irate fairy. "If you go and do a thing like that, how will Zelda or myself have any fun on the honeymoon?" Zelda blushed and giggled while Link took a deep breath of indignation.  
"_Fura!"_ he gasped. "Don't _say_ things like that! Not in front of all these people! Augh! You have no shame!" Fura simply laughed at him, as did a majority of the other people in the room.  
"I suppose you're right," Florella grumbled. She rounded on Link. "You don't get off the hook so easily, brat! The chance that your spawn will infect the planet with your stubbornness is a relatively small one if they inherit their mother's sensibility. I'm going to personally see to it that you're shackled to a significant other in the glorious bonds of marriage for the entirety of your adult life! I'll be there at the altar, laughing as the ring that will forever bind you is placed on your finger! That will be my _victory!_" Florella's eyes had a maniacal glint to them.  
"Wow, calm down tubby. You shouldn't strain your heart so much, it's already got its work cut out for it pumping blood through that dinoauric backside of yours," Link whistled. Florella's eye twitched and she leaped at him with a cry of rage. Talen, however; plucked her out of the air and carried her to the other end of the room.  
"But…he's so irritating," Florella moaned at the smith, grabbing his sleeve as she was carried away. "Oh Talen, at least you're not like that…you're so sensible and good…" Talen merely nodded his head while the fairy babbled on an on about how much Link misbehaved. It was then, once all of the relief had swept out; that people seemed to notice Nyaragon properly for the first time. The three twins scuttled over to the safety of Lond and Eda while the two monarchs gazed up at the large girl with wide eyes.  
"Wh-who…?" Saria stammered, backing into Link.  
"Is that…Nyara?" Impa gasped.  
"Well it _was_," Fura told her.  
"Nyara Nyaragon now," the Bloodcat proclaimed proudly, puffing out her chest. "Meera spirits help Nyara get Ark back, turn Nyara into Bloodcat."  
"'Ou are 'uge!" Mia squeaked.  
"And not so cute anymore," Meia murmured.  
"Ze puffies 'af gone," Maia frowned.  
"Nyaragon tough! Keep Ark out of trouble better now!" she grinned. As if to show them, she reached out and picked the boy up with one hand and held him aloft. Ark didn't look like he had the energy to struggle, so he simply hung in the air while Nyaragon dangled him about. "Ark also seem much smaller and huggier than before." She gave him a quick, bone-snapping hug before setting him down on the floor. He staggered slightly as he got his breath back.  
"Well eet ees a relief to see 'ou all back safe and sound," Eda smiled.  
"We shall head to the dining room at once to get some food into you, and then I expect it'll be straight off to bed," Lond nodded, leading the way from the room.  
"Absolutely," Impa agreed, leading Zelda along by her shoulders. Saria clung to Link's arm as they left the room, still babbling about how worried she was and how irresponsible it was for him to be gone for so long.

Never before had any of the people at the table seen anyone eat as much as Nyaragon did. Being too huge to sit in any of the chairs, she sat on the floor behind Ark and ravenously tore her way through platter after platter of steaming shanks of meat. The chefs could barely keep up with her and were running into the room with trays heaped high with food, and then running out with ones licked completely clean. Ark cringed as he heard the horrific sounds of the Bloodcat crunching through bone and swallowing it down right behind him. The thought of those powerful, bone-crunching jaws coming anywhere near him made the boy shudder.  
"Ark cold?" she asked, her question punctuated by a sickening crack as the bone in her mouth shattered under the pressure of her chewing.  
"N-no, Miss Nyara," he stammered, wincing as the fragments of bone in her mouth ground together.  
"That's kinda foul," Link winced. "It's almost putting me off my meal." He heaped more meat onto his plate and drowned it in thick gravy.  
"Almost, but not quite," Saria noted archly. "Put some vegetables on that plate too." She dumped a load of beans into his gravy-pool.  
"Ugh," he grunted, poking at them with his fork. "Beans."  
"They're good for you," Zelda said lightly. "Eat them all up, Linkie-do." He frowned at the usage of the name.  
"I really don't like the way you use that name," he muttered.  
"Too bad," Fura said, waving her fork at him. "We've been calling you that for the past three to four years, so you're just going to have to put up with it for the rest of your life."  
"Linkie-do."  
"Linkie-do."  
"Linkie-do." The twins repeated the infantile nickname one after the other as if to test it out. Link shook his head despairingly and shoveled in a great mouthful of meat, bean and gravy.  
"Not you too," he sighed. "Oh well, I guess it's to be expected. When girls congregate their brainpower seems to diminish proportionally to the number of girls there are. Let's see, seven girls means…well if I opened up Zelda's head right now there'd simply be a vacuum in there." Talen tried to hide a smile and received an elbow in the arm from Florella, and Lond had his foot stamped on by Eda for chuckling. Mia, Meia and Maia stared frostily at their brother.  
"There are eight girls here, Link," Saria scowled at him. "You forgot Nyara."  
"Nyara? Well…" he frowned, turning to look at her. The Bloodcat was preoccupied with cleaning herself and rolled over backwards onto the floor. "I don't know _what_ she is."  
"'Ou are a rude little boy," Mia huffed.  
"'O are supposed to be a knight," Maia frowned.  
"A knight? Which genius said I was a knight?" he scoffed. Fura, Zelda, Saria and Florella each put their hands up and glared at him. "I see. Well I guess my FLAB theory proves to be correct."  
"FLAB?" Zelda asked. "Oh I can't wait to hear this one."  
"Females Lose All Brains. FLAB," Link told them with a completely straight face. "Of course, it has a double meaning for Florella. Three points to whoever guesses why." Talen almost lost it and nearly burst out laughing along with Teran, but he managed to restrain himself and let out only a small noise.  
"Talen!" Florella pouted. "That wasn't funny! You should know better!"  
"Sorry," the smith said shamefully, but he cracked up again and earned himself an elbow to the ribs.  
"God, you're so annoying," Florella groaned at Link. "Just keep eating and make sure your mouth is busy so you can't talk."  
"But before you do that," Impa spoke up quickly. "You must tell us everything about what happened with that man."

After dinner, all of the children were sent straight off to bed. Ark was only too glad to be able to sleep, having nearly passed out at the table three times. In fact, after the ordeal with Gaul and the resulting time spent under the lake, everyone felt rather drained. When they reached their rooms, however; it became apparent that they had something of a problem. Nyaragon was far too big to fit in any of the beds and in light of recent events she utterly refused to leave Ark alone. So it was, with some apprehension on the boys' part, that she picked Ark up, squeezed through the door and dumped the boy on his bed before curling up on the floor next to him. A terribly loud rumbling noise that may or may not have been something akin to purring began to emanate from the Bloodcat.  
"Oh God," Link groaned, collapsing onto his own bed. "How are we going to sleep with _that?_"  
"You'll live with it," Fura shrugged from the doorway. "Nightie-night." The rest of the girls left, leaving Link, Ark, Talen and Nyaragon behind.  
"I can feel it through the floor," Talen winced. "The whole room is vibrating."  
"Nyara!" Link called. "Nyara!" She lifted her head and blinked sleepily at him.  
"What Link want?"  
"Can you _please_ stop making that sound?" he pleaded. She sank back onto the floor and the room was silent. Link sighed happily and scurried under the covers before closing his eyes. He suddenly opened them again as Nyaragon began her snore-purr sound once more.  
"Oh dear," Ark sighed.  
Much to the boys' relief, Ark managed to get Nyaragon to stop making her snore-purr sound long enough for them to get some sleep, though it didn't stop her from waking them up several times throughout the night with it.

Link and Ark both awoke in the very early hours of the morning feeling decidedly wretched. Their noses were blocked, their eyes were puffy and they felt rather hot.  
"Wonderful," Link groaned, sniffing loudly. "I have a cold."  
"Oh dear, I've never had a cold before," Ark sniffled. "And I don't think I ever want one again."  
"You most certainly do not," Link told him. "Especially when _they_ arrive." Ark looked puzzled.  
"They?"  
"Saria and Florella," Link grunted. He sniffed again and looked around for something to wipe his nose with, his eyes soon falling on one of the Key's straps. He picked it up thoughtfully.  
"Don't even think about it!" Navi snapped, zipping out from underneath his cap. She kicked his hand, prompting him to drop it. "If you have a cold, then the best thing for you is to have some medicine and stay in bed." Link looked crestfallen.  
"Can we forget about the medicine part?" he asked hopefully.  
"No. I'm going to get Saria. Don't move," the fairy told him firmly. She fluttered towards the door, but stopped suddenly and zipped over to the sleeping Bloodcat.  
"Nyara? Hello! Wake up, please," Navi called in her ear. The Bloodcat's ear twitched up and she snapped open her eyes.  
"Eeh, what?" she mumbled, sitting up. "What Navi fairy want?"  
"Can you please watch these two while I go and get Saria? They have a cold and they shouldn't move about. Keep an eye on Link especially; he's the one that'll sneak off," Navi told her.  
"Ark sick!?" Nyaragon gasped. Ark cringed and cowered underneath his covers.  
"Not terribly sick, just a cold. I'll go now, so you look after them." The fairy zipped out of the room and along the hall. Ark peeked out from underneath the covers to Nyaragon looking at him with a very concerned expression on her face. She reached out with one of her large hands and rested it on top of the boy's head, nearly forcing him into his own pillow.  
"Poor Ark very hot," she frowned, leaning forwards and peering closely at him.  
"I-it's only a slight fever, Miss Nyara. I believe a cold is nothing serious," he assured her.  
"Ark have runny nose," she pointed out.  
"That's what a cold will do, Miss Nyara."  
"Poor Ark." Ark looked at her. Nyara, or Nyaragon as she called herself, hadn't changed at all in terms of personality. It was actually rather amusing to see someone as big and fearsome-looking as the Bloodcat sitting on the floor fussing over a cold. She prodded at his cheek with one of her dark purple claws and shook her head.  
"This all Zeel fault. She make Ark weak out in snow and give Ark cold. Nyaragon sh-" she began, stopping in mid-sentence. She glanced across at Link, who seemed to have pulled his tunic on underneath the covers and slipped onto the floor. He tiptoed over to the door, opened it up a crack and slipped through into the hall. Nyaragon crouched low on the floor and began wiggling her backside in preparation for an almighty pounce. Her tail flicked about and her pupils dilated before she leaped through the air and landed in front of the door, swiping one of her hands out into the hallway. Link, who had started to tiptoe away, suddenly jerked to a stop and was yanked off his feet.  
"Augh! Leave me alone!" he wailed upon seeing the Key's rings tightly gripped in the Bloodcat's hand. She began to drag him back slowly, with Link digging her fingers into the floor in a vain attempt at stopping himself. Once he was close enough, Nyaragon grabbed his leg and yanked him into the room. She closed the door and thrust him back onto his bed, burying him in the covers with a playful yowl.  
"Link naughty, try to escape. Nyaragon too quick for Link," she grinned, her pointed incisors on full-display. "If Link try again then Nyaragon drag Link back with teeth."  
"I'll stay put," he grumbled.  
"Good Link," she smiled, patting his head rather roughly.

Saria arrived shortly after Link's attempted escape and thrust the curtains open to illuminate the dim room. The weather outside looked terrible, with thick snow billowing about in the howling winds. Link sighed, surmising that there would be no going outside for a while, at least until the blizzard had died down. With a brisk, yet gentle air about her, Saria took Link, Ark and Talen's temperatures. Talen murmured sleepily that he didn't think he had a cold, so the Kokiri girl promptly booted him out of the room so he didn't get sick himself. Nyaragon was allowed to stay because she explained that the Meera didn't get the sicknesses that Hylians and other races got. The two boys were soon propped up with thick pillows while Saria readied some horrible-smelling brew that was supposed to help them get better. It was either that or poison them, Link couldn't remember.  
"It tastes like death," Link told Ark. "Make sure you hold your nose when you drink it." Saria gave him an irritated little glance before filling two earthenware cups with the dark green brew and handing it to the boys. Nyaragon sniffed curiously at Ark's before he drank it and immediately regretted doing so. She pawed at her nose and sneezed a number of times, her eyes watering.  
"Nyaragon feel sorry for Ark now," she winced with her tongue hanging out. Ark felt just that more reluctant to drink it after that. He dutifully glugged it down just as Link did and nearly retched it up in the process, but he held it down and managed to drain the mug.  
"Oh very well done," Saria said to them both, rolling her eyes. "Men; completely pathetic in some respects."

"That's right. Soup, soup, lots of soup," Zelda hummed as she plonked a big, deep bowl steaming broth on a tray in front of Link.  
"I'm not really hungry," he said.  
"That's just the cold talking. Everyone knows that soup is the best thing for a cold, so down the hatch it goes," she smiled. Link gave her a long suffering look. The Princess clearly looked like she was enjoying herself, twittering and humming away as she stirred the thick, cream-coloured liquid with a spoon.  
"Can't I have something else?" Link asked.  
"You get bread to dip in your soup," Zelda told him. "It's good." She tore a chunk of bread apart and dipped it in the soup before aiming it at Link's mouth.  
"I don't want bread and soup, I want- ukk!" Zelda pushed the soup-soaked bread into his mouth and forced him to chew and swallow.  
"Yum, yum," she smiled, readying another piece. "Here comes the bird flying to its nest!" She wiggled the bread towards him.  
"Ugh, I can do it myself," he sighed, snatching it from her hand. Zelda flashed her dimples at him and he shook his head despairingly. Her terribly babyish way of feeding him eventually won and he grudgingly began to drink his soup.  
"Now that's a good boy," she told him, ruffling his hair.  
"I'm not a little baby," he grumbled. "I don't want to stay in here all day."  
"But you _are_ going to stay in here all day, and you will until you're all better again," she told him in an infuriatingly babying manner. Link merely grumbled in response before spooning more soup into his mouth. He glanced over at Ark and immediately found himself to be in a drastically less-painful situation. Nyaragon had Ark's soup bowl nestled in the palm of her hand and the boy himself in her lap. She hummed a kind of nonsense tune to herself and spooned mouthful after mouthful of soup into his mouth. For some reason, he looked utterly defeated. His spiky fringe looked even wilder than usual along with the rest of his hair and his eyes had a kind of flat look to them, though he did not look unhappy. He sighed before the spoon Nyaragon held was suddenly poked into his mouth once more. Ark allowed the hot liquid to drain down his throat before the large Bloodcat pulled the spoon out again with an audible pop.  
"Ark is good boy," Nyaragon smiled, stirring the liquid in the bowl. "Not like stinky Link."  
"Euh! I do not stink, you filthy beast of meat and hair- ow!" Zelda rapped him smartly across the head with his spoon.  
"Don't be crude, Linkie-do. You're supposed to be resting, so don't get yourself excited. Relax like Ark over there," Zelda told him. Link looked over at his friend.  
"He looks more zombified than relaxed," he frowned. "Ark! Helloooo!" Ark merely shifted his eyes and blinked at Link.  
"He's just in a state of pure contentment," Zelda tutted. "Now drink your soup."

Fura stopped by a little while later with a game of checkers borrowed from the twins. She put it down on the blanket and challenged Link to a game to alleviate his boredom. Fura, however; soon found herself frustrated to no end with Link's ability to completely beat her into the ground seemingly without trying.  
"Augh! How do you do that?" she demanded.  
"Do what?" he asked tiredly.  
"Win!"  
"Oh…not lose?" he shrugged. Fura made a noise of annoyance and shook her head. "Oh, how's your hair?"  
"Huh? Oh yes," Fura said. "That Zeel witch didn't do anything too bad; she just lopped off the end of my ponytail. I'll just have to wait until it grows back I suppo-" Her answer was cut short by Link blowing a tremendous note on his handkerchief before wiping his nose.  
"What? Sorry, my nose is runny," he mumbled.  
"Never mind," Fura sighed.  
"We should get Florella in here. You should hear her spit he dummy when she loses," Link whistled.  
"I don't think she plays checkers anymore," Fura winced and scratched her cheek.  
"Oh…why?" Link asked. He looked visibly disappointed.  
"Because she always loses to you." The two of them shared a snicker before Fura ran her fingers through her hair. "How did you like your soup?"  
"It was a little bit spicy," Link frowned. "Zelda wouldn't let me have any milk afterwards to cool myself down. She only let me have water."  
"Of course it was spicy, it's a Gerudo recipe," Fura grinned. "Spice is good for you; it clears out the nose." Link had to admit that she was right; his nose was a lot clearer, too bad he couldn't really smell anything. Link yawned and ground his back against his pillows to get comfortable.  
"Should you be in here with us two sickies?" he asked her. Fura smirked and pinched his cheek.  
"Oh you're so sweet to be so concerned about me, but no. Florella and Saria loaded us up with about a dozen horrid potions. Florella's tasted better than Saria's, though." Link snorted.  
"That's because Saria has this strange notion that the horrible taste helps drive germs away. She's never been one to care about how they taste." He yawned and stretched his legs.  
"Hmm," Fura frowned. "I'll tell you what; how about a good old foot rub while you're cooped up in here. It'll make you feel better." Link was immediately wary.  
"I-I don't know, Fura…you might break my toes or something," he told her nervously. She arched one of her eyebrows.  
"I'm not that careless!" she snapped. "Come on; you're the patient and I'm the doctor so you must do as I say or you won't get better." She ripped back the covers down at the bottom of the bed and exposed his bare feet. Then, before he could jerk them away, she wrapped her hands around one of them and began gouging her fingers into the balls of his foot. Link gasped and writhed around while Fura roughly manhandled his foot, kneading his muscles into a pulp.  
"See? It's good, isn't it." It was a statement more than a question.  
"Is it supposed to be this- yee!" he squeaked as Fura dug her thumb into a particularly tender spot.  
"If by "yee" you mean "great", then yes," Fura smiled. "And by the way, just what _did_ you do to Florella to make her so mad?"

Despite her size, Nyaragon was surprisingly gentle. Ark found himself strangely relaxed as he sat propped up in her lap. She continuously petted his head with one of her large hands, drawing it backwards over his hair repeatedly. The combination of Saria's awful medicine and Nyaragon's ministrations had made him very drowsy, making him drift in and out of consciousness. The Bloodcat was also very warm, and Ark had her free arm held across his front while he rested his head upon it. Nyaragon didn't seem to mind him using her as a pillow, in fact; she seemed quite contented to just sit on his bed and swish her tail back and forth like a pendulum.  
"Does Ark want anything?" the Bloodcat asked him after a prolonged silence.  
"No thank you, Miss Nyara," Ark mumbled sleepily, readjusting his head on her arm. "I'm fine just…" He trailed off and started snoring, his sounds of sleep punctuated only by the odd snuffle from his blocked nose. Nyaragon frowned and continued to run her hand over Ark's head. Compared to Meeran males of similar age, Ark was a real pipsqueak, and even Link and Talen were quite short by comparison. Most of them were also wholly preoccupied with trying to prove that they were stronger and faster than everyone else. Nyaragon grinned. Talen would give them a run for their money and bring them up short, that was for certain. Challenging visitors was a favorite pastime of young Meeran males and a lot of them, in Nyaragon's opinion, needed bringing down a peg or two. Perhaps that was why she found Ark so interesting, though. He was completely and utterly different from all other boys she was used to. He wasn't continuously trying to prove his superiority over others, he was quiet and very, very kind. Ark was also the very epitome of politeness, even going so far as to give next to everyone titles, particularly women. Perhaps the reason he didn't do the same with Link and Talen was because he considered them more as equals. Nyaragon frowned at that thought. Ark didn't give himself enough credit for just how capable he was. She looked down at him as his head lolled on her arm. The Bloodcat had told him some time ago that he needed to find what made him most happy so that he'd feel truly alive, and she had seen him on several occasions just sitting and thinking about what she had said. Nyaragon was sure he hadn't discovered it yet, however; because Ark always had a strange, sad air about him. She could see it every time she looked at him; a weighted look that hung behind his big, green eyes.  
"Eugh," he mumbled suddenly, shaking his head. "Oh, I must have dozed off."  
"Ark sleepy," she grinned, patting his head. "And Nyaragon very comfy."  
"That is true," Ark yawned. He snuffled slightly and the Bloodcat picked up his handkerchief and held it against his face.  
"Ark blow nose," she told him.  
"But…you really don't have to-"  
"Ark blow nose. Ark sick, so Nyaragon look after Ark," she told him firmly. Rather than object, Ark did as he was told and blew his nose as forcefully as he could.  
"Ooh, lots of Ark boogies," Nyaragon whistled.  
"I think that soup made my nose runnier," Ark frowned, wrinkling his nose.

Link truly believed that he was in Hell. Fura and Zelda sat on either side of his bed and were taking turns in reading a hideous romance novel. To make matters worse, it appeared to be an incredibly _detailed_ hideous romance novel and the two girls read it to him with great enthusiasm.  
"Is this because of FLAB?" he asked them eventually, after having the male lead's exploits with the female lead in a linen closet relayed to him with intimate detail.  
"Yes, it is," Zelda told him nonchalantly, turning the page. _"His powerful, calloused hands held her tight as he leaned in an fixed her full lips with a powerful, soul-searing ki-"  
_"Oh Farore No! Spare me!" Link wailed. He snatched the book from Zelda's hands with the Key, flipped open the latch of the window and tossed it out. Fura and Zelda watched it said out of sight to no doubt thwump into the snow far below. "Isn't being confined to this bed torture enough? I don't want to hear about people getting up to mischief inside broom closets and cupboards! You know, it's enough to make a regular kind of boy want to vomit."  
"It's romantic," Zelda tutted, flicking his ear. "Why, I myself wouldn't mind a closet or cupboard interlude. Hint, hint." She blushed rosily and Link winkled his nose at her.  
"You have a snowball's chance in Hell of that happening," Link told her flatly. "On a hot day." Fura smirked and leaned back in her chair with her hands behind her head.  
"For me, I'd go…" Fura began, squinting in thought. Link interrupted her before she had a chance to finish.  
"Fura, whatever you come up with will have even less of a chance than Zelda's idea. No, no and _no,_" he told her firmly. "A cupcake's chance near Florella." There was an irritated little cough from the doorway and Florella walked in.  
"Spouting more idiocy, I see," she snuffed at Link. "You're a never-ending source of drivel, Link."  
"Hello Florella," Link greeted her. "How are you today?" She gave him an arch look.  
"Well aren't you just the angel," she grumbled sourly.  
"You seem awfully grumpy, what's the matter? Did they run out of fried pork fat in the kitchens?" Link asked innocently. Florella ignored the last part.  
"Nothing's the matter; it's just the prospect of seeing _you_ that's put a bee in my bonnet. Why can't you be more like Ark?" she sighed, pointing at the grey-haired boy as he dozed in Nyaragon's arms while she licked his cheek with her big, rough tongue.  
"Well gee, let me see…" Link frowned, looking thoughtful.  
"Oh, enough," Zelda sighed, rapping his head with her knuckle. "Did you need something, Florella?" The fairy blinked as she remembered exactly why she had come into the room. She held out a mug of pinkish liquid to Link.  
"To poison me," he gasped. Florella sighed as Link took the mug and downed it in a single gulp. She took the mug back off him just as his eyes crossed and he fell back snoring.  
"Oh, I'm sorry," Florella pouted, putting a finger to her lips. "Did I forget to mention that it would put you to sleep?" Fura and Zelda looked mildly disappointed that Link would no longer be able to converse with them, at least until he woke up again  
"What was that for, Florella?" Fura asked the fairy.  
"What the idiot needs most right now is sleep. While he snores away, that mix of mine and Saria's potion should make him feel almost as good as new," Florella sniffed. She turned towards Ark's bed and wandered over with a second mug full of the brew. She gave it to Nyaragon with instructions to make Ark drink it.  
"What are the twins doing?" Zelda asked the purple-haired fairy when she returned from across the room.  
"Oh Talen and Teran are teaching them to play cards. I'm afraid there isn't a whole lot to since we can't go outside to play in the snow _or_ look for the next Lock."  
"I feel like cooking something," Zelda frowned. She glanced at the snoring Link. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."  
"Love-Muffins," Florella murmured.  
"Love what?" Fura asked. "What are Love-Muffins?"  
"Muffins in the shape of little hearts," Florella grinned, making the shape of one with her little hands. "I made them for Talen once, but he didn't pick up on it. He ate them too fast to see what they actually were." There was silence between the girls for a moment.  
"Then we colour them pink!" Fura exclaimed. "That'd make 'em curious enough to have a closer look."  
"Now _that's_ an idea, I could do that," Florella smiled thoughtfully. "Okay, let's go to the kitchens and get started." Fura and Zelda left Link's bed and wandered out into the hall with Florella.  
"Oh, Nyara?" Zelda called back. "If Link wakes up for some reason, make sure he stays in bed." Nyaragon waved at her before turning her attention back to Ark.  
"By the way," Florella asked as her voice faded down the hallway outside. "Do you have my book?"


	48. Questions

**Chapter 47 – Questions**

It was a lot of fun playing cards against somebody who didn't have a fit if they lost. With Teran, Talen didn't have to lose on purpose and he most certainly did _not_ have to console him if he _did_ lose. Talen sighed; such were the perils of playing a game with Florella. She was a very, _very_ sore loser…which was perhaps why it was so monumentally amusing to see her play a game against Link. Link would win despite Florella's attempts at cheating, Florella would spit the dummy, Link would tease her and then walk or hobble away at the end of it after the fairy had lashed out and kicked him in the shins. But through all their arguments and clashing of wills, they were really rather fond of each other. Such was the happy family they had all become. It was sometimes hard to believe that Florella was actually a Great Fairy. She could be childish, vindictive and really quite petty…but she could suddenly turn around and become more of an adult than any of them. The little fairy girl had explained once or twice that one's body could sometimes have an effect on how they thought, and since Florella looked like a little girl, her mind obviously acted that way occasionally too. Perhaps a little more than occasionally. Her childishness especially showed itself whenever she matched wits with Link. Talen snorted in amusement at the thought of the two of them arguing. Florella and Link had always been a little prickly around the edges when it came to getting along with one another. Florella had always tried to put Link in a mould he really didn't fit all that well; that of a knight in shining armor willing to whisk a fair maiden away. Talen recalled the time they had all been at Windhill one year and the girls had tried to force him into armor and stick him on a horse. It didn't bode too well with Link, however. Florella and Fura ended up in the pond with Ruto, while Link made a daring escape into the city. They were none too happy with him when he finally turned up in the afternoon, but he managed to weasel out of any punishment by giving them all bunches of flowers he'd obviously ripped up from the palace grounds. Luckily, the girls didn't notice that and paraded their floral arrangements around like grand prizes.  
"What's on your mind?" Teran asked, noticing Talen's thoughtful expression.  
"Pardon? Oh, nothing really," Talen chuckled. "I was just thinking of one of the failed attempts at grooming Link into a knight."  
"Into a knight?" Teran asked. "Link doesn't seem like the knightly type."  
"Hah, no, he isn't," Talen laughed. "Florella and the others just have this strange fixation with the two of us sticking on plate mail and riding around on horses."  
"Have you ever done it?"  
"Not in this lifetime," Talen scoffed. "But between the two of us, I'm the lucky one. Link seems to get most of the grief while I get overlooked."  
"I'm lucky that Mia, Meia and Maia are my sisters," Teran sighed. "They don't really make me do anything…aside from opening jars and getting things they're too short to reach."  
"Florella gets me to do that too. Lord knows why, she could just fly up and get it herself," Talen said with a roll of his eyes. "But then she whines and her eyes start watering. There's nothing you can do against that."

Link woke up feeling a lot less stuffy, but quite drowsy. He gazed blankly at the ceiling for a few moments before it registered that there was somebody next to his bed.  
"Urgh, hello Zelda," he grunted as he sat up.  
"How are you feeling?" the Hylian Princess asked him. The boy yawned loudly and scratched at the ear he'd unintentionally slept on.  
"Tired," he mumbled. His eyes traveled to something she held in her hands. "What's that?"  
"These?" Zelda smiled, holding up a number of small, heart-shaped muffins wrapped in a tea-towel. "Love-Muffins."  
"Love-Muffins?" he repeated flatly. "Florella made these, didn't she." Zelda giggled.  
"Well yes, but we all helped." Link looked at her questioningly. "Fura, myself and Florella."  
"Oh," Link yawned. "Where's Fura then?"  
"Well…she isn't really used to cooking, so she got a little messy with flour and so-on. She's just washing herself up," Zelda smiled. Link turned his attention back to the muffins.  
"Why are they pink?" he asked.  
"Didn't you catch the name? Love-Muffins!" Zelda declared proudly, thrusting them under his nose. "Here, have one." He took the heart-shaped muffin and looked at it suspiciously.  
"There's nothing funny in it?" he asked.  
"There's nothing out of the ordinary other than pink colouring. Florella hasn't poisoned it and Fura hasn't put in some bizarre love-potion, if that's what you're thinking," Zelda told him with a despairing shake of her head. Link watched her for a moment before ripping the top off the muffin and gobbling it down. He made an appreciative expression and licked his fingers clean.  
"They're not bad," he said, clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth. "Very sweet, though. I take it Florella was the one in charge of putting the sugar in?"  
"Hah, yes," Zelda laughed. "She said they needed to be sweet like her."  
"Pfft, sweet like a lemon," Link snorted. He plopped what was left of the muffin in Zelda's hand. "Here, you can have the rest."  
"Why, what's wrong with it?" she frowned. "You said you liked them."  
"I do, but I like the tops of muffins better than the base," he told her with a shrug.  
"You're hopeless," the Princess sighed. "But you have to take the good with the bad, I suppose."  
"I sure do," Link grinned. Zelda flicked his ear with a pretend grunt of indignation. Link sighed and lay back against the headboard of his bed. The Princess took the opportunity to glance over to the other side of the room. The quiet, grey-haired boy and the Bloodcat were both sound asleep. Nyaragon lay on Ark's bed, her arms and legs hanging over the sides and onto the floor due to her size, while Ark snoozed facing up on her stomach. Seemingly unperturbed by Ark's weight; Nyaragon's chest rose and fell with ease, taking the boy along for the ride.  
"What a sight," Zelda chuckled.  
"Nyara woke him up and poured that gunk of Florella and Saria's down his throat. _Both_ of them zonked out after that," Link told her. "Nyara keeps mumbling jibberish in her sleep while she dreams about eating mice and birds or whatever it is she likes doing."  
"They look _adorable!_" Zelda squealed. "The others _have_ to see this!" She skipped towards the door.  
"Zelda," Link called suddenly, stopping the Princess. "I've been meaning to tell you since we returned here…thank you for helping me. If you hadn't come to my aid when Gaul knocked me under the lake, then I'd probably still be there." Zelda blinked and then she smiled.  
"You're thanking me?" she asked, closing her eyes. "Whether it be in my dreams or while I'm awake…you're always there; warding off anything that may do me harm. And so, Link…it should be me thanking you." She opened her eyes, her smile still playing about her lips.

"What are zees?" Meia asked upon being presented with a batch of Florella's bright pink Love-Muffins. The Great Fairy had found the three girls in Meia's bedroom; a very tidy place that was in stark contrast to Zelda's perpetually messy one.  
"Love-Muffins!" the fairy declared proudly. "Aren't they the best? I'm just about to go give Talen a few of them. Knowing him he'll eat the whole lot of them like he did the last time I made them. Eat them up girls, or there'll be nothing left." Mia, Meia and Maia each took one of Florella's little pink treats.  
"Zey look like little 'earts!" Maia laughed, pointing it out to her sisters.  
"That's why they're called Love-Muffins! Personal creations of mine; if you see them anywhere else then you know that somebody stole my idea," Florella sniffed haughtily. She sighed and sat down on the bed. "I made them _just_ for Talen a few years ago, but he ate them so fast he didn't even notice they were shaped like little hearts. Poor boy was almost starving while he worked away in the smithy he and his father run at Rockvale's palace. He gets so worked up in making things that he just forgets to eat sometimes…though he refused to let me see what he was working on." Florella frowned thoughtfully. "It couldn't have been very big…he had it in the palm of his hand."  
"What does Talen make exactly?" Mia asked curiously. Florella straightened up and smiled.  
"Talen can make _anything!_" she declared proudly. "He mostly makes big things…weapons and armor and furniture and the like. But he can also make the tiniest and most delicate of things, things that you think couldn't have possibly come from somebody as big and burly as him." The fairy reached down the front of her clothing and took out her beloved necklace. The three girls before her gazed at the fine silver chain that draped itself over her small fingers like a thread of silk.  
"Eet ees beautiful!" Maia breathed. "'E made something like zat?"  
"I remember…Link had gone to visit Talen at Rockvale and then the two of them went on to Windhill to visit me and Shera and everyone," Florella smiled fondly. She chuckled. "Fura, Zelda and Ruto chewed him out rather badly after that because he didn't take them with him. Anyway, the four of us, Shera included, were walking around the city on a rather hot day and Link had stumped off to get all of us something to drink. That's when I saw a lovely necklace in the window of a jewelry shop. It was so beautiful that I could barely take my eyes off of it, but then Link came back and we all shuffled along, but then the next day I rushed back to buy it for myself. I got to the shop…but it was gone; somebody had bought it. Naturally, I was rather disappointed, but decided to just let it go. Anyway, I went to Rockvale a few months later to visit Talen and his father…it was a short time after they'd moved into their new house. I was just sitting at the table one afternoon, when Talen emerged from the smithy at the back of the house. He was all dirty and sweaty from banging around with metal all afternoon and was heading off for a bath, when he stopped and headed over to the table. He just said, "I think this is what it looked like," and then he took something out of his pocket, opened up my hand and plopped this necklace in it. He just wandered off to his bath after that without even waiting to see my reaction." Florella gazed at her necklace with a vacant smile. "I thought he'd bought it at first, but then I found out that he'd spent weeks and weeks on making the chain alone." Florella brought herself back to reality and found Mia, Meia and Maia staring openmouthed at the necklace like it was some kind of holy relic. The fairy smiled and dropped it back into her clothing before patting her front.  
"Yes, he can make _anything_," she reaffirmed. "But he couldn't present to you what he made to save his life. Now hurry up and eat my fantabulous Love-Muffins, that's what I came in here for."

Zeel stood facing a roaring fire in the huge hall of her home. It was a vast room and perhaps one of her favorites in the entire building. The floor was polished hardwood and one of the walls had been hung with tapestries of primarily earthy colours; dark reds and rich browns. On the wall opposite the tapestries three large, arched windows looked out upon the dark surroundings of Zeel's home. Near the fireplace was a desk upon which sat a number of books and stacks of parchment illuminated by the fire and the light of an oil lamp. Zeel sighed and clenched her toes on the thick rug that ran up the center of the long room. Her eyes traveled up to the various trophies that adorned the wall above the mantelpiece. There were animal heads, weapons and various other items from things and people she'd killed in the past, but there was one bare space. She frowned at it, just sitting there above the fireplace almost as high as she was tall. It was a long wooden plaque with two carved holders at each end that obviously told that it was meant to hold something. A small bronze plate sat at the bottom of the plaque with a single word carved into it.  
"Ark," Zeel muttered darkly, staring at the carved letters. She'd had the plaque made so that she could display his staff. "Why are you so different from all the rest?" She received no reply from the empty building. The black-haired girl snorted dispassionately and strode over to her desk. She sat herself in a large leather chair and swung it around to face the fire before putting her bare feet up on a footstool. She unconsciously pulled the black dressing gown she wore tighter around her before picking a book up from the desk and placing it open in her lap.  
"I'll get you soon, Ark," she growled. "Then you'll be trapped here forever." She flipped idly through the book. Though he would be a prisoner, he wouldn't be confined to a cell or chamber for the rest of his life. There wouldn't be much point in doing that, since there was no way to escape where she lived anyway. She'd allocate him a place to sleep and keep to himself; space was certainly no problem, seeing as how it was only her occupying the massive manor house and its countless rooms. But first of all she had to break the spell that cursed Great Fairy had placed upon the boy that prevented her from spiriting him away. She also had to deal with that accursed cat that followed Ark around like his shadow, and she'd become even more of a problem with her recent change in size. Zeel rubbed her temples and made an irritated little sound.  
"I'm going to need _her_ help for this one," she muttered distastefully. "But it'll be worth it in the end…and I can finally collect my reward."

Ark awoke with a start and sat up before toppling off balance as his Bloodcat mattress breathed in. He rolled off the bed with a squeak, but Nyaragon lifted one of her sedentary arms off the floor and caught him before he hit, seemingly in her sleep. She snuffled loudly and flipped him back up onto her stomach.  
"Oh, thank you, Miss Nyara-ahh!" he squawked as she rolled over and crushed him. Ark managed to pop his head and a single arm out from underneath her furry body, but she was far too heavy for him to move on his own. He began to squirm and call out to her. "Gak! M-miss Nyara! Please! You're crushing me!" His protests received an ear-twitch from the Bloodcat. Ark whimpered in defeat and allowed his head to drop against the mattress. He couldn't just start shouting out in the hope that somebody would hear and rescue him; he could accidentally wake Link up and that would be just plain inconsiderate of him. He'd just have to wait until somebody-  
"You look a little stuck there, Ark," a small voice interrupted his thoughts. Navi landed on Nyaragon's back and looked down at him. "You can never catch a break, can you."  
"Miss Navi! Please, can you get somebody to help me? I can't move her." Navi laughed and then bowed.  
"Since you're so polite and all, I'd be delighted to help you out," she told him with a grin.  
"But please don't wake Link up; he's sick and probably needs his sleep," Ark added quickly. Navi rolled her eyes and nodded before fluttering her tiny wings and speeding out of the room. Ark watched her go before breathing a sigh of relief. All he had to do was wait.

Link opened his eyes feeling even more tired than before he'd gone to sleep. It seemed that the more he lay in bed, the more exhausted he got. Florella's tremendously sweet Love-Muffins had made him thirsty, but he was unable to leave the room because that persistent Nya-  
"She's asleep!" Link grinned. "And Navi's gone! Time to go stretch my legs." He tore his blanket back, hopped onto the floor and tiptoed to the door. He gave Nyaragon one last glance before pulling he door open and…coming face to face with Saria, Zelda and Fura.  
"What are _you_ doing out of bed?" the Kokiri girl asked archly. Link's face fell.  
"I know, I know," he sighed, turning around and dropping back onto his bed. "Ugh, I was so close." Saria shook her head despairingly.  
"Now Navi tells us that there's a minor emergency with Ark," she frowned. Link shrugged.  
"I only just woke up. What's the matter with him?" he asked. He turned to his friend, only to find him missing. "Hey Ark! Are you still here?"  
"Y-yes!" came a feeble call from somewhere around the Bloodcat's belly.  
"Dear Din! She ate him!" Link gasped.  
"I'm stuck underneath," Ark told him. "Miss Nyara didn't eat me."  
"Oh…why?" Link asked curiously.  
"She rolled over and I got stuck. Please help me out!" Ark pleaded. "I can't wake her up."  
"Why didn't you just have Navi wake me up before? I could have pulled you out of there and then skedaddled rather than have the killjoys come and spoil my escape plan," the Hylian frowned.  
"Oh Link! Enough!" Saria snapped, waving her hand in front of his face.  
"Killjoys my foot," Fura muttered, glancing at him. "You'll be up and about soon enough. Come on Ark, I'll get you out of there." The Gerudo went over, took hold of his arm and hauled him out from underneath Nyaragon's stomach. Ark took a deep breath and sat on the floor with an extremely relieved expression on his face.  
"Thank you, Lady Fura," he panted. "It was getting difficult to breathe under there."  
"All in a days work," Fura smiled as she bowed in front of him. "How are you feeling?"  
"Better than before. Thank you, Miss Saria, for making that potion." Saria looked extremely pleased with herself.  
"Well I do try," she smirked. Link rolled his eyes.  
"You try all right, try to make it as foul-tasting as possible," he snorted. Saria whirled on him.  
"I'll hear nothing out of you," she said icily. "Besides; Florella sweetened it up with _her_ little brew, so no complaining."  
"Speaking of Florella," Zelda said as she stepped towards Ark with a number of familiar-looking, obnoxiously coloured pink muffins. "Have a Love-Muffin." Ark accepted a muffin from the Princess and looked at it carefully.  
"It'll rot your teeth out, Ark," Link warned him.  
"I must admit, they are a little on the sweet side," Zelda smiled almost apologetically. "I'm afraid I wasn't watching when Florella poured all the sugar in."  
"FLAB strikes again," Link said quietly. Fura heard and clonked him on the head with her gold wristband. Ark took a bite out of the muffin, chewed and then swallowed, his left eye twitching faintly.  
"I see what you mean," he winced. "They're very nice though."  
"You shouldn't fill up on them, though," Saria said, taking the muffins from Zelda as she prepared to hand out more. "It's getting late and dinner will be ready soon. I suppose I can let you two out for a meal…but you're going straight back to bed as soon as you're done. And no creamy desserts either. Anything with milk or cream in it makes your nose even worse."

Link was overjoyed to be free of the bedroom and careered off down the halls to find Talen, despite Saria shouting that he needed to take it easy. Nyaragon seemed to sense Ark's absence and jerked awake as he neared the door. She gave him a brief scolding for trying to leave without her protection, before he was picked up and carried off to the dinner table. Everyone was present for the meal, including Eda and Lond. Link relayed the details of his forced imprisonment to the sympathetic Talen and Teran, while their comrade Ark was force-fed by his jailer Bloodcat. The girls chatted with each other about various topics ranging from clothes to how difficult it was to live with boys. The meal consisted of slabs of roasted meat, which Link and Talen greatly appreciated, and lots of boiled arctic vegetables. Saria heaped up Link's plate with a huge serving of greens, telling him that he needed them if he was going to get better quickly. The cooks in the kitchens had learned from the previous night and had prepared a tremendous amount of food for Nyaragon in advance. Mountains of steaming meat were wheeled in on trolleys and placed in front of the Bloodcat. Ark, who was closest to her, was once again given the best seat in the house to hear the crunching of bones and the tearing of sinew and flesh. She was also given a large pitcher of milk which she glugged down greedily, earning her an envious gaze from Link.  
"Impa has told us about your journey," Lond said after the main course. He threaded his fingers together under his chin. "About the Locks, the Key and this…Eternal Ark." The table went quiet.  
"Eet ees surely a perilous journey for ones as young as 'ou," Eda told them softly. "With much danger already faced, and doubtless, more to come." Link was the first to reply.  
"It's something we have to do," he frowned. "Whoever opens the Ark could attain unimaginable power, and from what we've seen, they wouldn't exactly be benevolent in its usage. For one thing, I have the Key; something the enemy need to open the Ark…and they will continue to try and wrest it from me until I am dead, or they are stopped for good."  
"And Ark," Nyaragon, surprisingly, spoke up. "Bad people keep coming for Ark. They not stop until he taken away…or worse. We not even know why bad people want Ark gone, Ark no have Key." She reached out and put a large, protective hand on top of his head, allowing his feathery quills of hair to stick up through her fingers. Link reached into his tunic and pulled out the Locks they had collected so far.  
"This is two of them," he said. "Love and Tranquility. We have four more to find, but the next is somewhere near this city." Ark took out the Compass and held it up for everyone to see.  
"It's pointing out that way," he said, holding his finger in the direction the white pointer was facing. "But until this blizzard clears, there isn't much we can do." Lond looked thoughtful.  
"Maybe there is, young Ark," he smiled. He gestured to an attendant. "Get word to the kennels. Have two teams of sled-dogs at the prepared, I want them ready the instant the sky is clear." The attendant bowed and left swiftly.  
"'Ou may 'af anything 'ou wish in order to find zat Lock," Eda told them. At the mention of the Locks, Lond's expression grew curious.  
"Erm, Link, lad…do you mind if I have a closer look at those? I must say I am surprised that so much trouble has been caused over such small things." Link looked down at the Locks in his hands and then up at the King.  
"Of course, Your Majesty," he said. "Ark, pass these to the King." Link held the two items out to his friend. Ark absently reached for them, but his hand stopped inches way from touching the two small objects. As his fingers hovered above them, a feeling of dread began to wash over him. It crept up his arm, spreading through his body like a horrible chill until Ark found it difficult to breathe. The boy stared at the Locks with faint tints of fear etched in his face. He began to shake, he felt dizzy and all but the Locks seemed to vanish from his sight. Ark heard it then; a voice whispering in the back of his mind. He couldn't quite hear it, but the words it spoke were ones of despair, misery, loneliness and the dark.  
"I-I can't," he stammered, drawing his hand back. He eyed the Locks warily. "I-I'm sorry, I feel a little sick…please excuse me." He stood and left the room hastily as his companions watched him go with puzzlement.  
"H-hey! Ark, what's the matter?" Talen called after him, but Ark was already gone.  
"That was odd," Zelda frowned. "I wonder what the matter is."  
"Ark must be sicker zan we thought," Meia said. Nyaragon was already going for the door.  
"Ark wait for Nyaragon!" the Bloodcat called. She squeezed herself through and into the hallway before galloping off in the direction Ark had gone.  
"I'll go and give him something to make him sleep," Florella said, getting out of her seat. "The poor boy must have a fever." But Link wasn't so sure. He had seen Ark go pale, he had seen him shake and he had seen the look of fear on his face. There was something about the Locks that Ark obviously didn't like, and perhaps it had something to do with why their enemies were after himself as well as the grey-haired boy.  
"How about you?" Fura asked, looking at him. Link snapped out of his thoughts.  
"Huh?"  
"You don't feel sickly too, do you?" the Gerudo asked him. Link shook his head.  
"All the same, it's probably best if you toddle off to bed," Saria frowned. Link sighed and left his seat. He thanked Eda and Lond for their hospitality, bid his friends goodnight and headed off to bed.

As Link wandered along the dimly-lit halls of Aurora's palace, he gazed at the Lock of Tranquility. He frowned and turned it in his hand, examining every minute detail of it.  
"What is it about these that bothers Ark so much?" he mumbled to himself. It was then that Link new that there was far more to Ark than any of them knew. Why else would the person that attempted to open the Eternal Ark send enemy after enemy after them to kill both himself _and_ Ark? And why enlist the services of somebody as dangerous as Zeel _just_ to hunt down one boy? It was strange…so much effort for one such as Ark; a boy who couldn't hurt a fly.  
"What's on your mind?" Navi asked as she flitted around his ear.  
"Oh…nothing really," he said. "Ugh, why us?" He pushed open the door to the room he shared with Talen and Ark, bumping into Florella who was just on her way out.  
"How is he?" Link asked the fairy. Florella sighed.  
"He's asleep now and he _was_ feeling slightly feverish," she told him. "But…I'm not sure that was entirely what was wrong with him."  
"I know," Link agreed. "But I think it's best if we don't bother him with it. If he wants to, he will tell us." Florella opened her mouth to say something, but decided against it and merely let out a sigh.  
"I guess you're right," she frowned. "Well…goodnight then."  
"Goodnight," he grunted in response as the fairly left the room and closed the door. Link sat on his bed and looked over at Ark. He was sound asleep underneath his blanket while Nyaragon sat on the floor watching over him with his staff held in one hand. The jewel at the tip of it glowed dimly.  
"Ark said he couldn't sleep in dark," the Bloodcat murmured. "So Nyaragon hold staff until potion work." Link nodded and kicked his boots of before pulling his covers up to his chin. The cool sheets felt quite good against his skin, which felt a little warm because of his cold. Across the room he could hear Ark breathing steadily and Nyaragon beginning her horrible snore-purr noise. Link yawned and closed his eyes while the snow continued to fall heavily outside the window, barring the way to the next Lock.


	49. Memories and Dreams

**Chapter 48 – Memories and Dreams**

"_It happened a long time ago. Bandits attacked you and your parents when you were so very small…you were thrown in the river, but managed to cling to the reeds until you were found. You probably don't remember." Bandits. His parents had been taken away by lowly bandits, and for what? The few valuables they had on them at the time? It was the first time __Ark had ever asked Aarden what had really happened to his parents. He had always meant to ask, of course…but he was never really sure if he wanted to know.  
_"_S-so that's what happened? I don't remember anything about them," Ark__ said with a shuddering sigh. "Not even what they looked like." He frowned and looked out of the window. "Aarden…I'm going to visit their graves, I shall be back later." Ark left the house he shared with the village chief and wandered slowly down the neat little lane outside, past the creaking waterwheel, and out along a narrow, winding path that led into the forest. The sunlight filtered down through the branches and leaves overhead, sending shafts of light lancing over the loamy ground. The village cemetery lay ahead of him. It was a lonely little place surrounded by a rusty iron fence complete with a creaky little gate. The gravestones of villagers that had passed away stuck out from the ground in various states of degeneration having been gradually worn away by time and the elements. Ark kept walking until he reached the very back of the graveyard. It was there he stopped in front of two very worn headstones. The writing was faded, but the names 'Elan' and 'Miria' were just visible in the chipped and weathered stone. A bunch of wilted flowers rested at the base of the headstone, a testament of his last visit to his parent's resting place. Ark sighed bitterly. Aarden was all he had left. He had no brothers, he had no sisters; no blood relatives of any kind anywhere in the world. Ark stood in front of their graves for a long time, simply gazing at all that remained of his parents. When the sky began to turn orange through the ceiling of leaves, Ark__ left the graveyard and headed home to Aarden and dinner. Little was said during the meal, and even less while Ark__ cleared the cutlery away.  
_"_Ark…tomorrow you must do something very important for me," Aarden said quite suddenly as Ark prepared to go to bed. The grey-haired boy turned from the door to his room.  
_"_I-important?__ But…why me?" he asked hesitantly.  
_"_Because it must be you, __Ark. I am too old for such a task, whereas you have youth on your side as well as an impressive skill with magic. Please, Ark…you must do this for me," the old man told him. Ark gazed at him for a short while, before stepping away from his door.  
_"_W-what is it you want me to do?" Aarden held up a circular gold object he held in his hands.  
_"_This…" Aarden began. "Is the burden you must carry until you find the one destined to wield it."_ _Ark could detect a hint of sadness in the kindly old man's voice, but Aarden's face remained firm and trusting. "I give this to you, Ark__, to take to the Bearer…but sleep for now. I shall wake you early in the morning, for that is when you must leave the village to find him." Aarden extended his hands and held the strange, circular gold object out to Ark.  
_As Ark reached for it, however; his surroundings melted away into shadow. Soon he was standing in complete darkness with only Aarden standing before him.  
"Wh-what's happening? Aarden? Aarden!" The old man too disappeared, fading into the shadows and leaving the circular gold object floating in front of him. It suddenly changed, shifting like liquid into the Key that Link held when locking the Locks. Ark took a few steps back, but the Key suddenly lurched forward and stabbed straight into his chest. Ark stared at it, dumbstruck.  
"Th-this…isn't how it…was supposed…to…be…" he rasped, sinking to his knees. "Why…this…happening…me…?" He began to sink into the inky blackness beneath him, slowly but surely. And then a terrible voice began to laugh, horrible, loud laughter that echoed all around.  
"_And there's nothing you can do!" _it cackled._ "You are all doomed! Fated to die! Behold!"_ And then he saw it again; the nightmarish image of all his companions lying dead on the ground in pools of their own lifeblood. _"But a much worse fate is in store for you, Ark. You know down in your heart of hearts what I speak of…what will happen in the end…"_ And Ark could only watch in stunned disbelief as he sank completely into the darkness.

He woke screaming in a cold sweat, shaking uncontrollably. Ark tore the sheets away from himself in a frenzy before clutching the collar of his nightshirt and ripping the fabric apart. His breathing was ragged and rasping as if he were being suffocated. But then he was enfolded in something warm and soft that lifted him from his bed.  
"Shhh," it told him softly. "Ark all right. Nyaragon here." He continued to gasp in his breath as the Bloodcat held him against herself.  
"M-miss Nyara?" he asked finally. She licked his forehead before resting her chin on top of it.  
"Only bad dream," she told him. "Ark safe with Nyaragon." He buried his face in her chest then and began to sob uncontrollably.  
"W-why?" he cried into her fur. "W-why? Th-they said th-that they w-would protect me! They said they'd s-stop the nightmares! D-dead! You were all d-dead! I can still s-see it…" Nyaragon squeezed him even tighter and held the back of his head with one of her big, soft hands.  
"We still here, Ark," the Bloodcat said soothingly. "We not die. We go close Eternal Ark, then Ark come back with Nyaragon and learn to swim, remember?" Ark seemed to calm down.  
"I remember."  
"Water always warm in Meera River. Bottom made of golden sand, Ark can dive to bottom and see because water clear blue. We swim all day," she told him. "Ark no be scared of water anymore, yes?" Ark nodded against her fur. But the dark…he would always fear the dark; choking, suffocating and endless.  
"When we close the Eternal Ark," the boy murmured.  
"Good Ark," she smiled. "Now Ark get sleep. Ark need rest so cold go away." That set him off again.  
"N-no! I don't want to go to sleep! I can't! The nightmares will come back again, and they won't be able to stop them!" Ark began to panic and struggle as his breathing once again became strained and rasping. "S-so tight! C-can't breathe…I need air!" He began to wrench at his already-torn nightshirt, writhing out of Nyaragon's grip and dropping onto the floor.  
His nightshirt was ripped completely off and it fell in a crumpled heap on the floor. Ark was on his hands and knees, panting and gasping for breath as the events of his dream once again assaulted his vision. He began to crawl across the floor before scrambling to his feet and breaking into a run. He threw open the door and burst out into the hallway as the voice from his dream echoed in his ears. Ark could hear something chasing him; some hideous creature from the darkness no doubt, some horrid beast ready to tear him apart in the shadows. He slid around a corner, his bare feet slipping on the smooth stone floor. Ark pitched forwards and tumbled onto the floor, whereupon he began crawling desperately, but then the monster chasing him grabbed his ankle and dragged him backwards.  
"No! Don't hurt me!" he cried desperately, trying to strike at whatever it was with his fists. "Please! Pl-_mmp__!_" The monster began to suffocate him, covering his nose and mouth and cutting off his air supply. He flailed madly, his feet kicking pathetically at whatever it was that was holding him. Stars began to burst in front of his eyes before everything faded to black.  
Nyaragon leaped to her feet as Ark tore out of the room. Something was definitely wrong with the boy; he wasn't acting like his usual self. She galloped after him and squeezed through the door, allowing him a short head start on her. But Ark could not outrun her in the hallway and she was soon gaining on him with great strides. The Bloodcat saw him slip around a corner and lunged at him, grabbing him by the ankle as he tried to scramble away. She dragged him backwards, pulling him up where she could look at him. His eyes were wild and full of terror, the pupils shrunken down to tiny dots. He began babbling about shadows and monsters before he began launching weak blows and begging her not to hurt him. Deciding that he needed to be taken care of before he did himself any harm, Nyaragon wrapped her hands around his head, pinched his nose and mouth shut and then hugged him against her chest.  
"Nyaragon sorry! Nyaragon sorry! Nyaragon sorry!" she repeated over and over again, resting her chin in his hair. Ark gave a muffled cry and he began to kick his feet out against her legs, but that only served to make Nyaragon hold him even tighter against her bosom until, finally, he went limp in her arms. She quickly brought his face up to hers and was rewarded with the puff of his breath against her cheek.  
"Poor Ark, Nyaragon so sorry," she whispered, stroking his head gently and licking the salty remains of his tears from his cheeks. She turned and plodded back down the hall with Ark coddled up in her arms like a baby. The Bloodcat pushed the door to the boys' room open and squeezed carefully inside.  
"Is he all right?" a voice asked her from across the room. She twitched her ears and turned her head to see Link sitting up in his bed.  
"Link awake?" she asked in surprise. "Link see what happen?"  
"I did…but I thought it best for you to help him, not me," he sighed. "I'm not stupid; even _I_ can see you have a way with Ark like nobody else." Nyaragon looked down at the unconscious boy in her arms.  
"What wrong with Ark? Why he so afraid all of sudden?" the Bloodcat murmured. Link looked down at his lap.  
"It was the Locks," he told her somewhat guiltily. "They don't seem to agree with Ark all that well…and I tried to give them to him."  
"Link not know," Nyaragon said. "Not even Ark know. Nobody fault. Link go back to sleep now and Nyaragon look after Ark. We see how Ark is in morning." Link nodded and settled back down underneath his covers while Nyaragon sat with her back against the wall and Ark clutched tightly in her arms.

Ark was dreaming once again, but unlike his previous dream, it was tranquil and unthreatening. He was resting in the palm of a giant hand that held him aloft in a soft, blue light.  
"_Dear __Ark,"_ a familiar voice from his past dreams said.  
"Y-you again!?" he demanded hesitantly. "Y-you said you would protect me! You said you'd stop the nightmares! But you didn't! It was horrible…" Ark sat up and ran his hand through his hair.  
"_Please, dear __Ark…could we have prevented that dream from ever occurring, we would have done everything in our power to make it so,"_ the mingled voice told him. _"But something we didn't foresee occurred when you came near the Locks. So please, dear __Ark__; you must never touch the Locks, for they fill you with a pain that we simply cannot bear for you to endure. Promise that you will never touch them."_ Ark was taken aback slightly. What interest did these strange entities of his dreams have in him? They seemed to be watching out for him, but they seemed so…distant and vague.  
"A-all right," he agreed. "But tell me…who are you? And why me? Why do the Locks hurt me?"  
"_Because, dear __Ark, we love you so very much,"_ the voices told him almost sadly. _"And the Locks…you will find out why when you are supposed to. It is then you will make your choice…but whatever you choose, you will always be our dear, sweet Ark. Now go back, dear __Ark__, for she will be worried if you do not wake soon…"_ Ark was about to ask what they meant, when he was swallowed up in a wave of blue light.

When Ark opened his eyes the first thing he saw was a set of gleaming teeth. He blinked as a big, pink tongue slid out from between them, squished against his cheek and then slid up the side of his face, leaving a wet trail of saliva behind it.  
"Ack! Miss Nyara?" he murmured. "Where…why aren't I in my bed?"  
"Ark awake!" the Bloodcat crowed delightedly. "Ark okay after last night?" Ark looked confused.  
"Last night? What happened last night? I remember having a nightmare…" he frowned. "H-hey! My nightshirt! Where is it?" He had suddenly noticed that his torso was bare and leaped away from Nyaragon in a panic. But the Bloodcat whipped her tail out, coiled it around his waist and jerked him back again.  
"Ark no remember what happen last night?" she asked him. He shook his head.  
"I remember having several dreams…then I woke up here. What happened, Miss Nyara?"  
"Ark and Nyaragon-" she began, but stopped suddenly when she noticed Link waving and shaking his head from across the room. He began making a series of gestures to help guide her in what to say, though it didn't appear to work too well. "Ah...mmm…"  
"Miss Nyara?" Ark pressed. He sounded slightly worried. Link ground his teeth together and repeated the gestures he had made beforehand, but it only served to make Nyaragon even more confused.  
"Swim? No…ah…went…_made babies!_" she blurted. Link went into a coughing fit and nearly choked himself, while Ark went deathly pale and stood up with a start. He looked down at the floor, noticed his torn nightshirt, his bare torso…and then he promptly fainted.  
"Sweet Din! Is that really the _best_ thing you could come up with!?" Link demanded. "What, did you want to give him a heart attack? Check if the poor thing is still alive! Why didn't you just tell him he'd slaughtered a group of baby seals instead? I'm sure that would have been less of a shock!"  
"Nyaragon panic! Link made Nyaragon panic! Not Nyaragon's fault, it Link's!" she protested, picking up the unconscious Ark and tapping his cheek. She put him down on his bed.  
"How is it my fault!?"  
"Link make Nyaragon not tell Ark what happen!" she declared. "Then make confusing things with hands!"  
"Sleepwalking! It was sleepwalking! How in the world did you confuse sleepwalking with…ugh, I don't even want to say it," he groaned. Link slapped his palm to his head. "He's going to be a mess."  
"All Link's fault! Link made Ark faint!" Nyaragon accused hotly. She leaped at Link and swiped him off his bed, tumbling onto the floor and chewing his ear. Link wailed in protest and the Key's straps sprang to life, tangling Nyaragon's arms and legs.  
"Ow! Get off me! You're too huge!" Link wailed, scrabbling madly on the floor. The door suddenly swung open and Nyaragon jumped to her feet with a start, taking Link with her. Saria and Florella stood in the doorway holding mugs of what was most likely medicine. They froze upon seeing Nyaragon with the Key's straps wound around her stomach, arms, head and tail like a badly wrapped mummy, with Link effectively bound diagonally to her front.  
"Good morning," he said politely. Saria and Florella stared at him, then Nyaragon, then Link again.  
"What did you do this time?" Saria asked flatly.  
"_Me!?"_ Link exclaimed. "Why do you always assume _I_ did something wrong!?"  
"Because nine times out of ten you have," Florella sighed. "Can you please untangle yourselves so you can have your medicine?" Link peered at the greenish liquid the two girls held and wrinkled his nose.  
"I don't know if I want to," he shuddered. "But I'm feeling much better now. I probably don't even need…" Link trailed off as he met Saria's level gaze. He sighed in bitter defeat and unwound the Key from around Nyaragon. When the Bloodcat was almost free, she shook herself and dislodged Link, causing the boy to crash onto the floor. In the wink of an eye, Nyaragon had snatched Ark's medicine, stepped over Link and darted over to the grey-haired boy's bed.  
"Come on, drink it down," Saria told Link, thrusting his drink under his nose. The boy made a small, pathetic sound before grabbing the mug and downing the foul green liquid. He made a number of gagging noises before handing the mug back to the Kokiri girl and standing up.  
"It was tough, but I managed to suppress the urge to throw up," he told her.  
"You brave boy," she responded dryly. "Here's an idea: why don't you go and amaze Fura and Zelda with your mind-boggling abilities and sit at the breakfast table? You're obviously well enough to fight with Nyara, so I _suppose_ I can let you out of here." Link pulled his boots on and shot out of the room in a flash. Florella shook her head despairingly before her face lit up and she scurried over to where Talen was snoozing.  
"Talen!" she sang. "Time to get up!" He mumbled something unintelligible and rolled away from her. Florella puffed her cheeks out and went around to the other side of the bed. The fairy began shaking Talen gently in an attempt to rouse him. She had limited success.  
"Let me sleep," he moaned. "I'm tired."  
"But Talen! Breakfast's almost ready! I want to sit with you at the table! Pah-leeeease?" she wheedled, clasping her hands underneath her chin. The smith finally relented and dragged himself from the warmth of his sheets.  
"Oh," Talen yawned, remembering something. "Just wait until Ark wakes up. He had a bit of a scare earlier and it needs explaining."  
"A scare?" Saria asked. "What happened?" Talen scrubbed his fingers back and forth through his hair and yawned again.  
"You two will probably think it's rather funny, but I personally feel sorry for him. All right, here's what happened…"

The story of Ark's fainting spell spread rather quickly to the others, much to his embarrassment. Nyaragon had apologized profusely after he had regained his senses and quickly explained that they had not, in fact, "made babies" as she had stated earlier.  
"Nyaragon joking," she had told a positively petrified Ark. "Ark went sleepwalking and ripped shirt off on doorhandle. Ark not angry, is he?" He wasn't, and that settled that. It didn't, however; stop the rest of the girls from giggling at him. In fact, Fura laughed so hard upon hearing it that the milk she had been drinking came out her nose. Talen, Link and Teran seemed to be the only sympathetic ones, since even King Lond seemed to find it highly amusing. Needless to say, Ark was almost as red as Nyaragon's crimson fur for the entirety of breakfast.  
"I'm bored," Fura sighed, lolling on one of the big armchairs in the sitting-room. She half-lay half-sat on it sideways, her head and legs hanging off the arms. Fura wasn't the only one starved for entertainment. Florella had even stooped so low as to play a game of checkers with the only person willing to go against her: Link, possibly the only person out of all of them who was enjoying themselves. She didn't appear to be winning.  
"And that's another game," Link whistled. "Gee, Florella…perhaps you should work on your cheating a little more."  
"I do _not_ cheat!" she snapped, slamming her little fists down on the floor. "It's all your fault! You infuriate me so much that I can't-"  
"Cheat to the best of your ability, I know," Link interrupted her. Florella made an irritated little sound, dumped the checkerboard over his head, kicked him in the shin for good measure and stormed over to where Talen was pretending to be awake.  
"Talen! Please stop sleeping!" she whines pathetically. "Link's being mean! Bust his head in for me."  
"Oh…you're in for it later, Link," Talen mumbled, not even bothering to open his eyes.  
"I have seen the error of my ways," Link said dryly from across the room, shaking checkers from his clothing.  
"There you go; problem solved. Link's turned over a new leaf and now I can get back to sleep. Thank you for playing," Talen yawned, leaning over to the other side of the chair he was sitting in. Florella stomped her foot down.  
"Rrgh! _Boys!_" she exclaimed.  
"I'm tired, Florella," Talen whimpered. "People kept waking me up last night."  
"Was eet Ark and Nyara making ze babies?" Mia giggled. Ark gasped and fumbled with his staff, the jewel of which he was polishing.  
"Oh stop making fun of him," Zelda said, trying to sound serious, but failing due to the large smirk on her face.  
"Oh why did a stupid blizzard have to pick _now_ to come and blizzard itself over everything? I want to have fun in the snow!" Fura grumbled.  
"Well there's nothing stopping you from going out," Link shrugged. "You said yourself that you don't feel the cold." Fura turned and looked at him.  
"What fun would it be by myself? You need to be out there too," Fura tutted. "That way we can pretend to be trapped in the snow, keeping each other warm and ki-"  
"I get the picture," Link butted in with an exasperated sigh.  
"Stories!" Meia clapped suddenly.  
"'Ou af to tell us more stories about ze things 'ou af see," Maia insisted. Link rolled his eyes and snorted.  
"All right, Link. Because of that, _you_ can be the one who goes first," Saria told him with a smirk. She received a sound of indignation from the boy. "Go on, they're waiting." Link scowled at her before sighing in defeat.  
"A story…" he frowned thoughtfully. "All right! I've got one. Are you all ready?" He paused, waiting for everyone's attention.  
"Just hurry up and get started," Florella sighed. Link made a face at her and continued.  
"Once upon a time a young and innocent lad was walking down a quiet path in the countryside when a horrible dragon appeared. Far more horrible than Volvagia, this dragon was called Fura. "Rargh!" the Fura dragon roared. "I'm going make your life a horrible montage of embarrassment!" What was the lad to do? All of a sudden, the dragon's friends appeared! There was a horrible cat-beast that looked like it wanted to eat the poor lad, a foul-tempered green bug that sprayed poisonous liquid from its mouth, a monster that could shatter windows with its squeal. Suddenly, the most horrifying one of all appeared! It was one of those little white dogs that are just made to be stepped on and its name was Florella. This little Florella thing just kept yapping and yapping and wouldn't shut up because the lad didn't do what it wanted him to do. Bark! Bark! Bark! The lad was surrounded by these hideous beasts, the horror! Suddenly, from over the hill came two brave warriors! The first warrior created a great rift in the ground, swallowing up the Fura dragon, the green bug and the cat-beast, while the second warrior called forth a huge lightning bolt and fried the squealy monster and Florella the made-to-be-stepped-on dog. The warriors took the lad back to their home by the river where they went fishing and played in the dirt for the rest of their lives. They all lived happily ever after, the end." Link finished off his story with a boy, before sitting back down on the floor to resume picking up all the checkers.  
"Euh!" Florella grunted furiously. "I am _not_ a little dog that's made to be stepped on! Just when I think you couldn't get any more idiotic, you prove me wrong! Talen, go and slap him around!"  
"I thought it was a great story. I was a hero," Talen snorted. "You're just jealous that I beat all of you." Florella stamped her foot on the floor.  
"Squealy monster?" Zelda asked.  
"A green, poison-spraying bug?" Saria frowned.  
"Fura dragon?" Fura scowled.  
"Nyaragon eat Link good!" the Bloodcat yowled. Nyaragon pounced and tackled him to the floor. The two of them began thrashing about while Fura, Zelda, Saria and Florella began to cheer the Bloodcat on.

Ark couldn't sleep. The terrible images of his nightmare the previous night were still rather fresh in his mind, despite the other voices telling him it was only because he had come so close to the locks. He sat up and sighed. Nyaragon lay on the floor next to his bed making all manner of odd little growling sounds as she dreamed. Talen and Link were snoring away in their respective beds, exhausted after being given a hard time all day by the girls after Link's rather amusing story. Being careful not to wake anyone, Ark slipped out of bed and padded from the room. Luckily, the hall outside wasn't completely dark and Ark was able to see where he was going…not that he actually knew where that was. He wandered aimlessly for some time with his staff glowing dully at his side. Few guards patrolled the palace at such a late hour, at least in the inner halls where he was. He went up flights of stairs, through even more corridors until he finally arrived at what could be compared to a viewing platform at the very top of the palace. It was a section of hallway where the walls and ceiling were made of glass, providing the viewer with an unobstructed vantage point of the entire city. Ark went up to the glass and pressed his face and hands against it and gazed out over the snow-covered city. It was difficult to see very clearly due to the thick snowfall, but small dots of light from the houses twinkled through the swirling snow like stars in the sky. With a heavy breath, he sat down on a bench seat in front of the glass. Ever since his brush with the Locks, he had been feeling rather ill and the feeling had only just begun to fade.  
"What _is_ it about the Locks that disagrees with me so?" he pondered quietly. "And that dream…it was the day before I left to find the bearer." Ark sighed and tilted his head back to look up at the cloudy sky. "Mother, Father…I hope you're up there somewhere." He shivered slightly, his teeth clacking together. If it was cold in the glass corridor, then he'd hate to feel what outside was like. He was about to head back down to his room when the jingle of a bell caught his attention. Ark stopped and whirled around sharply, but the corridor was completely empty.  
"Strange…" Ark frowned. "I could have sworn I heard something." As if in response, the jingling of a bell could be heard once again. Ark began to get nervous. He had a vague recollection of a bell that sounded like that, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Deciding that he'd best be getting back to bed, Ark turned back down the corridor, but not before noticing a shape out in the swirling snow. He walked slowly up to the glass and peered out, squinting through the blizzard at the faint shape. But then he blinked and it was gone. He took a few steps back from the glass and stopped suddenly as something grabbed him by the shoulders. Ark held in a cry of surprise before he was whirled around to face Nyaragon. She frowned down at him and shook her finger.  
"Ark naughty to sneak off," she chided him. "Ark make Nyaragon worry."  
"M-miss Nyara! You startled me," he breathed in relief. "I thought you were…someone else."  
"What Ark doing up here?" she asked. "It long way from room. Nyaragon have to follow Ark scent." Ark glanced back towards the window.  
"I was just thinking about things," he murmured, twiddling his fingers. "I couldn't get to sleep because I was worried about having another nightmare." Nyaragon looked at him thoughtfully before padding over to the bench-seat and sitting down, dragging Ark with her in the process. She plopped him in her lap and folded her arms around his front.  
"Ark no need be scared of dreams," she told him. "Dreams can no hurt Ark."  
"I know…" he started. "But they seem so vivid, like they're…a portent of what may come to be." The pair stayed quiet for a while, watching the snow swirl about outside.

"_The winds of tomorrow I know not where they blowing,  
__And where I am headed I have no way of knowing.  
__What come to a Meera they face with teeth bared,  
__So Meera stand firm and never get scared."_

Nyaragon finished her little rhyme by tapping Ark on the head with her tail.  
"What was that?" Ark asked quietly.  
"Meera song," Nyaragon smiled. "Nyaragon's mother teach it to her so Nyaragon not scared of what may happen. Ark not be scared of dreams because Nyaragon not let them come true, yes?" She seemed absolutely sure of herself and that made Ark feel all the more better.  
"Yes, Miss Nyara."  
"Good. Be brave Ark. Remember, Ark need go swimming with Nyaragon. We do lots of things in Meera village. We climb trees, listen to rain in leaves, catch Klikky Beetles and eat Pelopp Fruit," she told him, rocking back and forth.  
"What are Klikky Beetles and Pelopp Fruits?" Ark asked curiously.  
"Ark see when we go to Meera village," the Bloodcat grinned. "Now is Ark ready for bed?"  
"Yes," he yawned. "Thank you, Miss Nyara."  
"Good," Nyaragon nodded in a satisfied kind of way. "And Ark remember; Nyaragon no let Ark's bad dreams come true."


	50. Broken Binding

**Chapter 49 – Broken Binding**

The blizzard lasted two more days, the entirety of which the girls spent in or around the baths. The prospect of going outside seemed to breathe life into everyone, particularly Link and Ark; the latter seeming much more cheerful and the former being far less prickly around the edges. Outside, everything had been buried under a fresh coating of snow. Florella dashed out into the grounds only to find herself buried up to her waist in snow. Talen rescued her whilst trying his very hardest not to laugh and told her to be a little more careful where she put her feet. Despite her large size, Nyaragon had no trouble negating the thick snow and managed to dash about without sinking. The snowballs she hurled at the boys after both genders waged snowy war were rather large because of her bigger hands. Link often found himself being floored by one of the head-sized balls of compacted snow since the Bloodcat never aimed at either Ark or Talen. Florella became a sitting duck for most of the battle due to her uncanny ability to sink herself in the snow. Needless to say Link took full advantage of her helplessness before Nyaragon or Fura managed to pull her free. Link used the Key to the extreme irritation of the girls, leaping high into the air to drop armfuls of snowballs upon them and then springing away faster than they could aim and retaliate. Still, it proved to be remarkably good fun, even for Ark, who apologized whenever one of his projectile gobs of snow connected with somebody.  
"Don't be sorry, Ark!" Link had called as he vaulted high into the air. "Show them no mercy!" The Hylian had then landed behind Florella and stuffed two handfuls of snow down the back of her clothes. She squealed in shock and discomfort from the sudden chill and hopped around madly before sinking up to her waist in snow for about the fifth time that day.  
Impa came out and spoiled their fun soon after Florella was extracted from her snowy prison.  
"We're off," she informed them simply.  
"Off?" Zelda asked.  
"Like a bucket of fish in the hot sun," Link said. Saria sighed.  
"Not _that_ kind of off, Link," Impa smiled. "No, we're off to get the next Lock. The weather conditions are good right now and we don't want to be trapped inside while another blizzard strikes. I have already made the necessary arrangements and we have sleds and dogs waiting for us." There were murmurs of agreement. The Sheikah woman continued. "However…Zelda and Saria shall stay here at the palace."  
"What! But why?" Zelda protested.  
"Because it could be dangerous. There are those Eshlee creatures out there and it's no place for a Princess or a little forest girl." Saria didn't seem too disappointed, but Zelda went rather pouty.  
"I can protect myself," she told Impa. "You know that."  
"I also know that you can't fight. I'm sorry, but it's too dangerous for you to go." Impa's tone was final. "Perhaps a certain someone will give you a kiss to make up for it." Zelda's eyes brightened while Fura rolled her eyes.  
"That's right," Link nodded. Both the Gerudo and the Hylian Princess looked suitably shocked. "Go ahead, Ark." Link pushed his friend forward.  
"She mean you!" Nyaragon growled at Link, snatching Ark up and holding him like he was a teddy bear about to be stolen.  
"Ugh, I know," Link sighed.  
"Well go on then, Romeo," Florella snickered, elbowing him lightly. "Zelda's waiting." Link scowled at the fairy and glanced up at the waiting Zelda.  
"Be quiet, bacon-belly," he grumbled. "I'm not doing anything of the sort. Besides; there are too many people around." Link folded his arms across his chest, indicating that he wasn't going to change his mind.  
"All right, when you get back then," Zelda smiled. "I'll be waiting for your return." She sauntered off with Saria, Mia, Meia and Maia giggling after her. Link watched her go before turning to Impa with a look of consternation on his face.  
"Impa, _why_ did you go and have to say a thing like that? You of all people!" Impa smiled and folded her arms across her chest.  
"It's my job to look out for Zelda's safety. If I hadn't thought of something, then she would have tried to come along. What would you have me do?" she asked.  
"Dig a hole and stick her at the bottom, I don't know. Anything but _that_," Link groaned. "Ugh, I'm surrounded by frustration wherever I go." Florella snorted audibly and leaned up against a tree.  
"Then you know how _I_ feel, you clod," she told him. "And you're pretty much the cause o-" The Key's straps flicked up and hammered into the trunk of the tree the fairy girl was leaning against. She cut short what she was saying as the snow caked in the branches dislodged itself and buried her. Muffled shouts, curses and squeals could be heard from under the white powder.  
"That was mean," Fura told Link, shaking her head as Talen went to dig Florella out.  
"If it was mean, why are you trying not to laugh?" he asked her flatly.  
"Hey, I never said it wasn't funny," she shrugged. "Oh, I suggest you make yourself scarce before `Talen gets her out. You don't want her to curse you or something like that."

The dogs didn't like Nyaragon and Nyaragon didn't like the dogs. There was a brief hissing and barking match between one team of dogs and Nyaragon, at the end of which the Bloodcat let out a horrible roar and scared them away. She then took it upon herself to pull the sled that Ark would be riding in, stating that she didn't want him _anywhere_ near mangy dogs. She buckled the harness about her waist like a belt, stuck her pet Ark onto her sled along with Florella and Talen while Impa, Link and Fura readied the second sled. Soon they were skimming along the fresh snow with Ark holding the Compass in front of him to lead the way. They cleared the city and set out across the great expanses of snow and fantastic natural ice sculptures. Nyaragon appeared to be enjoying herself immensely, her hair billowing out behind her as she galloped along on all fours with the sled whizzing along behind her.  
"We go right way?" Nyaragon asked Ark. The boy gave her the affirmative.  
"Yes, but it's beginning to tilt to the east."  
"We'll keep going in this direction until we pass these bits of ice," Impa called from the other sled. "They stop some distance up ahead, which means we can change direction without any obstructions." A sharp cracking sound caught both sled teams' attention. Groups of Eshlee were beginning to break away from the ice sculptures in front of them. They quickly scuttled in the way of the sleds, shrieking in their horrible, dry manner.  
"Eshlee!" Link shouted, warning the others. "Watch out!"  
"I've got them!" Fura called triumphantly. With Link's help, she rose up above Impa and began shooting great streams of flame from her palms. The Eshlee, being ice, didn't stand much of a chance and were melted down into puddles of water in seconds. They kept coming, however; popping from the ice and swarming all around them.  
"There's no end to them," Talen growled, shattering a number of them with some rock needles.  
"Just leave it to me!" Fura laughed. She was clearly enjoying showing off. She held her wrists together and let loose with a tremendous eruption of fire that blasted through both the Eshlee _and_ the great shards of weathered ice, creating a thoroughfare of sorts. "In we go!" Both sleds veered off down Fura's new route on a direct course for the Lock that lay somewhere up ahead. The Eshlee were still coming, however.  
"Why are there so many all of a sudden? They don't have any connection with Gaul and his master," Link grunted as the sled jolted.  
"Who knows?" Impa frowned. "I- behind you!" One of the Eshlee had managed to latch onto the rear of the sled with its large jaws. It screeched loudly and hopped forward as Link leveled his dark arm at it. But before he could blast it into oblivion, the icy creature jumped at him and swallowed his arm.  
"Augh!" Link wailed out of surprise more than pain. "Get off me!" The Eshlee suddenly exploded into tiny fragments of ice as he destroyed it from the inside. He winced as the large bite marks filled in with more shadow.  
"Are you all right?" Impa asked.  
"I'm fine," he said. "It may heal right over, but it still hurts."  
"Duck!" Fura shouted suddenly. Link lurched forward while still keeping the girl suspended in the air. She sent a torrent of searing fire rolling through the air just above him, obliterating a handful of Eshlee that were in the process of dropping onto the sled from above. Link sat back up still feeling the heat from Fura's fire in his clothing.  
"Sorry," she smiled sheepishly.  
"Almost out of ice!" Nyaragon called. "Quick!" The Bloodcat gave a burst of speed and Impa encouraged the dogs to run faster. Fura created a large ball of flame and hurled it ahead of them, blowing out some shards of ice that were in the way. The two sleds whizzed out onto the flat, snowy plains while the Eshlee dropped further and further behind. Those that still tried following were quickly melted into puddles by a slightly overzealous Fura. The two sleds slowed down to a moderate pace so that the dogs wouldn't be exhausted.  
"Is everybody all right?" Impa asked. She received the affirmative from both sleds. "Good. Ark, how are we going?" The grey-haired boy quickly pulled the Compass from his clothing, having stowed it safely away when the Eshlee attacked.  
"We're right on target, Miss Impa," he called. "And we're getting closer." Impa nodded.  
"Good. Let's keep going then; I want to be as far away from those monsters as possible."

It was mid-afternoon by the time the two sled teams reached a forest populated by thick, hardwood trees that towered straight up as if they were holding the sky in place. Talen whistled in amazement, knocking on the trunk of one with his knuckle.  
"They're quite big, but the trees at Arbouren still beat them hands down," he mused. "Still…they're as hard as iron. I wonder what I could make out of one if I could get it back to…" The smith trailed off and continued appraising the great tree. Florella sighed and hung her head.  
"How does it feel to be beaten by a bit of wood?" Fura asked, patting the fairy on the shoulder.  
"Maybe I should stick woodchips all over my body. Perhaps he'll pay more attention then," Florella sighed. "Oh well, all in good time. Come on, Talen." She took hold on his arm and dragged him away from the tree with some difficulty. Impa tied the dogs and left them with something to eat before turning to Ark.  
"Lead the way," she told the boy. He nodded and studied the Compass for a moment.  
"Over there," he said, pointing off through the trees. "It isn't far." They set out through the forest with Ark in the lead accompanied by Nyaragon. Oddly enough, there were very few monsters in the forest. Nyaragon spotted a single White Wolfos, but the wolf-like creature loped away, deciding that something as big as the Bloodcat was not worth going up against to get something to eat.  
"Strange…" Link frowned. "Teran told me that the Eshlee inhabited this entire land."  
"Why is that strange? There aren't any here," Fura shrugged, looking around.  
"That exactly," Link muttered. "Shouldn't there be some here?" There was a thoughtful silence.  
"Maybe they don't like trees," Florella shrugged. "It could be one of a hundred reasons why not." Nothing else was said on the matter.  
"We're very close," Ark said, trying to sound excited. He didn't want to let on that the prospect of having another Lock nearby would only serve to make him more ill at ease, so he put on a mask of enthusiasm.  
"How far?" Florella asked. Ark frowned.  
"I don't know exactly," he frowned. "The Compass isn't very accurate with distance, Lady Florella." But it was then that they came around the base of one of the large trees and arrived at the fringe of a small clearing. A number of the trees bore scorch marks and there was a sizeable crater in the ground before them.  
"This is it," Impa smiled. "Let's start looking. It's probably buried after all the snow, so we'll need to dig." Ark wandered around the crater until the Compass began to point straight down, which was the signal for them to start digging. Fura held back from melting everything in sight lest she accidentally damage the Lock. They worked for some time with Talen being perhaps the biggest help. His superior strength meant that he was able to move large quantities of snow along with Nyaragon, whose claws raked the snow away with ease. Ark, however; dug slow and shallow. He feared the Locks, what they did do his dreams at night. They warped them into nightmares that spoke of a fate worse than death awaiting him. He shook his head. It did him no good to think such thoughts. He sighed and shoveled another clump of snow away half-heartedly, but as he did so a wave of nausea swept him. He cupped his hand to his mouth and fought back the urge to throw up until the feeling passed. Breathing heavily, he stood up, composed himself and moved the snow away with his foot. The Lock sat there; half buried in the snow at the tip of Ark's boot. He grimaced and turned to the others.  
"I've found it," he said simply, stepping back.  
"You have? Good job!" Florella clapped. "Bring it over and Link can lock it." Ark froze and looked at the fairy girl rather helplessly. He looked back down at the Lock, his eyes taking on a fearful look.  
"Don't worry, I've got it," Link said suddenly, walking over and stooping to pick it up. As the blonde boy stood back up, his and Ark's eyes met and a silent understanding passed between the green and blue.  
"Then lock it and we can head back to the palace where it's warm," Florella nodded. "I'm getting cold out here."  
"Why _did_ you come anyway?" Link asked. She arched an eyebrow at him.  
"In case _you_ or the two gentlemen hurt yourselves, that's why," she told him haughtily. "Now hurry up! My fingers are freezing off. Hug me, Talen." She threw her arms around his waist and shivered, worming her hands up under the back of his top. The smith gave a start and jerked away.  
"Yow! They're cold all right," he whistled. Florella didn't have much success in getting him to let her hands back in. Link rolled his eyes and grabbed the two rings dangling from his neck. The gold collar changed shape to become the large, sword-like key before the Lock left Link's hand and floated before him. He stepped back and twirled the Key in front of himself before clenching his dark fist around the handle. As the glowing white keyhole appeared, he thrust the Key forwards and plunged it in, turning it sharply.  
"Key, Lock!" he commanded. There was a loud click and the white keyhole disappeared, leaving the newly locked Lock before him. It was a strange looking thing; a misshapen black padlock made of jagged edges that didn't quite fit together. Link frowned.  
"I wonder what this one is?" he asked out loud.  
"Chaos," Ark said quietly, looking at it uneasily. The others looked at him. "I-I'm pretty sure it's chaos." His uneasy expression quickly changed to one of curiosity as the faint sound of a jingling bell reached his ears.  
"Well," Impa said in a satisfied manner. "Let's get going then. Good job." Link was about to tuck the Lock away in his tunic when a greenish blur rushed past and knocked him off his feet.  
"What? Hey!" he cried. The strange, green-tinted demon girl floated in the air in front of one of the massive trees, the bells on her outfit turning out to be the source of the jingling Ark could hear before. She was tossing the Lock lazily up in the air and catching it again. "Wait…I know you!" Link stabbed his finger at her.  
"You do?" she gasped in feigned surprise. "I'm flattered!"  
"What do you want?" Fura growled, drawing her scimitars and holding them out in front of herself. "Return that Lock!"  
"Oh I only need to borrow it, Miss Red," the girl grinned, twirling the Lock on the tip of her finger. "I have it, so you can come out now." Link whirled around as the sound of something approaching from behind reached his ears. He was a little too late, however; as he caught a glimpse of Zeel racing towards him before she smashed the back of her scythe into the side of his head. Link was knocked off his feet and was sent tumbling through the snow until he stopped still.  
"Link!" Fura cried, running over to where he lay sprawled unconscious on his back. "Are you all right? Say something!" The Gerudo turned her head up and twisted her lips into a snarl aimed at Zeel, who floated near the demon-girl.  
"Oh whoops, I'm sowwy," the black-haired girl apologized with a godly amount of sarcasm, putting her finger to her bottom lip. "I should have hit him harder!"  
"You come for Ark again!" Nyaragon hissed ferociously, thrusting the aforementioned boy behind her. "Zeel have to go through Nyaragon first!"  
"With pleasure, kitty-cat," Zeel sneered.

Impa picked up the fallen Link and carried him to safety where Florella could tend to the wound on his head. Fura and Talen squared off against Zeel and the demon-girl while Nyaragon backed away with Ark. Zeel and Fura charged at each other, their weapons meeting with a terrific shower of sparks.  
"I owe you for last time," Zeel grimaced at the Gerudo from behind her scythe. "So prepare to collect in full." They pushed away from each other and began to attack with their blades. Zeel whipped her scythe around with near-blinding speed while Fura brought her scimitars up to block each consecutive strike. The Gerudo suddenly rolled back and lashed out with her foot, catching Zeel in the stomach. Winded, Zeel staggered back with a grunt before taking to the air. Fura was then forced to dodge madly as the black-haired girl began tearing her scythe through the air, sending purple shockwaves at her. They slammed into the ground as Fura ran in a wide circle, kicking up snow and slush as the purple energy exploded. The Gerudo suddenly smashed the hilts of her scimitars together so that the blades faced opposite directions, thus creating a single weapon. As she held the weapon, it ignited into boiling flame in her fist. Zeel let out a startled exclamation before Fura reared her arm back and whipped it forward. The burning, twin-bladed weapon left her hand and flew through the air not unlike some kind of oversized boomerang, spinning rapidly and leaving a trail of sparks in its wake. Zeel only just had time to duck out of the way as Fura's joined scimitars hissed over her head, sheared through the branches of a few trees in a wide arc before returning to the hand of its thrower, whereupon the were separated. Not one to be outplayed, Zeel wrenched her arm out in front of her and sent her scythe whirring through the air towards the Gerudo. Fura jumped out of the way, but the spinning scythe managed to nick her face, leaving a cut running from just under her eye to just under her earlobe.  
"Is that the best you can do?" Fura smirked, wiping her face as Zeel landed some distance away. "Let me show you how it's done!" The redhead held her hand up in front of her face before whipping her arm out at the ground below Zeel. The tips of her fingers glowed red before thin streams of red light burst out, drawing a zigzag of lines in the snow. Zeel frowned and looked down at them with a raised eyebrow.  
"Well that sure was impressive," she snorted. "I-" Fura smirked and clicked her fingers. The lines she had drawn on the ground flared into brightness before erupting in walls of flame. Zeel was blown backwards whereupon she hit the snow and tumbled along until colliding with the base of a tree. She rose with a groan and a shake of her head while Fura charged forward with her scimitars held ou at her sides with the tips facing forwards. But suddenly, there came a desperate cry from behind the Gerudo and she skidded to a halt.  
"Lady Fura! Please don't kill her!" It was Ark. He'd ducked through Nyaragon's legs and had made his way about halfway across the clearing before the Bloodcat had noticed. Fura, momentarily surprised by Ark's plea, was bowled over as Zeel vaulted to her feet and ran forward.  
"Now! Do it!" she shouted.

Talen wasn't sure what to do. Though his opponent was a demon, she was also a girl- a rather pretty one at that… if you could look past the large, pointed ears and greenish skin. She hopped from one foot to the other in a kind of strange dance, the bells on her clothing jingling along with her. But even if he was reluctant to attack her, Talen was still on guard with his stone skin covering his arms.  
"Talen!" Florella called from where she was trying to bring Link around. "What are you doing!? Get the Lock from her!"  
"Oh, right!" The smith charged forward to grab the Lock from the demon-girl as she held it out tauntingly. But just as he made a grab for it, she leaped over his head and seemed to blur as she sailed through the air before landing some distance behind him. Talen whirled around and blinked stupidly. The demon-girl grinned and dangled the Lock between her thumb and forefinger, daring him to take it. The smith frowned and the snow below the demon's feet exploded as a large rock hand appeared. It made a grab for her, but she leaped up just as the hand's fingers closed and landed on top of it. She stuck her tongue out and blew him a raspberry before the hand began to grab repeatedly at her in an attempt to lay purchase. But the demon-girl moved almost like an acrobat; prancing, somersaulting and vaulting off the hand itself as it tried to grab her.  
"Jeez," Talen winced as she suddenly sprung straight up and sent a ball of red energy streaking straight down at the hand, blowing it apart in an instant.  
"Talen!" Florella exclaimed.  
"What do you expect me to do?" he called defensively. "She's not attacking me and…she's a girl." He said the last part rather quietly.  
"Kick her in the head!" Florella shouted. However; just as she said that, the demon-girl ran straight at Talen with her fist glowing red. Talen raised his arm and deflected the blow, sending her fist smashing into the trunk of a tree. The wood cracked from the impact. She turned around quickly, flashing him a grin and running at him once again. Talen reacted quickly and caught her wrist, using her momentum to roll backwards and hurl her through the air behind him. She spun and twisted as she sailed back, eventually landing in a low, crouched position facing him. What unsettled Talen the most about his opponent was the viciousness of her attacks, despite her strangely flippant demeanor. The girl suddenly jumped up onto her feet and stood with her feet together and her hands held flat together at her front. Talen waited uneasily for her to try something. He didn't need to wait for long. She suddenly took a few steps forward before launching into the air again, leaving a kind of blurred illusionary trail behind her. She spread her arms wide and came down upon Talen, but the smith was not completely unprepared for the girl's attack. He lifted his arms to meet her and closed his hands around hers. She blinked as she stopped just above his head before she swung down in front of him. The girl was stuck, her hands firmly encased in Talen's powerful fists. She began to struggle desperately as she hung in the air in front of Talen. He pursed his lips and let go of one of her hands so that he could get the Lock from where he had seen her stow it in her clothing. Unfortunately, before he could do so; she fished it out with her free hand and threw it straight up into the air. Talen gave a startled oath and let go of her completely, holding his hand up to catch the precious, falling item. But the demon-girl was already there. She jumped onto his shoulders and kicked herself straight up, catching the Lock and taking flight at the same time. There was a shout from across the clearing.  
"Now! Do it!"

Ark realized his error in leaving the protection of Nyaragon to stop Fura from killing Zeel. The black-haired girl ran at him after shouting out to her accomplice, a wild look about her eyes. Ark pivoted on his heel and began running back to the Bloodcat, but Zeel whipped up her scythe and swung it at the retreating boy, cracking him across his back with the head of it. He lurched forward and fell, stunned by the blow.  
"Ark!" Nyaragon bellowed, already loping towards him. She launched herself at the fallen boy, but Zeel snared the back of his clothing and shot up into the air before the Bloodcat could reach him. She hovered high above the clearing, well out of reach as the demon-girl came up to meet her.  
"Hurry up! Before they attack!" Zeel ordered sharply. The demon girl gave a small chuckle and held out the Lock. The relic began to resonate, vibrating in her hand as she held it.  
"Almost there!" she laughed. _"Now!"_ The Lock pulsed, releasing a shockwave of power that kicked up a flurry of snow on the ground below. The demon-girl grabbed Ark's clothing with her spare hand as a purple light, mingled with red, began to absorb them.  
"What's going on up there!?" Fura demanded. Florella narrowed her eyes and then widened them in horror.  
"They're using the Lock! They're drawing power from it to break my binding spell!" she cried. "_That's_ what they were doing! They waited until Link had locked it so that it could boost her spells power.  
"What does that mean?" Talen asked.  
"They're going to take Ark!" Nyaragon roared and leaped at the nearest tree and began to scale it rapidly as the light around Zeel, Ark and the demon intensified. There was a groan from behind them.  
"Link, you shouldn't try to move," Impa told the blonde boy as he sat up.  
"Wh-what's going on?" he murmured, shaking his head. "Where-?" He looked up and saw what was happening. Without thinking, he bunched the Key straps behind him and pushed up with as much force as possible. To his companions' chagrin, the injured Link rocketed upwards, overtaking Nyaragon and heading straight for the three figures. As he neared them, he sent the straps whistling at the demon-girl at blinding speed. The rings struck the girl's wrist just as the light surrounding them expanded exponentially with a loud screeching of magic. Fura, Talen, Impa and Nyaragon shielded their eyes from the terribly bright flash until everything went still.  
Nyaragon dropped from the tree and crunched into the snow heavily.  
"Ark gone," she said bitterly. She dropped her gaze to see a blue ball lying in the snow next to the Lock of Chaos. She picked them up and looked at Florella.  
"Ark must have left the Compass behind…so we could keep going without him," the fairy sighed, taking both items. "And we have the third Lock. Don't worry, Nyara. We'll get him back."  
"We did it before," Fura shrugged. "And we'll bring Zeel along as well so you can smack her around a bit." Talen, who was looking around the clearing with a concerned expression, turned back to the others with a frown.  
"I think we may have a problem in doing that," he said solemnly.  
"Why?" Impa asked. "What's wrong?" Talen swept his arm out across the clearing so they could all take a look.  
"Link is missing."


	51. Missing

**Chapter 50 – Missing**

Ark was moving; he knew that much when he woke up. The next thing that registered was that it was quite dark, but there was sufficient light to illuminate his surroundings. In turn, that light allowed him to see that he was slung over someone's shoulder looking down at their leather-clad backside. Ark blinked and shook his head, earning the notice of whoever it was that was carrying him.  
"Wakey, wakey," they told him in a singsong manner. Ark lifted his head and turned as best he could, catching a glimpse of his carrier.  
"M-miss Zeel!" he squeaked.  
"In the flesh," she smirked, looking over her shoulder at him. Zeel stopped walking and yanked him off her shoulder, depositing him rather roughly on the ground. A sudden rumble of thunder and a flash of lighting made the boy jump.  
"Th-this place is…" he trailed off, looking at their surroundings. "No! I'm back!" The pair of them were standing on a relatively narrow stretch of rock that stuck out from a rather wild-looking ocean and stretched off into the distance behind them, interconnecting with various small jagged crags of rock that jutted out from the water like small, barren islands. The occasional dead tree hanging onto such outcroppings were perhaps the only sign that things had lived there, aside from the barnacles encrusted near the waterline. Bulges of water- waves in their unbroken state- rolled endlessly across the unfriendly sea, splashing up against the side of the narrow path in some places and sending spray biting through the air as the wind snatched at it.  
"The Seaway," Zeel said simply, resuming her walking. She looked back at Ark as he gazed around with wide eyes. "Stop staring and move. You don't want to be stuck out here, do you?" He still didn't move.  
"B-but the w-water," he quaked. "A-and it's dark!" Zeel came up beside the boy and pushed him lightly in the back. He gave a small cry and toppled towards the water, his arms windmilling wildly as he fought to stay balanced.  
"Careful you don't fall in," Zeel laughed. He suddenly swung back onto the path and clutched at the girl desperately, shaking uncontrollably. Zeel blinked and made an uncomfortable face, not quite knowing what was going on.  
"What are you doing!?" she demanded, pushing him away. He dropped to his hands and knees with his eyes closed.  
"I-I'm scared!" he told her.  
"Scared?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Oh, the dark." She seemed somewhat amused.  
"A-and the water…the water is just a-as bad!" he gasped, keeping his eyes closed as tightly as possible.  
"I'll leave you here if you don't get going," she told him flatly. Ark still didn't move, opting instead to huddle on the pathway. "All right, do as you will. If you stop being a coward then keep heading along the Seaway. You shouldn't have any trouble finding me." She resumed walking, but after a short while a sound from behind caught her attention. Ark was crawling determinedly after her, his eyes still shut tight. She regarded him for a moment before he slowly opened his eyes and looked up at her. Bright purple met deep green before a bolt of lightning lanced down from the sky and split a dead tree near Zeel clean in half. The bolt would have jumped from the tree to her, but strangely enough it curved in midair and was absorbed into Ark, seemingly without harming the boy. Zeel frowned and picked Ark up by the back of his top, threw him over her shoulder and resumed walking.  
"This way I don't have to worry about lightning hitting me, it'll hit you instead," she said flatly. Ark was too grateful to argue.

Zelda frowned as she put the finishing touches on her Link snowman. With two lumps of coal for eyes, two sticks as rather serious-looking eyebrows and a third, larger stick as a crude sword, it looked rather accurate. She'd even made the back of his head pointy so it looked like he was wearing his cap.  
"'Ou forgot ze frowny mouth," Mia pointed out. Zelda snapped a twig in half and made a frown.  
"Perfect," Saria complimented her. "Show it to him when he gets back, I'm sure he'd be…"  
"Unimpressed?" Zelda laughed.  
"Well…probably," Saria sighed. "If it were a giant cake he'd be impressed." The five girls laughed and began pelting the snow-Link with snowballs.  
"That's right; you're a stinker, Link! A stinker!" Zelda declared. Her expression suddenly changed to one of pity. "Oh…but you're heart's in the right place, you poor, misunderstood boy. What's that? I'm beautiful? So beautiful it blinds you? Shut up and kiss me!" The Princess touched her lips to the snow-Link and then pretended to faint. "What a man!" Mia, Meia, Maia and Saria looked at her strangely for a few moments before they burst out laughing.  
"I doubt that would happen any time soon," Saria chuckled. "Short of the Goddesses themselves intervening."  
"It could happen," Zelda said primly. Her face soon broke, however. "Oh what am I saying? It'll _never_ happen. Link romantic? Link passionate? _Hah! _I'd have better luck getting blood from a stone." She poked the snow-Link in the nose and the head fell off.  
"Do not be discouraged," Meia told the Hylian Princess. "'E will come around one day." Zelda took the snow-Link's sword and hefted it in her hands.  
"I sure hope he does, or else I shall be forced to lock him in my room until he…" Zelda trailed off as her expression gradually became more and more puzzled.  
"Zelda? What ees wrong?" a concerned Maia asked. Zelda's mouth opened slightly in a look of worry.  
"He- what's going on?" she murmured. The Princess held her hand over her chest and shifted it around before letting it drop to her side, her face a picture of disbelief.  
"Zelda? Are you all right?" Saria asked. Zelda dropped the stick she was holding and her eyes went wide.  
"Link is…gone."

"Missing!?" Florella exclaimed. "What do you mean he's _missing!?_" The fairy clasped her hands to her head.  
"Link disappear," Nyaragon said almost sadly. "Ark too. Navi left behind." The Bloodcat held out her hand to show everyone Link's partner fairy. She looked quite stunned lying there on her back with her wings thrust out at different angles.  
"Well…we can bring them back…right?" Fura asked. "I mean, we did it before, why not again?" Florella hopped up and down.  
"Because we need the Key! The Key amplifies power! I use the Key to make a translocation spell much stronger!" Florella cried.  
"And Link has the Key," Impa murmured, folding her arms. "This does not bode well."  
"That's the understatement of the _century!_" Florella cried, sliding her hands down her face. "What in the world are we going to _do!_" Impa, Nyaragon, Fura and Talen gazed at Florella in alarm, but their attention was directed to the top of her head. She finished agonizing the fact that she couldn't use the Key and took a few deep breaths.  
"I know…it's horrible," she groaned. Talen raised a finger and pointed just above her head. Florella looked confused. "What? What is it?" She cast her eyes upwards, a small gasp escaping from her mouth. Two thin wire-like strands were sticking out from her hair. They curved forwards ever so slightly with a tiny glowing bead-like tip at the end of each.  
"What in the world are they?" Fura asked, flicking one.  
"Ack!" Florella squeaked, pressing them down against her head. "They're…my antennae." The two aforementioned appendages sprung back up again. Florella gave a sigh of distaste.  
"Nyaragon not know Florella have antennae," the Bloodcat frowned, peering down at her.  
"That's because I've always kept them hidden! They make me look like a bug!" she cried, stamping her foot. "The stupid things are supposed to stay _down!_" She fiddled around with them for a while until she managed to tuck them back into her hair where they had been concealed for longer than even Florella could remember. They popped back out again.  
"Well they're only antennae," Talen shrugged. "Navi and Chat have them and they don't look like bugs." He slid his finger up one of them and flicked the tiny oval tip.  
"You look kinda funny with them…but that's only because we're not used to seeing you with them," Fura told her. "Now rub 'em together and make a plan to get Link and Ark back." Florella gave Fura a brief, flat gaze before scratching her head and closing her eyes. They waited patiently for her to come up with something.  
"Huh? I can't just come up with something _that_ fast! Let's get back to the palace where I can think."

Link finally touched his feet onto the ground. He looked back up at the gnarled old tree he'd just managed to climb out of after waking up with the Key's straps hideously tangled in its claw-like branches. Unfortunately, the straps were _still_ tangled in the tree; he'd only managed to get himself down. Link frowned and tried manipulating the straps from the tree from the ground, but they were far too snagged to move.  
"Get out of that tree!" he growled, yanking backwards. A few of the smaller branches snapped. Link frowned before straining with all his might. The straps in the tree quivered and then tore the branches to splinters with a loud crack as they tensed powerfully. Link had to run out of the way so he wouldn't get hit by falling debris.  
"Well that takes care of that," he sighed to himself. "Now...where am I?" A sudden crack of thunder and a flash of lightning illuminated his surroundings. He was in a forest composed primarily of thickly-trunked trees with a scraggly mass of branches topping them. The ground was hard and covered with dead leaves, everything was dark and the wind was howling. He could hear the sound of waves crashing in the distance, out in the unfriendly night.  
"What is this place?" he murmured to himself, taking in his surroundings. He walked a few steps away from the base of the tree he had just climbed out of and peered off into the gloom. There didn't appear to be any familiar landmarks, Navi wasn't with him to provide light and he was completely alone.  
"Fantastic," he muttered. Another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the forest. It was then he saw it; a huge manor house perched off in the distance on the edge of what appeared to be a cliff. Light glowed dully from a few of the windows, letting Link know that at least _somebody_ lived out wherever he was. His spirits slightly higher, Link set out towards the manor, but he soon stopped as something dawned on him. He had attacked just as Zeel had tried to disappear along with Ark, and here he was in the middle of a dark forest in an unknown location. He then recalled Ark telling them about where Zeel had taken him after their meeting in Alujah City. He had said it was dark outside and that wherever he was it seemed that Zeel was rather well off.  
"Oh no," he groaned. "That harpy took me along for the ride!" The manor was no doubt Zeel's property…but if Zeel was there, then so was Ark. Link pursed his lips; some sneaking was in order.

Zeel's manor stood near the edge of a cliff overlooking the Seaway. A thin pathway cut into the sheer face of rock provided the girl and Ark with passage to the top, whereupon they entered the manor grounds. An assortment of statues lined the path that led from the main gates to the front door, each one more menacing than the last. The grounds themselves looked rather expansive. A carpet of grass in immaculate condition cushioned their feet. Ark got a much closer look after Zeel dropped him upon heading through the gates.  
"Are you just going to lie there all night?" she asked flatly. Ark got hurriedly to his feet and followed her up to the front door. As they approached, Ark could see that the door had been carved with a complicated relief depicting ivy growing all over the wood and around the handle. He didn't have long to look at it though, as Zeel thrust the door open and waited expectantly.  
"L-ladies first…" Ark stammered. Zeel's eyebrows creased and she snared his collar in her fist before yanking him inside and closing the door firmly. Ark rubbed his throat and looked about. He was standing on a thick, red carpet in a huge foyer dominated by a large flight of stars that led up to a landing and then branched out in opposite directions.  
"Take a good look at it, Ark," Zeel told him smugly. "It's the last place you'll ever see. Now don't dawdle, I'll show you your room."  
Zeel led Ark up the stairs, down a long corridor, around a number of corners before the girl stopped in front of a door. She opened it and pushed him inside.  
"This room is yours," she told him smugly. "As it shall be until the day you die. Look familiar?" Ark blinked. It was the room he had been in the first time Zeel had brought him to her home. It was simple, yet rather expensive-looking with the plush, canopied bed made of dark, polished wood. He took a few steps towards it, but Zeel's hand suddenly enclosed around his neck and swung him back into the wall. Before he could blink, she brought her face right up to his and glared at him with dreadful intensity.  
"Well it looks like I win this time, Ark," she sneered. "And your friends won't be able to bring you back like before. Get used to this place." She let him go before reaching down and grabbing his ankle. Ark was whipped off his feet and he landed on the floor with his foot in the air while Zeel still held it. She pushed the material from his pants back and clipped a thin silver band around his ankle.  
"There," she smiled in a satisfied manner. "Now they can't find you. I'm going to rest now, so don't disturb me. Just so you know; my room is across the hall." And then she whirled around and breezed out of the room. Ark blinked and sat heavily on the bed. He idly registered that it was very comfortable, but his mind was too preoccupied with thoughts of his companions to take much notice. He closed his eyes and fell back with a sigh.  
"Perhaps I really am stuck here for good now," he breathed rather hopelessly. He tugged at the band around his ankle, but it refused to unclasp. "I thought as much." The gravity of his situation began to sink in on him as he sat in the room by himself. If the band did in fact prevent his companions from finding him, then he'd probably never see them again. Link, Talen…  
"Miss Nyara…" he murmured, a tear dribbling slowly down his cheek. It was strange…the prospect of never seeing her- whether she be Nyara or Nyaragon- created a kind of gap inside the boy. Out of all the people he knew, Nyara was…different. Ark sighed, but just as he did so a large shape dropped from above and landed at the foot of his bed. He made a surprised sound and scrabbled back until he bumped into the headboard.  
"Well now, why the long face?" It was the demon-girl. She stood with her hands clasped behind her back and a smile on her face. Ark's mouth opened and closed like that of a fish.  
"Y-you are…" he stammered.  
"So you remember me? Hah! What an honor," she bowed. The girl leaned back and floated in the air as if she were sitting on something. "You know it really isn't so terrible here. Sure, there's Madam Angry stalking about like a thundercloud…but you don't have to see her if you don't want to. I'm actually glad to have some company other than her." Ark still hadn't gotten over his shock at her sudden entrance. He blinked and she had suddenly disappeared.  
"Huh?" he murmured.  
"I'll tell you what, why don't I take you for a guided tour of the manor?" the girl suggested. Ark's head snapped around. She was sitting against the headboard like he was. He gave a squawk and jerked away, thudding onto the floor as a result. The demon peered down at him curiously. "Are you all right? What am I talking about? You've lived through Zeel trying to blow you to pieces; of course you're all right! Come on, Ark; let's see the sights!" The demon girl vaulted off the bed and yanked him to his feet before charging out of the room with Ark in tow.  
"Bu-but…what's your name, Miss?" he stammered as she jerked him along roughly.  
"There's time for that later. We have lots to see."

Impa, Florella, Fura, Talen and Nyaragon's journey back to Aurora was a relatively quiet one, though it hadn't started out as such. As they had neared the edge of the forest, a swarm of Eshlee came scurrying through the trees. Strangely enough, they didn't seem all that interested in attacking the party, bar the few that were directly in the way. The group also spotted a number of White Wolfos through the trees, but a low growl from Nyaragon made the creatures think better of making a meal out of them.  
"It must have been the Lock," Florella murmured thoughtfully as they slid along the vast expanses of snow and ice. "They didn't like it for some reason…it drove the Eshlee away from the forest; _that's_ why they were appearing in such great numbers everywhere else. At least _something_ good came from this." Talen rested one of his hands on top of her head so that her fringe pressed down over her eyes.  
"Don't get your antennae in a twist, Florella," he told her. "I'm positive you of all people can find a way to bring both of them back." Florella's antennae wiggled at the compliment. She noticed and quickly flattened them against her head in embarrassment.  
"I hate these things," she sighed. "What about you, Talen? Do you think they're stupid? I'd just _die_ if you thought I looked silly with them." The smith rolled his eyes.  
"They look fine, Florella," he told her firmly. "And they _don't_ make you look like a bug. They make you look like…a fairy I suppose."  
"But no Great Fairy shows their antennae!" she almost wailed, having a futile attempt at getting them to hide in her hair. "None of them do! Stupid things! Why won't you stay hidden all of a sudden?"  
"Then I suppose that makes you even _more_ unique," Talen shrugged. "Don't worry about the antennae, Florella. If they stick up, then they stick up. I don't mind them, the others don't mind them and you shouldn't care if you have them or not." The smith straightened the two little bead-tipped strands away from her hair. "And stop trying to bend them; it's probably bad for you to do so." Florella whirled around and hugged the boy impulsively, nearly knocking the two of them off the sled in the process.  
"You're very smart, Talen."

When the four-strong group returned to the palace, they were met with a near-hysterical Zelda.  
"Where is he!?" she demanded. "Where's Link! I can't feel him anymore! I can't! He…isn't…" She trailed off with a look of horror on her face.  
"Calm down, calm down," Impa shushed her charge, enfolding her in a tight hug. "Link is fine. He's just…not here right now." Zelda brought her face away from Impa's clothing and looked over at Florella, Talen, Fura and Nyaragon.  
"Wh-what do you mean he isn't here!? I can't feel him anywhere! It's like…he's gone!" Zelda cried. She suddenly noticed that somebody else was missing. "Wait…where's Ark?" Nyaragon trudged forward.  
"Zeel take Ark. Link tried to stop Zeel, but got taken too," she told the Princess. "We no know how to get Link and Ark back."  
"But…you did it before, just do it again!" Zelda exclaimed. Florella stepped forward and sighed.  
"I'm afraid it's not that simple," Florella told her. "Come on; let's go inside. I'll explain everything."  
"But…Link has the Key! Link has it!" Zelda squeaked. "How do we use it to bring him back!?"  
"Well…we can't," Florella winced, scratching her cheek. "Zelda…you seem awfully hysterical at the moment. Maybe you should lie down."  
"But he's _gone!_" she insisted.  
"We know he's gone, but we'll do everything we can to bring him back," Impa assured the Princess. "He's been away before and you've never been like this. Just take a few deep breaths and relax." Zelda did so, apart from the relaxing part.  
"But I can't _feel_ him anymore!" she wailed.  
"What do you mean?" Fura asked curiously.  
"I can feel him, every second of every minute of every hour of every day. I know he's there, I _feel_ he's there," Zelda explained worriedly. "But…it's suddenly gone. His presence just vanished. Now there's just…a hole there! I'm sure you feel it too, Fura! I know you do!" Fura quirked her eyebrows and frowned. Florella suddenly clicked her fingers and Zelda slumped back in her seat and began snoring.  
"Poor dear," she sighed. "I can't believe how close the two of them have become…but I can think about that later. Right now we need to come up with a plan."  
"Great Fairy, I'm sure my mother and father will do anything necessary to bring both Link and Ark back…wherever they are. Just say the word and they'll be on it," Teran insisted fiercely. Florella smiled at him.  
"That's very sweet, Teran…but I think this is out of even your parents' league," she told him regretfully. "From what I understand, Zeel lives in a place not unlike _my_ home; that place you visited in your sleep."  
"With the temple-" Talen began.  
"Yes, Talen," Florella sighed. "The temple that shouldn't be able to stand up by itself. _Please_ get over it." Talen looked a trifle hurt. "Zeel's home is not another world per-say…but rather something like a pocket created in one of the many spiritual layers of _this_ world. Understand?" She was met with a number of blank expressions.  
"No…but keep going Fl- what are those things sticking out of your head?" Saria asked.  
"Ahem, that's not important right now," Florella coughed, her face reddening slightly. "In any case, Zeel's home can be journeyed to from _anywhere_. Ark left us the Compass, meaning that he meant for us to keep moving. I think that's what we need to do."  
"B-but-" Fura began. Florella held up her hand.  
"I can find a way to get them back just as well on the move as I can here. And let's face it; the longer we stay here the more trouble we'll attract from somebody like Gaul…and without Link here we don't stand much of a chance against him," Florella said in a tone indicating her decision was final. "I _will_ find a way to break into Zeel's home and I _will_ bring back Ark and Link. Mark my words."

"M-miss! Please slow down!" Ark squeaked as the demon-girl nearly pulled his arm out of its socket. She yanked him around another corner before stopping at the top of the stairs in the foyer. She turned around, put her hands on her hips and frowned at him.  
"You can't keep up?" she asked.  
"I-I'm sorry, I can't," he puffed. "You're going much too fast for me, Miss." Her frown intensified.  
"You know…you're the first to ever call me that," she said, suddenly appearing on his other side. Ark blinked and jumped in surprise when she spoke again. "It's usually "Ahh! What the hell is that thing!?" whenever somebody sees me."  
"O-oh…I see. That…isn't very nice," Ark stammered. "But please, Miss…let me go back to my room. I just feel like…going to sleep-" She grabbed his collar and dashed down to the landing between the first and second floor before running up the stairs on the opposite side. She yanked him around corners and through doors before coming to a stop inside a rather small room. It was completely bare, aside from a life-sized statue of Zeel. Both hands were outstretched- one of which clasped a scythe.  
"That's Miss Zeel," Ark frowned.  
"The rainstorm herself," the demon snorted. She walked over to the wall behind Zeel's statue and plucked another scythe from it. "Now don't move, Ark." The girl placed the scythe in the statue's free hand and quickly stepped back next to Ark. There was a loud click from the Zeel statue and its arm suddenly swung down, causing the two scythes to cut through the air. Their tips chinked into the floor on either side of Ark and the girl, causing Ark to squeak in surprise. The floor beneath them suddenly swung away and Ark found himself falling down into a dark tunnel which opened up into a gigantic chamber beneath the manor. He pinched his eyes shut as a cry of dismay escaped his mouth, but the boy was jolted by the demon-girl as she grabbed him around the middle to stop his descent. Ark felt his feet touch nearly-solid ground and he opened his eyes to the most amazing sight he had ever seen. The chamber was a vast, underground cave filled with all manner of fantastic treasures. Gold, silver, jewels and rupees glittered like coloured fireflies in the dimly-lit cavern.  
"What is this place?" Ark murmured in amazement as he gazed about himself. He took a step back, lost his footing on the unstable ground and slid backwards down one of the vast mountains of treasure. Once the boy had come to a stop, he picked himself up and dislodged a number of gems and jewelry embedded in his clothing.  
"It's Zeel's treasure hoard," the demon-girl told Ark, appearing behind him. The boy jumped in surprise. "Every bit of treasure she's ever accumulated from doing other people's dirty work has been stored here. Crowns, scepters, swords; you name it, she has it." Ark plucked a black pearl necklace from his feathery fringe and placed it carefully on the ground. "You can see it every day now that you're here; all of it." The demon gestured to the vast mounds of glittering treasure. Ark gave it all a halfhearted glance.  
"It's all very nice I suppose," the boy said quietly. "But I'm afraid it's all worthless to me. Even in pretending it was all mine…what would I do with it?" The demon-girl blinked at him in surprise. "Thank you for showing me around today, Miss…but I would very much like to get some sleep. Could you please show me how to get out of here?" The girl gaped at him, her oversized ears pointing downwards and her red eyes blinking stupidly. She finally snapped out of her daze and shook her head.  
"Huh? Oh, sure. You gotta go up to get out," she told him, grabbing his arm and leaping straight up into the air. "Zeel made it so that if somebody somehow managed to get here and break into her hoard, they'd be stuck and eventually just die of starvation." Ark shuddered at the thought. The two were soon back in the room with the Zeel statue. The demon removed the scythe from the statue's hand and replaced it on the wall before dragging Ark out into the hall. Then, at a speed much too fast for Ark to keep up with, she raced back through the manor to the room he had been given.  
"P-pardon me," Ark asked nervously. "But…I thought Zeel said she lived alone here."  
"Well not anymore. When she asked me to help get you, one of the conditions I put forwards was that _I_ have a place in here to live too. She doesn't like me very much, though; so she stuck me _waaaay_ on the other side of the building," the girl snorted.  
"I see," Ark frowned. "Well…thank you again." He nodded and began closing the door, but the girl slapped her hand against the wood, forcing it open again. She pushed Ark backwards into the room before whirling him around and holding him against the wall.  
"You know…Zeel's right," she said quietly. "You _aren't_ like other people." She brought her face up his neck, at which point Ark's throat went dry. She inhaled deeply. "You don't smell like other people either." She licked her lips and straightened up. She was perhaps two inches taller than Ark was, but to the boy it seemed she was gigantic as she gazed at him with her red eyes. She effectively pinned him on the spot by placing both arms on the wall on either side of his head. Ark could hear the bells on her clothing tinkle ever so slightly as she brought her face up to his.  
"A-ah…I m-might go to s-sleep-" Ark stammered, pointing to his bed.  
"And Zeel tells me you _taste_ different than other people as well," she smiled, the tips of two pointed canines protruding from her lips.  
"N-no! I taste horrible! Y-you don't do that…bite thing, do you?" he stammered nervously. She shook her head.  
"Nope," she grinned. "I have another way. Besides, you don't seem to care that I'm a demon, so…" She opened her mouth and drew herself slowly towards Ark's. The grey-haired boy squirmed and pressed the back of his head against the wall as hard as he could. The demon-girl paused about and inch from his tightly-pursed lips as her red eyes bore into his own deep green. But before she could close the gap, the purple blade of a scythe whistled up in-between the girl and Ark. They both whipped their heads around at the door to see Zeel standing there with a flat expression on her face. The demon-girl stood back from Ark with a sigh.  
"Yeah, yeah," she snorted with a shrug. "I'm going." And then she was gone. Zeel looked at the spot she had disappeared from with distaste before turning back to Ark. The boy flinched, but Zeel merely watched him through half-lidded eyes.  
"Watch yourself," she muttered before walking out of the room and closing the door. Ark blinked and stared at the door for what seemed like minutes before he stumbled over to his bed with his heart pounding and collapsed onto it backwards.  
"That was close," he breathed.

Meanwhile, in the darkness outside; a blonde boy arrived at the gates of a very large manor.


	52. Unknown Guest

**Chapter 51 – Unknown Guest**

Link rattled the gates to the huge manor grounds, but to no avail; they simply refused to open. Rather than look for another way in, he simply jumped over the tall gates with the Key and landed on the soft grass on the other side. Deciding that the front door would not be the best way to gain access to the manor, Link crept around the side of the huge building to find a side-door or an open window. That task proved harder than he thought, however; as the manor was tremendously big, meaning he had to walk a fair distance. It also seemed that Zeel was particularly attentive when it came to keeping windows locked tight. Any door he came across was also locked, which meant he had to try something else. Link decided that some of the upper floors would provide him with a way in, so he looked for a place at which he could climb up. He found a small balcony outside a set of large bay windows, so he bunched the Key's straps beneath him and launched himself straight up. Link cushioned his landing so as not to make too much noise before he tested the window. Unfortunately, it was shut tight.  
"Augh! What's her problem? She acts like she can't trust people," he grunted in annoyance. "Maybe I can break in from the roof…" He stepped back to the edge of the balcony and squinted up to the edge of the roof. Then, being as quiet as possible, he sent the twin straps snaking up through the air and onto the roof of the manor. Once they had securely wound around a rather grotesque weathervane, Link began to pull himself up. It was then that a powerful gust of wind buffeted him against the side of the manor with a loud bang. He spun for a moment before he stuck his feet and arms out, halting his movement. Sensing no movement from inside, he continued his ascent until he reached his destination. The roof was very big and rather sloped, making it difficult for Link to keep his footing. Unfortunately, there was no foreseeable way into the manor.  
"Damn!" Link growled. "All the way up here for no-" Link stopped short as he spied a rather wide chimney. He grinned.

"We go to Meera village," Nyaragon said, holding the Compass in her large hand.  
"What was that, Nyara?" Florella asked. The Bloodcat held out the Compass for everyone to see.  
"Ark Compass point towards Meera village. We go there next. If Florella no can find way to bring Ark back, then Meera Elder find out. Meera elder very wise," Nyaragon frowned. She sighed heavily and sniffed at the Compass. "Blue ball smell like Ark." She began licking it halfheartedly.  
"Well I agree with Nyara," Talen murmured. "If there's a slim chance that the Meera Elder can help, I'm willing to go. It isn't fair; I'm the only boy left." He earned some chuckles from around the room.  
"I agree with Talen. Besides, if the village is in the same direction as the next Lock, then what's the harm?" Saria shrugged. "I say we go." Impa stood up and dusted her hands off.  
"Then it's settled," she said. "We're going to the Meera village."

Ark awoke with a gasp as the tatters of his dream faded from his mind's eye. It was strange…he could feel the nightmare as he slept, as if it were trying to break through some kind of mental barrier to invade his thoughts as he slept. Still, the barrier felt somewhat weak and the nightmare's force seemed quite strong as it tried to claw its way into being. Ark shuddered and looked about for somebody he thought would be there.  
"M-miss Nyara?" he ventured into the gloom. When he received no reply, Ark began to panic. "M-miss Nyara? Where are you!? It's dark…I can't see! My staff, where's my staff!?" The frightened boy drew his blanket up around himself and huddled upon his mattress with scared, wide eyes. Reality suddenly hit him. Nyara was not snoozing next to his bed. Nyara was not going to pick him up until he calmed down. Nyara wasn't even in the same land. Zeel hated him, the demon-girl scared him; Ark was all alone in the dark. Lightning lanced across the sky outside, illuminating the room and casting countless shadows about the walls and floor. As Ark sat there with his blanket pulled about him like a cloak, one of the shadows came to life and moved towards him. He almost stopped breathing then and there, but another flash of lightning revealed a pair of purple eyes, porcelain skin and raven hair tied back in three large, feathery plumes.  
"M-miss Zeel!" he stammered in shock. "Wh-what are you doing in here?" Her seemingly-perpetual scowl didn't falter as she stared at him intently, her blazing purple eyes doing their best to burn holes in the back of his skull.  
"Y-yes?" he squeaked, unconsciously drawing his blanket tighter around himself.  
"What's the matter?" she asked flatly. Ark flinched.  
"It's the dark," he told her in a small voice. "Is it always like this here? Is there ever any light?"  
"This is as light as it gets," she grunted. "You will get used to it in time." Ark's face fell.  
"Can I…have my staff? I can light the tip of it you see…it won't be so bad then," he asked the girl before him. She shook her head.  
"No. I have already mounted it and I'm not taking it down." Ark didn't say anything else. Zeel regarded him for a moment before turning for the door, but just before she left, she tossed an object at him with a silent snarl. The thrown item landed on the sheets in front of Ark and he felt around and picked it up carefully. It was a sphere of some kind, perfectly rounded and perfectly smooth. He was about to ask her what it was when a dull glow began to emanate from it, bathing to room in a soft light. Relief flooded into Ark and he looked up for some kind of explanation from Zeel, but she was nowhere to be seen. Ark straightened his blanket out and lay back down with the palm-sized glowing ball clutched tightly in his hands, the dull light banishing the shadows that danced menacingly around the edges of the room.

Link was completely filthy, but he was at last inside the manor. His trip down the chimney hadn't been an easy one. The single stack on the roof had given way to several branches from a number of fireplaces within the manor, some of which had gratings partway down, meaning he had to lift himself back up the narrow space with the Key. He had finally come across one where the grating had become very brittle with age, allowing him to break and remove it before continuing on to the fireplace below.  
"If only Saria could see me now," Link murmured to himself as he looked at all the soot covering his face, arms, legs and clothes. At least his dark arm or the mark across his face didn't look any different. Link was in what appeared to be a large dining-room. The fireplace he had just climbed out of was located in the back wall behind the head of the table. The room was very dim, but it didn't take Link's eyes very long to adjust to the gloom. The dining-room gave way to a long corridor along the side of the manor containing many windows looking out over the grounds and the surrounding forest. Link tiptoed along as quietly as possible, even going to far as to bind the Key's straps around his sword and shield to stop them from clanking together. A particularly painful thought entered Link's mind at that point. The manor had countless rooms; he knew that just by looking at the sheer size of the place, which meant that finding Ark would be no easy task.  
"Rrgh! That stupid Zeel! She's always spoiling my fun! Augh!" The voice came suddenly and without warning from a door just down the hall in front of him. The voice was that of a female, but it couldn't be Zeel. Link knew what _she _sounded like. This voice was different; somewhat scratchy and childish with an air of mischief about it. Link didn't have time to ponder who the voice could belong to as the owner came stomping up to the door. Thinking quickly, the boy uncoiled the straps from around his sword and shield and sprung straight up into the air before wedging himself against the ceiling above the door using the Key as a brace. As Link looked down, he saw the door being yanked inwards before the demon-girl came stalking into the hallway.  
"Her?" Link whispered to himself. The girl below stamped her foot on the ground, causing the bells on her clothing to jingle.  
"What's her problem anyway!? I just wanted one little taste! _She_ got one, why not me!?" the demon grumbled angrily. She put her hands on her hips and began walking down the hall. "Well she can't keep him guarded forever!"  
"Him?" Link murmured. "Ark? A taste!? They're _eating_ him! Augh!" He was careful not to let his little exclamation reach the girl's ears as she swung open a door at the end of the hall and slammed it behind herself. Link dropped back onto the floor with the Key's straps already bound through his sword and shield to keep them quiet. As quickly, and as quietly as possible, Link made his way along the hall, slipped through the door and began following the demon-girl. He didn't have any problems keeping track of her from a distance; everything was dark and the girl kept cursing Zeel loud enough for him to have followed her with his eyes closed. Link followed her through the twisting halls of the manor and out into a large, mostly open area that appeared to be the entrance. The girl arrived at the top of a flight of stairs that led down to a landing between the first and second floors. She jumped up and slid down the banister before skipping up the stairs on the opposite end of the landing and disappearing through yet another door.  
"Jeez," Link muttered. "Just how many rooms does this place have?" Lightning lit up the sky outside and sent light beaming in through the large windows that reached up to the ceiling. As it faded, Link scurried down the first set of stairs, up the second and over to the door. He opened in up a crack and peered through just in time to see the demon girl jingle off around a corner in the hallway up ahead. Link slipped through the door and scuttled along after her, but he stopped deadly still as he approached the corner.  
"What are _you_ doing here again?" A female voice asked gruffly. Link frowned; it was obviously Zeel.  
"What's it to you, grumpy?" Link carefully peeked around the corner and saw Zeel blocking the hallway with the demon-girl standing in a relaxed stance in front of her with her hands behind her head. "I just want a taste."  
"No. You'll go too far. Though I will not kill him, I'm also keeping him alive, which means I'll dispatch anything that threatens his life so long as he's here," Zeel growled. The demon-girl smirked at her.  
"You'd kill me?" she asked. "Can you really do that, Zeel?" Zeel scowled at her. "And are you _really_ only interested in the reward you've been promised?" That seemed to spark something in Zeel and she pinned the demon-girl to the wall in a burst of anger with her scythe.  
"I _hate_ Ark with every inch of my body! He's been nothing but a pothole on the way to my reward! Given half the chance I'd snuff his miserable and weak little life out right this instant…but I'm not completely heartless. He's still alive, but _only_ because of honor," she snarled. "But what about you? What's your interest in him?" The demon-girl pushed the scythe blade away from her neck and smirked at Zeel.  
"I find Ark fascinating," she said. "I want to know why his energy is so appetizing and full of strength. He's also better company than you are."  
"Hah!" Zeel laughed. "Look at you! Green skin, silver hair, big, pointy ears…you're a demon! Who'd want _you_ for company? I hate you demons even more than I hate Ark; you're hideous, ugly beasts." The demon-girl quirked an eyebrow.  
"Is that all you know how to do, Zeel? Hate things?" she asked. "Besides…we're very much alike, you and I. Do you remember?"  
"I remember," Zeel growled. "How could I forget?" They glared at each other for what seemed like minutes, before the demon girl shrugged and turned around.  
"Fine," she said airily. "I'll come back when you're off doing something else. Toodle-oo." Link jerked his head back out of view and again pinned himself to the ceiling as the demon-girl passed underneath. He grinned as he lowed himself to the floor. Ark was just up ahead.

With the decision made to leave Aurora for the Meera village, it didn't take Impa very long at all to secure them a ship that would sail them there. Of course, with express orders from King Lond they were guaranteed practically anything they needed. And so it was that on the morning following Link and Ark's abduction, the remaining members of the party were to set out from the palace- in a carriage of course- to where their vessel was waiting. Zelda had regained her composure after waking up in the morning, though Navi- having since recovered from her stunned state- hovered about the Princess to keep an eye on her. Without fail there were tears from the girls just before their departure. Mia, Meia and Maia kissed everybody on each cheek and then said their goodbyes in unison. At his mother's insistence, Teran kissed each of the girls on the backs of their hands with a formal bow, earning him giggles and snickers. He shared a particularly powerful handshake with Talen and told him that he simply _had_ to come back and visit whenever possible along with as many male friends as possible.  
"And remember 'ou are all welcome here," Eda told them. "And good luck."  
"I want to hear absolutely everything when you have closed the Ark. It shall be a story I can tell my grandchildren," Lond smiled. He looked meaningfully at Teran. Florella's eyes lit up and the antennae on her head quivered.  
"Well I'd be more than happy to lend my assistance in that matter. Why, I could have a fantabulous wedding planned out in the wink of an eye…especially with all this snow and ice. Just think of the sculptures I could have around th-"  
"Florella, you're scaring him," Talen murmured, placing his hand on top of her head. "You get ahead of yourself sometimes."  
"It would be an honor to 'af a Great Fairy preside over ze wedding of our son," Eda beamed.  
"Mother!" Teran gasped. "I'm fourteen!"  
"Four years," Florella smiled, putting a finger to her lips thoughtfully.  
"_Four!?"_ Teran exclaimed.  
"Well why waste time? All we have to do is find a nice girl and-"  
"Florella," Talen said firmly. "No scaring. She doesn't mean it, Teran." The Prince sighed and lightly slapped his sisters' hands away as they poked him tauntingly.  
"In any case, you can plan all the weddings you like on the ship, Florella. We need to head off or we'll miss it. Goodbye, your majesties, and thank you for your gracious hospitality," Impa bowed.  
"Goodbye!"  
"Goodbye!"  
"Goodbye!" Mia, Meia and Maia squeaked the words out in unison as the party loaded themselves into the carriage and rolled out of the palace grounds.

Ark woke for the second time since he'd gone to sleep. He couldn't tell how much time had passed because it was perpetually night in the strange land Zeel's manor occupied. The odd sphere Zeel had given him still glowed softly in his hand. Ark frowned as he looked at it. If Zeel hated him, then why did she give it to him? She knew of his overwhelming fear of the dark, did she give it to him as some sort of comfort? Or was it simply to shut him up? Ark decided the latter sounded more like Zeel. Ark pursed his lips and swung his legs off the side of the bed before gingerly touching his feet to the floor. He waited a few seconds for countless denizens of the dark to come snarling and snaveling out from under the bed, but when nothing came to devour him he stood up.  
"I guess I can't just stay in here forever," Ark sighed as his stomach growled. He had just realized that he was unbelievably hungry and that he didn't know where he could get something to eat. He was rather reluctant to approach Zeel- she was very intimidating after all- but his hunger couldn't be ignored. So, gathering up all his courage, Ark pulled his boots on and headed for the door of his room. He had almost reached it when the door jerked open and a figure slipped inside. Ark jumped back in surprise as the figure approached him rapidly.  
"Wh-who are you?" he asked fearfully. "M-miss Zeel?"  
"No, it's me," a very familiar voice said. Lightning flashed across the sky outside, illuminating the room and allowing Ark to see a very dirty Link standing before him.  
"L-Link!" he exclaimed as utter relief flooded through him. "H-how? How did you get here!?"  
"Shhh! Don't attract the harpy's attention…either of them," Link hissed. "Are you all right? I heard that demon saying something about tasting you…they aren't picking bits off you are they?"  
"Oh," Ark said. "No, I'm fine. They don't…_eat_ me, it's…hard to explain.""Oh…well don't worry about it right now. The reason I'm here is because I accidentally got taken along with you; the pair of them don't know I'm here. Now that also means I don't know how to get us back to where the sun shines," Link told him. Ark's face fell slightly.  
"I see."  
"But I'm working on it. Until I figure something out I believe that it would be best that you just sit tight. There's no point in letting Zeel know I'm here so she can slice and dice me until there's a sure way to get back." Ark nodded.  
"I'm just relieved you're here, but yes, you're right," the grey-haired boy agreed. Link seemed to relax and he put his hands on his hips and looked about the room.  
"So she's given you this?" Link asked. "It's actually quite nice. I was expecting something more of a dungeon, or at least a locked door." Ark shook his head.  
"Miss Zeel said that I'm free to go about the manor as I wish, just so long as I don't bother her when she's resting," he said. "But…what will you do in the meantime? Where will you go?"  
"I'm sure there's some musty old corner of this place that nobody goes. I'll just head there and hide until I can figure something out. Just don't get eaten or anything in the meantime or Nyara will do the same to me if I get back," Link told him. "I'll come back once I've found a place I can hide."

Fura stood pensively upon the deck of the cleverly designed sled-ships as it sailed across the ice. Her thoughts were off with Link, wherever he was. Zelda had been right; she _could_ feel something of a gap- a space left behind when he had suddenly vanished. The Gerudo sighed and leaned over the railing and stared at the ice as it zipped by underneath.  
"Feeling a little blue?" a voice asked her. Fura glanced over her shoulder and saw Florella smiling at her.  
"I suppose," Fura murmured. She let out a heavy sigh. "He's only been gone for one night and I'm already feeling like this. I mean…I didn't see him for a whole year and it didn't feel this…achy." Florella leaned next to her and gazed over the rail.  
"You, Link and Zelda are special, I guess," Florella frowned. "I'm not sure how, but you are. You're all very close, even if Link makes it look like you're not. Just think about how good it will be to see him when he comes back." Fura grinned despite herself and glanced at Florella's head.  
"They don't seem to fuss you much anymore," she commented, indicating at the antennae sticking out from Florella's dark purple hair. The Great Fairy tapped one of them with her finger.  
"Nobody seems to mind them, and Talen said they make me look even more fairy-ish earlier," she blushed and held her hands to her cheeks. "He's such a sweetie-pie." Fura shook her head and laughed.  
"You know what? I'm looking forward to seeing Link's backside again," the Gerudo said.  
"His backside?"  
"Of course. With Link gone, my primary viewing-butt has gone as well." Florella frowned thoughtfully.  
"Talen has a nice backside," she said. "Though it's usually covered with dirty work-clothes in his smithy." Fura nodded.  
"I do agree with you there. Talen is the owner of a rather nice seat-warmer," the redhead agreed. "But what about Ark?"  
"Hmm," Florella frowned, pursing her lips. "I don't know. His is a mystery because he's always wearing lots of thick clothing." The two girls went quiet for a few moments before they started snickering to themselves. It was at that point when Talen came wandering up from below decks. Florella's antennae stuck straight up when she saw him.  
"What are you two doing up here?" he asked curiously. They started giggling. "You're not gossiping, are you?"  
"We were just having a conversation about you boys' butts," Fura told him truthfully.  
"Oh." Talen about-faced and went back below decks.  
"Talen! Don't go!" Florella whined. "Oh wait for me!" She dashed after him with her antennae bouncing at every step.

Ark waited some time after Link snuck out of his room to find a place to hide before he timidly opened his door and stepped out into the hall. No sooner had he closed the door behind him when Zeel burst out of her room and zeroed in on him with her blazing purple eyes. Ark flinched.  
"What are you doing?" she asked gruffly.  
"I- uh…I'm just…" His stomach growled loudly, causing one of Zeel's eyebrows to arch.  
"Oh. Food," she grunted. "You don't know where to get it from." Ark blinked. That thought hadn't even occurred to him.  
"I…you're right," he sighed. "Well…I won't bother you if you're busy then. But if it isn't too much trouble, Miss Zeel…would you please tell me when you're going to eat something yourself? That way I can tag along and see where things are so I don't have to bother you." She stared at him and Ark could almost feel the frosty reply building up inside her. But it never came.  
"Whatever," she muttered as she brushed past him and continued off down the hall. Ark stared after her, half in shock after not receiving a verbal berating. She looked back at him when she reached the end of the hall. "Well? I thought you were hungry. Move." Ark didn't need anymore prompting. He followed a safe distance from the girl as she moved briskly down the corridor; Ark still unsure if she was going to suddenly whirl around and sink her teeth into him at a moment's notice. He unconsciously pulled his collar up higher around his neck.  
Barely a word was spoken between the two as Ark followed Zeel through the manor. They didn't go very far- merely further along the corridor to where a flight of stairs was located. Zeel led the way down the narrow staircase and pushed open a door that swung both ways. Behind the door lay a rather gigantic kitchen. There was a large bench that ran the center length of the room, with pots and pans hanging from a series of hooks overhead. There was a hand-driven pump by the sink, a trapdoor in the corner that led into a cool-room and a large oven. An entire wall was devoted to cupboards filled with all manner of food and ingredients. Great loops of spiced sausages, herbs and other spices hung about the place, particularly the middle bench.  
"Make what you want," Zeel told him with a wave of her hand. She walked over to the wall lined with cupboards and began rummaging around.  
"Erm…do you-"  
"Take whatever you want. It's not like I'll ever run out; I've seen to that," she said flatly, cutting him off. "Just eat. I don't care." Ark blinked and scratched his head.  
"Well…all right then," he said tentatively.  
Zeel flicked another grape into the air and caught it between two of her pointed canines. She had dumped herself on a group of flour-sacks in the corner while her prisoner pottered about the kitchen making who knows what. She could have just got something to eat and left, but she decided not to. Zeel wanted a chance to watch the one that had given her so much trouble more closely. The more she watched him, the more her disbelief grew that Ark had managed to squirm out of her clutches all of those times. He wasn't very strong, he wasn't very tall, he scared easily and he was just…well, a boy. She saw him pick up a knife and head towards her. Zeel went on alert, but in a manner that didn't let Ark know. Was he going to attack her? Zeel's lips drew back into a grin. If it gave her an excuse to give him a good bite, then she didn't care. She unconsciously licked her lips in anticipation, but was sorely disappointed when Ark stopped at the bench and began slicing something or other up into thin strips. Zeel let out an audible noise of irritation, causing Ark to look up with the thought he'd done something wrong. When she didn't say anything to the boy, he resumed his meal preparation. Zeel devoured yet another grape and continued to watch Ark's every move.  
"Hey," she said suddenly in a rather abrupt voice. Ark, who was still slicing; fumbled horribly with the knife and gave a small yelp of pain as he cut into his finger.  
"Y-yes?" he winced, holding his bleeding finger up to help top the blood flow.  
"Why do you insist on being so…polite to me?" Zeel continued, ignoring his injury. Ark popped his finger in his mouth while he tried to come up with an answer.  
"Haven't you asked me before?" Zeel's face hardened.  
"I'm asking again," she grunted. Ark removed his finger from his mouth and squirmed uncomfortably.  
"B-because you're a lady," he said in a small voice.  
"And that's the only reason? You call me "Miss Zeel" simply because I'm a girl?"  
"Well…yes. Aarden taught me to always respect a lady, no matter who she may be or what she may do."  
"What about the demon?" Zeel growled.  
"U-um…well she's a lady too…"  
"You think _that_ thing is a lady?" Zeel scoffed. "She's not a lady, she's an animal." Ark said nothing and resumed his slicing. Zeel watched him for a short while before standing up and walking towards him. Ark kept his attention firmly rooted on what he was doing as the girl approached.  
"Why don't you look at me?" she asked.  
"Wh-what? I-"  
"You look at me, but you don't see," she told him in a hard tone. "Your eyes are always on the floor or focusing on something behind me, only once or twice have you really looked. Look at me." Ark lifted his head slowly, but his eyes refused to focus on the girl in front of him. "I said look!" Ark flinched, his eyes flicking up briefly, but then darting away again. Zeel grabbed either side of his face and marched him backwards until he banged into the wall.  
"I said look at me!" she snarled. "I _hate_ it when people ignore me! Look at me!" Ark's big, green eyes snapped open and locked onto her hard, purple ones. His breathing was rapid, telling Zeel that he was very strained. "Now…tell me why you don't look at me." Ark's mouth opened and closed a few times.  
"I…you…a girl and…impolite-"  
"_That's_ not he reason!" she barked. "Tell me!"  
"I-"  
"_Tell me!"_ she shouted.  
"Because I'm afraid of you!" Ark blurted. "You make me feel…afraid." He seemed ashamed of his admission.  
"Then do you hate me?" she asked in a quite tone.  
"N-no…" he replied haltingly. "I don't." Zeel's lip twitched.  
"Why?" she demanded.  
"B-because…I can't," he stammered.  
"Why?" Ark stared at her for a few moments. The penetrating gaze from her two violet orbs chilled him to no end.  
"Y-you're not a bad person," he told her in a very small voice.  
"What?" Zeel seemed genuinely surprised.  
"You do things that make me afraid, like taking me away from everyone and keeping me in the dark…but you haven't killed me. You're an honorable person, not bad or evil; you just…do what people pay you to do." Zeel stared at him before her lips twisted into a cruel smile.  
"And what if I did try to kill you?" she asked. Ark's eyes widened. "What if I just threw all honor out the window and killed you right here and right now?"  
"Y-you wouldn't…would you?" Ark squeaked. Zeel stepped back, her scythe appearing in her hand.  
"Try me!" she laughed, swinging it at him. Ark ducked out of the way as the blade sank into the wall where his neck had been moments before. She pulled it free and came after him as he ran around the kitchen in an attempt to get away from her. Zeel kept swinging, narrowly missing the boy as he ducked around the bench.  
"Well what are you waiting for? Fight back!" she growled. But he didn't fight back; he kept running. Zeel whipped her scythe through the air and scored a deep cut along Ark's leg. He cried out in pain and stumbled onto the floor where he knelt breathing heavily. The black-haired girl put the tip of the weapon against his arm and pulled it up sharply, gashing his arm. Ark cried out again and clutched at the new wound.  
"Well? Go on," Zeel told him. "Attack me, do something! I know that you hate me' deep down inside you loathe and detest the girl that ripped you away from the light and imprisoned you in this dark and lonely place. You _hate_ me." She shoved him onto and rolled the boy onto his back before pinning him there with the butt of her scythe. "Say it."  
"No," he said quietly.  
"And why not?" she smirked, pushing the weapon harder against his neck.  
"B-because you're a real person to me," he wheezed. Zeel stopped dead.  
"W-what?" For the first time Ark could remember, Zeel looked unsure of herself.  
"Before you were just a nameless person…the black-haired girl," he coughed as the butt of her scythe was taken away from his neck. "But now you have a name, you have a personality…I know you." And Zeel knew that he was not lying. Ark knew her and he didn't hate her; he accepted her. He wouldn't hurt her- no- he couldn't hurt her, despite his knowing of what she was as a person. Zeel's scythe disappeared as violet gazed into deep, sorrowful emerald.  
"I…" Zeel trailed off and looked at the two deep wounds she had inflicted upon the boy on the floor. He didn't deserve them. She had been wrong. "…am sorry."


	53. Calling

**Chapter 52 – Calling**

Night had fallen on the sled-ship as it coasted smoothly across the ice. The group- minus Link and Ark- slept as well as they could. Zelda was curled in a tight ball in her bunk, one of her delicate hands continuously reaching out for something that she seemed to be missing. Fura was sprawled on her back with her limbs askew and her hair tumbling about her face like a carpet of fire whilst whispers of discontent escaped her white lips. Saria was also sleeping uneasily; worrying about how much trouble her oldest friend was getting into. Impa had passed into an uneasy slumber whilst worrying about her charge's discontent, while Florella dreamt and worried about all of her "children". Two people, however; were missing.  
Nyaragon sat at the prow of the sled-ship with her legs dangling off the sides. Her long tail lay flat against the deck, her ears were drooped and her posture let on that she was somewhat depressed. She sighed loudly and gazed up at the full moon in the clear, starry sky. It was going to take at least two to three months to sail from the ice all the way down to the Meera village where it was hot and Nyaragon didn't know if she could cope with spending that much time away from Ark. She mewed pitifully at the moon before slumping forwards again.  
"Are you all right?" a voice asked from behind her. The Bloodcat turned around to see Talen walking towards her.  
"Hello Talen," she mumbled gloomily. "Why you awake? You should be sleeping."  
"So should you," Talen countered. Nyaragon's ears twitched.  
"Nyaragon no can sleep," she sighed. "Ark gone. Nyaragon couldn't stop Zeel." Talen frowned.  
"I thought it might be that."  
"Nyaragon so worried about Ark…even worried about Link too. Ark no like being alone, especially in dark…Ark is scared of the dark…" The Bloodcat trailed off. Talen walked up and stood next to the sitting Bloodcat and gazed out to sea.  
"I'm worried about both of them as well," Talen told her. "But I know they're both fine. If they wound up together then Link will do everything in his power to keep Ark safe. Link's not as clueless as he seems; he knows how much Ark means to you."  
"Ark is…special to Nyaragon," the Bloodcat murmured.  
"I know," Talen said, patting her on the head.  
"Ark is Nyaragon's favorite person in the world…because he so nice to Nyaragon even though…" She trailed off. "Why bad things happen to Ark? He no deserve any of it…Ark always look so sad."  
"But he looks happy when he's with you," Talen pointed out. "Don't worry about Ark, Nyara. I doubt he'd want you losing sleep over him. Florella will find a way to get both of them back, I assure you."  
"Are you sure?" the Bloodcat asked. Talen nodded.  
"Absolutely. I have the highest faith in Florella's abilities," the smith told her. "Now we should both get back to sleep before we get in trouble."

Link had found himself a rather comfortable hiding place in amongst the enormity of Zeel's manor. It had taken him a good deal of time to find, and he had almost been caught on one occasion, but with quick reflexes he had dropped into the shadows before eventually finding himself all the way up in the attic. The attic had a relatively low ceiling, but it had lots of space. There were no walls and the floor space was equal to that of the entire top storey, however; it was very, _very_ dusty and Link even had to dispose of several skull-backed Skulltula spiders that really didn't want him taking their living space. With a little creativity, he managed to drag a long-forgotten mattress over to a concealed corner of the attic on which to sleep, after all; he didn't know how long he'd be stuck there. Link sat down after he'd finished making his little "nest" of sorts. It was hard to tell just how long he'd been there; it was always dark after all. Also, the absence of his companions made it seem like even more time had passed. He was beginning to miss them- all of them, even the little jibes that he and Florella threw at each other. That led him to ponder the fact of precisely _how_ he was going to get back to them with Ark. He had no idea how to get out of the strange realm Zeel's manor occupied, and then there was the actual task of getting Ark away from the misery-vampire herself. She wouldn't give him up without a fight that was for sure. But he could think about that after he'd had some sleep. With a big yawn, Link lay back on the old mattress and gazed at the dark sky through a window. He watched the lightning bolts tear across the darkness above until sleep claimed him.

Zeel said practically nothing else to Ark after her apology. Surprisingly, she helped him up off the floor in silence before moving out of the kitchen and back into his room. With a wordless command, the black-haired girl made him sit in a wooden chair in the corner of the room. She left and returned in a few moments with a bottle filled with dark salve, a small basin and a roll of bandages. She tore the sleeve of his top away with a sharp jerk of her arm. The combined effect of having lost a good deal of blood, and seeing said blood staining his arm made Ark feel rather light-headed. He vaguely remembered her cleaning, applying the salve and then dressing his wound before repeating the process with his leg. With his wounds tended to, Ark groggily thanked Zeel and stumbled over to his bed and promptly passed out across it. Zeel stared at him for a while, her expression betraying nothing. Then, without so much as a sigh, she turned on her heel and strode out of the room, leaving Ark to heal.

"I'm worried about Zelda," Impa murmured to Florella. "She looks so…lifeless." Florella looked up from combing Saria's hair and turned her attention to the Hylian Princess. Zelda lay in her bunk face-down with her arms stretched straight out in front of her head. Her hair lacked its usual shine, her skin had lost a lot of its usual glow and her eyes seemed weary and colourless. Florella frowned. Zelda had been like that for the past week, ever since they had reached the edge of the ice sheet and boarded a bigger ship designed for sailing across entire oceans. The usually high-spirited girl seemed to have fizzled out and spent her days inside the cabin either sleeping or just sitting on her bunk.  
"Now that you mention it…Fura's also looking quite drawn," Florella sighed. "Though not nearly as bad as Zelda." The fairy cleared her throat. "Zelda? Are you all right?" The Princess moved her head and blinked sleepily at Florella, Impa and Saria.  
"I'm tired," she murmured, trying to keep her eyes open.  
"Is there anything you need?" Impa asked her charge. Zelda looked thoughtful for a moment before giving her answer.  
"Link," she said. "I need Link. I want Link…please?" She sounded pitiful and a great well of pity surged up in Florella's throat.  
"I'm working on it, Zelda," she assured the wilted Princess. "He'll be back before you know it."

Ark paged slowly through a thick, leather-bound book he had come across in Zeel's expansive library. The grey-haired boy couldn't tell how long he'd been in the manor- perhaps a week or so- and he soon found himself starved for things to do. His wounds had healed fast, so much so that it was impossible to tell where they had been. However; Zeel still hadn't said a single word to him since her apology and she even avoided him the few times he had been out of his room to look around- he was a little uncomfortable moving freely about somebody else's home. But the library had provided Ark a quiet place to sit down and read through pages and pages of various spells and enchantments in the hopes he would find something the send himself and Link back to their companions. Link would also help him scour through the books, but he had to be careful so as not to get himself caught. Luckily, the library was built like some kind of gigantic, indoor maze with walls made of bookshelves and cupboards filled with scrolls, so Link was able to slip away should anyone wander in. Ark also liked the library because out of all the rooms in the manor it had the greatest number of lamps and was therefore the brightest, well, the reading area was at least.  
"How long have we been here for?" Link murmured suddenly as he idly turned the page of a tremendously thick book.  
"Erm…I'm not sure. There's nothing to count the days with," Ark frowned. Link looked thoughtful for a few moments.  
"It feels like a week…maybe more," he muttered. "Oh I hate this place! It's so…" He fumbled for a word.  
"Dark?" Ark offered.  
"That's it. Dark. Dark and stupid. I want to go back to the others," Link grumbled. Ark closed the book he was flicking through and sighed.  
"I hope Miss Nyara isn't worrying too much about me, but…I do miss her." Link glanced over at his friend.  
"I know. Even _I'm_ beginning to miss seeing the oversized ball of fur." Link scratched his head and opened his mouth to say more, but the sound of the door opening and then closing cut him off. Without wasting a second, Link slunk away through the maze of bookshelves as the sound of somebody whistling a tune came closer and closer. Then, quite suddenly, it stopped. Ark looked around a little nervously, hoping that the abrupt ending of the tune didn't mean that Link had been discovered.  
"Whatcha readin'?" Ark jumped out of his chair with a squeak and the book he held was rocketed into a bookshelf with a bolt of electricity. "Hah! You sure do scare easily." The demon-girl sat atop a high shelf behind his chair. She kicked her legs out from the side of the bookshelf a number of times before vaulting off and landing on Ark's seat.  
"O-oh, Miss…you startled me," Ark breathed in relief. Dutifully, he went over and picked up the book he had flung into the opposite bookshelf.  
"So _this_ is where you've been hiding all this time," the girl frowned thoughtfully, rising from the chair slowly. She sauntered past Ark and idly ran a finger along a row of old books. "I've never been all that partial to reading. Only do it when I need to."  
"I-I see," Ark stammered. "Erm…can I help you?"  
"Huh? No, I'm just bored," the girl sniffed, holding both her arms behind her head. "There's surprisingly little to do in such a big place." Ark glanced at the bookshelf.  
"Well-"  
"I don't like books," she said, cutting him off. Ark closed his mouth and stood there awkwardly. "By the way, I heard about the little scuffle you had with Zeel."  
"Y-you did? H-how?" Ark asked, looking quite surprised.  
"Don't look so shocked," she laughed. "I make it a point to spy on Zeel whenever possible. I have to do _something_ to keep myself busy around here. You should have heard her too; mumbling and muttering Ark this and Ark that…what exactly happened anyway?" She narrowed her eyes at the visibly uncomfortable boy.  
"N-nothing happened really…nothing at all," Ark told her. The demon-girl quirked an eyebrow and folded her arm across her chest.  
"You're very bad at lying," she smirked. "Zeel wouldn't just try to cut you in two for no reason…well maybe she _would_ try to cut you in half for no reason, but…oh just tell me!" Ark held his hands out in front of him as the girl stepped towards him.  
"Th-there's nothing really to tell!" he said quickly. "Miss Zeel got angry, I got slightly injured and then she apologized for-" The demon-girl waved her hands and then jabbed a finger up against Ark's lips, silencing him.  
"What!? She apologized?_ Zeel!?_" she exclaimed in disbelief. "Are you sure it was an apology? You may have misheard a murderous threat or something like that." Ark shook his head.  
"Erm…no. She just said "I am sorry" before bandaging me up. I haven't really seen her since then," Ark frowned. The girl, however; seemed to be off in her own little world and appeared to ignore him.  
"An apology from Zeel?"  
"Miss?"  
"Hah! Amazing, the sky hasn't even fallen!"  
"Excuse me, Miss."  
"But an apology…I'm pretty sure "sorry" is a word that's never escaped her lips before. Now this _is_ getting in-"  
"Miss!" Ark said a little more forcefully.  
"Huh?" the demon girl blinked. She looked at Ark. "Is there something wrong?" The demon girl lost herself in thought for a moment longer before shaking her head.  
"No, nothing's wrong. It's just interesting, that's all," she told him. Her expression turned thoughtful once more. Ark, deciding that a hasty retreat was perhaps in order, put the book he held back in its designated spot and began tiptoeing away. Unfortunately, he hadn't gotten far before the girl flashed out her wrist and grabbed the back of his clothes.  
"Hey, where are you going? The fun is just beginning!" the demon grinned.  
"F-fun?" Ark asked uncertainly. "Wh-what kind of fun?" The girl turned him around and grinned.  
"Let's just say I'm going to throw a few rocks at a hornet's nest." Before Ark could ask what she meant, the girl vanished, taking him with her.

Talen was a ray of sunshine amidst the gloom that was his companions. He sat at the stern of the ship in a rather relaxed state, fishing pole in hand. The waters were still rather cold, but they were warming the further south they sailed and luckily, for Talen, cold water meant nice, big fish. Whistling happily, he pulled another writhing slab of silver scales from the ocean below and dumped it in an old, rickety crate he'd broken the top off of. All up he'd caught at least six of the arm-length sea-goers. He was rather pleased with his efforts. Continuing his jaunty little tune, he cast his newly-baited hook back over the stern and into the water.  
"Well at least you're feeling better than the rest of us." Talen turned his head and saw Fura standing over him. The Gerudo seemed to be lacking her usual fire. Her copper skin looked paler than usual and her golden eyes seemed dull.  
"Hello Fura, what brings you out here?" he asked cheerfully. She groaned and sat down next to the smith.  
"You seem to be the only one around here wearing a smile," she sighed. "I thought it may rub off on me." Talen frowned thoughtfully.  
"You're welcome to grab a rod. Link's is free until he uses it next." Fura looked at the wooden fishing-pole and sighed again.  
"Oh Talen, how can you be so optimistic? I feel like I'll never see him again," she said with a voice that warbled, threatening to break.  
"Well for starters; I'm fishing. Who couldn't be happy fishing?" he asked her with a smile. "And second; with all the worrying that's being done over Link and Ark, I think that me adding to it would be a slight overkill. You know you're the third person to wander up here looking miserable?" He put a comforting arm around her shoulders. "I wouldn't worry about Link. Florella will bring him back."  
"You're so sure about that?" Fura asked. Talen nodded.  
"It's Florella, I know she can do it," he told her. Fura smiled wearily.  
"You have a lot of faith in her, don't you," the Gerudo chuckled.  
"Florella's a child, but at the same time she's not. She's older and wiser than all of us combined, but at the same time she's not. It's nice to know that behind it all there's somebody that can take care of us," the smith mused. "Link knows it too, and if Link can put all of his faith in her to do something, then I can too- hey!" Talen suddenly leaped up and Fura was rather ungraciously sprawled on her back. The Gerudo sat back up and looked over to see Talen trying valiantly to fend Nyaragon away from his precious bounty of fish. The Bloodcat held five of the large streaks of silver in her arms and was squaring off the last one hungrily.  
"Nyara! No!" Talen said sternly. The big, red animal girl flicked her tail and grinned at him, her pupils enlarged to the point of almost completely covering the color of her eyes. "They're my fish!" The Bloodcat held up one of them, tilted her head back and dropped it into her mouth. Talen let out an agonizing wail. She didn't even bother chewing it; the fish just went straight down her throat. She ate the rest in front of him, going so far as to put the tail of one of them in her mouth before offering Talen the other end. He grabbed it in his powerful grip, but the Bloodcat was still able to suck it out of his hands like a strip of spaghetti due to its sliminess.  
"Please!" he begged her. "Leave the last one! Have you no heart?" He stood between Nyaragon and the crate. The Bloodcat looked thoughtful for a moment before her tail whipped up over Talen's head and skewered the fish with its barbed tip. Then, with a serpentine grace, the appendage snaked up and dove into Nyaragon's jaws, emerging without the fish. Talen looked crushed.  
"Gone," he whimpered. "All gone."  
"Talen catch good fish, yes," Nyaragon grinned, patting his back. "Talen catch more."  
"But you'll just steal them again," he grumbled. The Bloodcat grinned and nodded.  
"Talen fish for Nyaragon. Fish good, Nyaragon not eat fish for long time." Talen sighed, defeated.  
"You should be flattered, Talen," Fura told him. "To have somebody that appreciates your efforts as much as Nyara does."  
"The least she could do is eat them a little slower rather than inhale them," the smith mumbled. "Or wait until they're dead." Nyaragon shook her head.  
"Live things taste much better. They dance and wiggle all the way down," she smiled. Talen and Fura shuddered as the Bloodcat made a show of licking her fingers.  
"I think I'm done for the day," Talen sighed dispassionately.  
"Me too," Fura grimaced. Nyaragon watched them leave with a growing disappointment evident on her face.  
"Hey!" she called. "Talen come back! Nyaragon still hungry! Catch more fish!"

Link sat on his mattress and jiggled his foot restlessly. So far he had found nothing that would help get himself and Ark back to their companions and Zeel's recent outburst of violence against the grey-haired boy had made Link fear for his safety. Ark, however; had assured Link that Zeel wouldn't try to hurt him again, but he couldn't really provide a reason as to why. Link groaned and flopped back on his makeshift bed, tossing the book he had pinched from the library over his shoulder. At least he wasn't going to starve with the kitchen that seemed to restock itself whenever anything was consumed. Link almost grinned at the thought, but his concern for Ark was still on his mind. He had stayed around in the library long enough to see the demon-girl spirit him off somewhere, but exactly where was unknown to him.  
"Well," Link yawned. "She didn't _look_ like she wanted to harm him." With that thought in mind, Link closed his eyes. The blonde Hylian was remarkably tired, and had been feeling so for some time.  
"Maybe I haven't been sleeping right," he mumbled to himself, settling in for a good nap.

Ark blinked, suddenly finding the rows and rows of books in the library gone. In fact, he wasn't even _in_ the library anymore. With a quick swivel of his eyes, he was able to determine that he was hanging face-down from a ceiling in the demon-girl's grip.  
"Wh-where are we?" he asked her in confusion. "What's-"  
"Shhh!" the girl hissed, clamping her hand over his mouth. "We're in Zeel's room. This is where the fun starts." Ark tried to tell the girl that perhaps they shouldn't be in there, but all that managed to escape his mouth were a few muffled sounds. The room was spacious and quite luxurious. Zeel's very large bed lay in the center of the room covered in expensive-looking red silk sheets and big, plush pillows. One wall was essentially one long window obscured by curtains, whilst the one opposite housed a large wardrobe. The wall behind the bed laid possession to a fantastically carved dresser covered in all manner of jewelry, combs and other assorted items. There was also a doorway by the dresser that led into an adjoining room housing goodness knows what. It was at that point that Zeel herself emerged from the doorway wrapped in a towel and with another coiled around her head like a turban. Ark immediately snapped his eyes shut whilst the demon-girl struggled to restrain herself from laughing. Almost immediately, Zeel went to the dresser and picked up three, small silver rings before pulling the towel off her head. With the speed of somebody that had done it many times before, she threaded the rings into her raven hair to create the triple feathery plumes that she always wore. She checked it briefly in the mirror before heading over to the wardrobe and closing herself inside to get dressed.  
"All right, here we go!" the demon-girl squeaked excitedly. Ark opened his eyes as the girl's grip on him loosened. He shook his head desperately, but it was too late. There was a rush of air and a loud thump and Ark found himself sprawled on his stomach. The wardrobe burst open and Zeel charged out with her scythe at the ready, but instead of meeting with an attacker, she met with Ark who was still getting his wits together after his fall from the ceiling. The grey-haired boy sat up and shook his head as Zeel stood over him.  
"M-miss Zeel!" he squeaked in panic. "I-I'm sorry! I was in the library- books- then I fell- the floor…" Ark trailed off as Zeel appraised him calmly. It had only just occurred to Ark that there was something odd about the way she was dressed. It took Ark a short while to figure out that, aside from missing her slim, black boots, Zeel was also missing the clothing on her torso.  
"What?" she grumbled as Ark's mouth hung open. The raven-haired girl looked down at her bare chest before realization dawned on her face. "Oh!" Ark quickly slapped his hands over his eyes before toppling over backwards in a dead faint. Zeel quirked an eyebrow before she turned around, snatched her top from the wardrobe and put it on carefully. She fturned back to the unconscious Ark and hauled him up and shook him.  
"Ark!" she shouted. "Wake up!" Repeating herself a number of times managed to bring him around. Ark blinked a few times before his eyes widened as realization dawned on him.  
"Yeek! M-miss Zeel!" he cried, leaping away from her. She put her hands on her hips and scowled.  
"What are you doing in here? You caught me half-naked!"  
"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he babbled in sheer panic with his face the colour of a bright red tomato. He pointed at the roof to where the demon-girl had disappeared from. "I was in the library and-" Zeel's expression suddenly became flat.  
"Don't tell me," she growled. "Demon! I know you're here! What are you up to?" Zeel's shout rang out across the room before there was silence. "Answer me!" The air behind Ark wavered and the demon-girl appeared.  
"Calm down, calm down," she laughed, waving her hands. "I'm here. What do you want?" Zeel's lip twitched.  
"What's the idea of dropping him in here while I'm getting dressed!?" Zeel demanded, pointing at Ark. The demon-girl shrugged.  
"I was bored, so I thought I'd throw Ark in just to see what you'd do," she smirked. "Unfortunately, you didn't explode and start shouting curses and blowing things up and so on. I thought for _certain_ you'd lop his head off for seeing those." Zeel turned her head sharply to look at Ark, who in turn flinched horribly and turned his eyes to the floor.  
"Hmph," Zeel snorted. "It was an accident. You were the one that tossed him in here." She folded her arms across her chest and gazed at the boy sitting on the floor. "Right?"  
"Well-" Ark began, but the demon-girl cut him off.  
"This coming from the person who broke a man's arm for putting it around her shoulder?" she laughed. "Ark, do you know the severity of what you've done?" Ark looked horrified.  
"B-but I-"  
"Don't you try to make it his fault," Zeel growled. "This is all _your_ doing, you demon! Now get out!" The demon girl sat back in the air and grinned.  
"You're not the _slightest_ bit angry with him?" she asked before pointing to her own bosom. "I mean, _I'd_ be outraged if somebody snuck a peak at mine."  
"Hah!" Zeel laughed. "Nobody would _want_ to sneak a peek at yours, you _demon!_"  
"Hey, I may be a demon, but I've still got a ladies figure!" the demon-girl shot back.  
"With green skin, silver hair and those big, ugly ears of yours," Zeel scoffed. "You're only trying to get me angry, but using Ark will not work. I will not attack him."  
"And why is that?" the demon-girl asked with a smirk. Zeel paused, caught off-guard by the silver-haired demon's question.  
"Because Ark saved my life when I fell-"  
"That's not the reason, you fat pile-o-misery!" the demon interrupted. "You tried to slice, dice and julienne the kid about a week ago for no reason at all!" Zeel grit her teeth together. "If you really hate Ark like you say you do, you'd have ended his life months ago. So what's the story, Zeel? You either hate him or you don't; what's it going to be?"

Florella sat in the cabin panting heavily. Little beads of sweat ran down her brow from the intense concentration of trying to locate Ark and Link in whatever spiritual realm they were trapped in. With a final surge of strength, Florella flopped back on her bunk and lay there gasping for air.  
"Florella?" Zelda asked worriedly. "Are you all right?" Impa and Saria hovered about as the Great Fairy sat herself up.  
"Y-yes, I'm all right," she breathed, pushing a lock of dark purple hair out of her eyes.  
"Did you…find them?" Zelda queried with a pained expression. Florella winced and leveled her hand.  
"I felt Link briefly…but I cannot sense Ark at all. I suspect that Zeel may have done something to hide him," the fairy sighed. "I'm afraid things aren't boding too well. If it takes that much effort just to get a brief inkling of Link's location, then I don't know how I'm going to bring _both_ of them back…but I'll never stop trying." Zelda sobbed at Florella's words.  
"B-but you _have_ to bring him back!" she cried.  
"I know, and I will," the fairy said soothingly. "It's just very difficult."  
"Keep calm, Zelda," Impa shushed the Princess, coddling her up in her arms. "Florella can do it."  
"But what if she can't!?" Zelda cried at the top of her lungs, tears streaming down her face. The weight of the past week seemed to suddenly come crashing down on her. "What if Link's trapped in some horrible place for the rest of eternity!? It can't happen! I want him back here with me! I want Link! Somebody, anybody! Bring him back now!"  
"Zelda…" Saria began, starting forward. Zelda, however; was in no mood to be comforted.  
"Link!" she shouted. "Wherever you are! Come back! Come back now! I _order_ you to! I'm your Princess and you must do as I say! _Come back to me!"_ Then, to the amazement of those in the cabin, the Triforce mark on Zelda's hand glowed with a brilliant, golden light.  
"Wh-what's going on!?" Florella squeaked. The light from the Triforce mark suddenly flared up, drowning the room in its blinding glow. Zelda wriggled out of Impa's arms and dashed out of the cabin.  
"Zelda!" the Sheikah woman called, shielding her eyes. "Where are you going?"  
"Link!" Zelda called back. "He has to see it! I need to show him the way!"  
Just as Talen came wandering towards the door that led below decks in the aftermath of Nyaragon's fish-eating display, Zelda came bursting out with her hand awash with light.  
"What the-" the smith started. "Zelda?" The Princess dashed up to the railing along the side of the ship as Impa, Florella and Saria came running out after her.  
"What's going on?" Fura demanded.  
"I don't know," Saria frowned worriedly. "Zelda went hysterical and then the mark on her hand started glowing." The sailors were looking at the small gathering around the Princess with a certain level of wariness, and that wariness only increased as Zelda lifted her hand into the air and caused its glow to become even brighter.  
"Link!" Zelda shouted. "Come back!" Zelda's Triforce mark immediately responded and exploded in a fantastic storm of light. A single beam of gold erupted from Zelda's hand and raced out over the water, impacting with nothing and widening until it had created a large, glowing triangle over the sea.

Zeel opened her mouth to respond to the demon-girl's question when a blinding light suddenly came blasting in through the windows. The curtains were sent billowing, as if by an invisible wind.  
"What the hell is going on!?" Zeel demanded, shielding her eyes from the intense light along with Ark and the demon-girl.

As Link lay slumbering in the attic, a pinpoint of light appeared out over the cliff in the distance. The tiny point of light suddenly flared up like a small sun, sending blinding light all over the manor. A shaft of gold shone in through the window above the boy's bed, illuminating him as he slept. The Triforce mark on his hand flickered and then shone as bright as the golden light streaming in through the window. Link twitched as he lay on his side, before one of his eyes snapped open and its pupil rolled into focus. As if in a trance, he stood up and walked slowly to the glass and stared at what appeared to be a shining, golden triangle suspended in the air some distance out from the cliff. It was as if day had suddenly dawned on the perpetually-dark manor, banishing the shadows that lurked in its hallways and rooms. A familiar feeling swept through Link and seemed to energize him, renewing the strength that seemed to have seeped from his body since he had arrived. He could feel it calling him; a voice that he couldn't hear with his ears, but with his soul.  
"Zelda!" he exclaimed happily, pressing his hands against the glass. "I'm coming!"


	54. Dark to Light

**Chapter 53 – Dark to Light**

"Do you know about this!?" Zeel demanded, grabbing Ark by the front of his shirt. He shook his head desperately.  
"N-no!" he squeaked. Zeel dropped him.  
"It must be that accursed fairy," the black-haired girl growled. "She must have found a way to locate him." After a brief moment of thought, Zeel turned to the demon. "You! Take him to his room and keep him there while I find out what's going on. Don't let _anything_ happen to him, got it?" The demon-girl saluted mockingly and picked Ark up off the floor.  
"Anything else, Majesty?" she smirked. Zeel gave her a look that indicated she meant business, prompting the demon-girl to turn on her heel and head for the door with Ark.

Link tore down the stairway leading from the attic with the Triforce mark on his hand sending out particles of light and glowing like a tiny sun. Zelda was calling him through the gold triangle that had appeared in the sky and he didn't know how much longer it would be there for, so time was of the essence. The only problem was getting past Zeel and the demon in order to get Ark safely out of the manor. Link grinned and popped his knuckles. He had an excuse to smack them around a little- nothing serious of course, but enough to give him enough time to get away with Ark.  
"All right! Let's go!" he laughed. The Key came to life, whipping the straps about the hallway like an extra set of appendages that sped his movement through the manor. He practically knocked the doors of their hinges with a typhoon of metal rings and the straps, sliding around corners and leaping down stairwells. It was the first time that Link actually realized he enjoyed using the Key. It was like an extension of his own body -moving at his mental command. It was an extremely useful tool to have at his disposal- in fact he probably wouldn't be alive if it weren't for the Key. Link burst open another door and practically flew down another flight of stairs, skidding at the bottom and shooting off down another hallway, the Key's straps whipping around the corner after him. Zeel was in for a surprise.

Ark was shoved out into the hall outside Zeel's room by the demon-girl before Zeel emerged close behind them. The black-haired girl japed her finger threateningly at the demon.  
"Now you stay with Ark. Don't let him out of your sight! I'm positive this is the doing of one of his-"  
"Hey Zeel!" The shout echoed loudly down the corridor, catching the attention of all three people. Link was standing some distance down the corridor with his hands on his hips and the Key's straps flapping gently as if blowing in an unfelt breeze. It took Zeel a few seconds to digest the fact that he was actually there. She stared at him stupidly for a number of seconds before her lips twisted into an enraged snarl.  
"_You!"_ she roared. "What are you doing here!? You did all this!"  
"Ha-ha! Charade you are, Zeel! I've been here all along- I bet you didn't realize you brought along an extra passenger," he smirked. Getting her angry could prove to work to his advantage. If she got careless, then he'd be able to get her out of the way much faster. "But I must say; your hospitality has been most superb. Free run of your kitchen, comfortable lodging and an endless supply of books to read." He could almost see steam coming out of her ears.  
"How…_dare_…you!" she grated, stamping one foot towards him. "You dare infiltrate my home? _My_ home? This time I'm getting rid of you for good!"  
"What's the matter Zeel? A little too preoccupied with tormenting helpless Ark not notice me sneaking around? You must be feeling pretty stupid right now," Link smirked.  
"I'll tear you limb from limb!" she screeched, holding her hands out like claws. Link held up his dark arm and waved it at her.  
"Hah! You couldn't even get that right the first time!" he laughed. The demon girl snorted and then bit her lip to hold in laughter. Zeel gave her a brief, annoyed glance before turning back to Link.  
"I'll cut you to ribbons," she growled. "You're on your own in this fight."  
"Well then come and get me, you almighty shrew." With an enraged shriek, Zeel charged towards him, phasing her scythe into her hand as she did so. But before she got even remotely close to Link, the ring-tipped straps of the Key shot out towards her through the air like twin arrows. They struck her in the middle and immediately halted her progress. She blinked and Link grinned at her before the straps twisted slowly around each other and suddenly pushed her back down the hall like some kind of quick-growing vine. With a strangled cry, she shot past Ark and the demon girl before crashing through the wall at the end of the hall. The straps then spiraled and reeled themselves in until they hung back at their usual lengths down Link's back. The demon-girl peered back to where Zeel's legs were visible sticking out from a pile of splintered wood that used to be a portion of the wall. Then, at the sound of a metallic clinking noise, she whipped her head back around only see the metal rings whizzing straight at her. With a yelp of surprise, the demon-girl was struck in the stomach and lifted straight up. She skittered backwards along the ceiling until striking the wall solidly and sliding down into a crumpled heap near Zeel.  
"A-are they all right…?" Ark stammered.  
"They're fine," Link interrupted with a wave of his hand. "But we want to be far, _far_ away from here by the time they get their senses together or I'm going to be in a lot of trouble. Let's go!"

Zelda and the others stood on the deck of the ship and gazed at the large, golden triangle in that air with awe. The glow from the mark on Zelda's hand continued to pulsate out towards it, keeping the triangle sustained.  
"Florella…what's happening?" Talen asked. Florella shook her head.  
"I…I don't know," she replied with a slow shake of her head. "Zelda's Triforce piece…it must be reacting to Link's somehow. Zelda's will to bring Link back must have been strong enough for the Triforce pieces they hold to call to each other through the wall of Zeel's realm. I just hope Link can get out with Ark."  
"He will if he knows what's good for him," Fura growled. The Gerudo ran up to the railing next to Zelda and cupped her hands around her mouth. "Link! You'd better come back as fast as you can or we'll never forgive you! Do you hear me!?" Her shout echoed out across the water. "Get your legs moving or I'll never ever kiss you again!"

The front door of the manor burst outwards in a shower of splintered wood. Seconds later, Link, followed closely by Ark, came running out onto the grass outside. As they neared the gate, Link motioned for Ark to get on his back before he catapulted both of them clear over the metal barrier and onto the ground on the other side. The light from the golden triangle coupled with Link's glowing hand made it easy to see, but it also meant that Zeel and the demon could find them very easily. Their only hope was speed. Ark could feel the blood pumping in his ears as he ran towards the cliff through the sparse dotting of trees. Link was a short distance ahead of him, but despite the blonde boy's superior athletic ability, Ark was able to keep up because of the adrenalin running through him at the thought of escaping the manor and seeing his companions again- more specifically; Nyara. Suddenly, there came a cry of rage from somewhere behind them. Zeel had obviously started giving chase and she was none too happy about it; judging by the amount of cursing that could be heard.  
"Hurry Ark!" Link called over his shoulder. "We don't have far to go!" Then, as if the punctuate his sentence, the two boys broke through the trees and stood at the edge of the cliff. The golden triangle shone brightly some distance out from the edge and its light mingled with that of the mark on Link's hand. Then, as if a door were opening, the center of the triangle cleared to show a large ship on an ocean. There were a number of very familiar figures standing on the deck.  
"Look!" Ark cried excitedly. "I can see them! Miss Nyara!" They saw the Bloodcat's ears prick up and she began to wave desperately, signaling that she too could see the boys.  
"Seeing them is one thing, getting to them is another," Link frowned, glancing from the triangle in the sky to the fringe of trees behind them. "We'll have to keep going out along that path down there. If we can climb up to the top of that island out there, then we'll be able to reach it." Ark looked out to where the golden triangle floated above a reasonably-sized island that consisted of little more than a narrow, flat portion of ground around its perimeter, and a towering mass of rock that plateaued out at the top. Wasting no more time, Link and Ark descended the narrow path down the face of the cliff before breaking into a run out along the Seaway.

The water almost seemed to be rougher than before, washing over the sides of the rock path and fawning at their feet like dogs at a bone. Ark pushed back his fear of the cold, dark depths that awaited him should he loose balance, focusing instead on the thought of getting out of the dark realm and making it back to where the sun shone and where Nyara could fuss over him once again.  
"Are you all right?" Link called over his shoulder.  
"I-I'm managing," Ark replied over a rumble of thunder. "We-"  
"Stop this instant!" The voice cut through the wind and sloshing of water like a knife, surprising the two boys. Zeel was not far behind, running as fast as she could with her scythe held in both hands. Her face was a mask of fury, though it seemed to be directed at the one who dared take Ark back. Link.  
"Uh-oh," the blonde boy gulped. "Ark! Run faster!"  
"I'm trying!" Ark cried in panic.  
"I'll gut you!" Zeel was ranting. "I'll slice your belly open and feed your intestines to the fish! How _dare_ you enter my realm and take what belongs to me! You won't live to see another day, Blondie!" She looked terrifying. Her eyes almost seemed to give off a light of their own, filled with a terrible, blazing fury directed at Link and a kind of voracious hunger that appeared to be directed at Ark.  
"Come on, Ark! We're getting closer!" Link shouted desperately. The triangular gateway loomed ahead of them, but first they had to climb a rather large outcropping of rock that rose from the island like a small mountain. Zeel would have the distinct advantage with her ability to fly, and Link couldn't tell if the demon girl was sneaking up on them from another direction or if she was still at the manor. There was suddenly the sound of an explosion. Link whipped his head around and saw Ark lose his balance and fall towards the dark water. Zeel had thrown one of her purple energy balls at his feet to knock him off balance, but Link wasn't about to let her win that easily. As Zeel dove towards the falling Ark, Link snatched victory out from under her nose. The twin straps of the Key whipped out and coiled around Ark's waist, yanking him away as Zeel slammed onto the path after missing her quarry.  
"Ark, I'll meet you at the top!" Link called his friend, lifting him up to the top of the small island at blistering speed with the Key. Zeel immediately took to the air and went after the grey-haired boy, but Link coiled the straps beneath him like a spring and leaped straight up to meet her. He slammed into the black-haired girl's midsection before the two of them began a mid-air wrestle.  
"Rrgh!" Zeel growled as she and Link began to throttle each other whilst rising towards the top of the island. "You shouldn't interfere with a superior force, Link! You'd have been better off just staying on your world and getting used to not seeing Ark again just like everybody else!" Link suddenly broke Zeel's hands away from his throat and flipped around onto her back as they shot up over the crest of the island.  
"Well _you_ shouldn't have bothered coming after Ark in the first place, because I'll stop you at ever turn!" he declared. Zeel made an enraged sound and spun around rapidly, trying to dislodge Link from her back. He was almost thrown off by the force of gravity, but managed to hold on. Zeel suddenly wheeled around in the air and swooped down low, tipping upside-down in order to make Link collide with the ground and hopefully dislodge him. However; Link wound the Key straps around Zeel's middle and pushed her away from himself. The girl smashed into the ground while Link sailed gracefully over her like a pole-vaulter, landing on the ground next to Ark with a small flourish.  
The gateway lay before the two boys, floating several metres out from a sheer drop leading down to the churning waters below.  
"H-how are you going to make _that?_" Ark squeaked.  
"We jump," Link told him. "Don't worry, I'll help."  
"But…" Ark looked decidedly unsure of himself.  
"Just think of what's on the other side!" Link said sharply. "It's that…or _that_." Link motioned to Zeel, who was in the process of swearing like a sailor whilst she picked herself up off the ground a short distance behind them. She was covered in dust and dirt and breathed in heavy gasps as she pulled back her lips into a snarl that showed off her pointed incisors.  
"Hurry!" a familiar voice called from the gateway. "Ark hurry!" Nyaragon was shouting ceaselessly, her hands waving in the air to get his attention.  
"Miss Nyara! I'm coming!" he shouted back. Zeel took off at a run towards them just as Link and Ark locked arms and dashed towards the gateway. The Key straps coiled into springs, bunched themselves behind the two boys, and then launched them towards the triangular gate. They sailed towards it, out over the ocean below. But Zeel was fast. On the threshold of the gateway, she caught Ark under his arms after leaping after him. Link lost his grip on the grey-haired boy and shot through into the sunlight, but at the last minute he lashed out the Key's straps and wound them around one of Ark's ankles. He hung there; dangling above the sea, held aloft by Zeel as she held onto Ark with an unbreakable grip.  
"No!" Saria cried as Link hung down from the gateway. "So close! We have to do something!" But Florella was already acting. The fairy girl leaped over the railing of the ship and spread her delicate wings, zipping over to Link and grabbing his arms.  
"Florella!" he exclaimed. "Don't let go!"  
"Rrgh! I'm trying not to!" she grunted, pulling back with all of her might. Link rose and moved towards the ship as the key's straps went taut between himself and Ark.  
"You won't win, _fairy!_" Zeel spat. "You're not strong enough!" The black-haired girl tugged on Ark, drawing him further back into her realm. Florella and Link began drifting slowly towards the gate.  
"Come on, Florella! Move those wings like there's no tomorrow!" Link encouraged her. "You can do it!"  
"My…my wings aren't strong enough!" she groaned. "I-I can't…" They gradually mover further and further back towards the gate until Zeel was able to swing one arm down and dug her scythe into the rocky ground of the island's summit.  
"You…are not…leaving!" she growled in Ark's ear. "I've worked too hard for my reward and I won't let you cheat me out of it!" There was a hint of desperation in her voice.  
"M-miss Zeel," Ark stammered as he was pulled in two different directions. "What could be worth all of this?  
"You can't _possibly_ know!" she exclaimed. "This isn't about gold or jewels or money…everything's at stake, and _you're_ the fulcrum on which it's all balanced!" Ark was suddenly yanked out of Zeel's grip by a powerful tug from Florella and Link, who had braced themselves against the rim of the gate. Zeel cursed and swung her legs up, encircling them about Ark's waist.  
"Where's that demon!?" Zeel snarled. Her quarry began to slide ever so slightly out of her grasp.  
"I'm sorry, Miss Zeel," Ark apologized sincerely. "But everything's at stake for us as well. If there's the slightest chance that I can help lock the Eternal Ark, then I have to take it. Because if whoever is trying to open it actually succeeds, then nobody will be safe…not even you." Zeel stared into Ark's eyes in shock. She could see concern in their deep, green depths. After all she had done to him; he was actually concerned about her. A look of anguish passed over Zeel's eyes before she drew her face right up to his.  
"Wh-wha-" he stuttered.  
"Fine," she spat, licking her lips. "But know that I will _never_ cease hounding you until I get my reward…or you lock the Ark and destroy the one who would give me what I want." She suddenly opened her mouth wide and sunk her teeth into his neck, draining a significant portion of his energy with an almost animalistic fervor, but she quickly tore herself away. "_That's_ the viewing fee." Then, with a dark scowl, she released her grip and watched as Ark was ripped away and flung through the gate.

Link and Florella gave a sudden jolt and lurched back as Zeel let go. The tension that had built up in the Key's straps was suddenly released, resulting in Ark becoming airborne like a stone thrown from a sling. The grey-haired boy flew towards the ship with a wail, hoping to the Goddesses that he wouldn't hit too hard, or worse; land in the ocean.  
"Ark!" The boy looked down and saw Nyaragon standing at the ready. She bunched her legs and launched herself straight up into the air, catching him against her stomach like a ball. Ark collided with a grunt, followed shortly by another as the Bloodcat landed back on-deck. The grey-haired boy let out a sigh of relief. He was back.  
"Nyah! Ark!" Nyaragon crowed in delight. She swung him up, her face alight with happiness. "Nyaragon so worried! Nyaragon thought she never see you again!" And then followed the backbreaking hug and the relentless onslaught of licking that threatened to remove several layers of skin from his face. She was near tears as she swung him about, stroking his hair repeatedly with one of her big hands and babbling out all of the worries that had run through her mind during his absence.  
"I'm glad to see you too, Miss Nyara," Ark managed to wheeze out as she continued to bind him to her with a powerful grip.  
"Ark! Are you all right?" Talen asked, running up to his friend. Ark nodded as Nyaragon reluctantly put him down.  
"I'm just a little bit tired," he admitted, touching his fingers to the bite-mark on his neck.  
"Zeel hurt Ark!?" Nyaragon demanded. Ark was suddenly lifted up and crushed yet again by a fierce embrace on the Bloodcat's behalf. "Nyaragon sorry! All Nyaragon's fault that Ark got taken!"  
"It…gak- all right…Miss Ny- urgh!" Ark managed to choke out. She released her grip slightly, but refused to put him down a second time.  
"Well it's good to see that you're still in one piece," Talen grinned, clapping his friend on the back as Nyaragon held him. "Careful Nyara, with your size you could do more damage with a hug than that Zeel could ever do with those teeth of hers."  
Florella and Link watched in relief as Nyaragon leaped up and caught Ark.  
"Well I'll be…he got away," Link whistled. He suddenly whipped his head around to see if Zeel was preparing to come through the gate in order to go after Ark again, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Hey, where'd she go?"  
"Who cares? Just so long as it isn't out here," Florella told him. "Come on; let's get you back to the ship. There are two people very eager to see you." The Great Fairy increased the speed that her wings whirred at and turned back towards the ship, carrying Link by the back of his clothing as he reeled in the Key's straps. Once they got to the ship, Florella dropped him over the railing and onto the deck before landing herself.  
"Whew! You're heavy," she breathed. "You obviously didn't starve while you were away." Link grinned at her. Navi fluttered over and jingled around him in excited circles.  
"Well Zeel did have this rather fantastic kitchen that never seemed to run out of f-"  
"_Link!"_ The loud wail made him flinch, and he turned around just in time to have Zelda leap at him. Desperate hands clutched at his back and his face was assaulted with a barrage of joyful kisses.  
"Z-Zelda?" he winced as he tried to get her to stop. "I-"  
"I was so _worried!_" she cried. "Y-you just…weren't there anymore! It was like there was an empty space where you used to be! Oh I'm so relieved!" She buried her face into his top and sighed. All at once she seemed to return to normal. Her hair was bright and shining, her eyes were vivid blue and her skin was back to its normal, pinkish hue and the Princess no longer looked exhausted and frail. Link managed to pry her arms off of him before straightening out his clothes.  
"Well it's good to be back again," he said. "Sorry about being gone for so long, I couldn't-"  
"Linkie-do Sweet-Cheeks! Did you miss me!?" Fura landed roughly on his back and he pitched forwards, yet was able to keep his balance. "I'm so glad you're back!" The Gerudo wriggled about and managed to plant a big, wet kiss over his lips before encircling her arms about his neck and embracing him fiercely.  
"Ack! Fura!" he squawked, flailing about as she began to smear her white lipstick about his face with more relieved kisses. There was a sudden flash from behind them. The gate filled itself in with a brilliant light, becoming a solid gold triangle once more before it shrank and disappeared in a shower of golden sparkles. Link and Zelda both looked down at the marks on their hands as they flickered and then went back to their usual, unobtrusive state.  
"What _was_ that?" Link asked the Princess. "I could hear you calling out to me when it appeared in the sky near Zeel's manor. Did you create it? Or was it Florella?"  
"It wasn't me," the fairy replied. "I could barely sense you through the veil of her realm. I highly suspect that the two Triforce pieces you hold became tuned to your wishes and opened a door between this world and Zeel's spiritual realm." Link and Fura glanced at each other in confusion.  
"I understand," Zelda frowned thoughtfully. "The completed Triforce can make any wish come true, but at the moment it has been split into its three separate pieces. The pieces you and I hold, Link, must have reacted to our strong will so see each other again. Though not powerful enough to instantly whisk you here, it was able to create the means in order for you to get back." She fluttered her eyelashes at him. "You must have missed me an _awful_ lot." Link winced and went a little red.  
"Well…of course I missed you. I missed all of you. Even the little piggy," Link said, waving his hand at Florella. She puffed her cheeks out in anger.  
"You only just got back and already you're taking hits at me!? Show me some respect! I worried about you day and night! I tried to get you back day and night!" she snapped. "Don't call me piggy! I deserve a name befitting of my status as a Great Fairy!" Link blinked at her.  
"The Duchess of Pork?" he suggested.  
"Rrgh! You're in fine form after only just getting back!" Florella growled in frustration, tugging at her hair. "Ungrateful swine! See if I _ever_ help you again!" Link closed his eyes and grinned at her before everyone grouped together to welcome the two boys back. Nyaragon plopped the Compass in Ark's hands and patted him on the head.  
"Nyaragon keep blue ball safe for Ark. Ark have it back now," she told him.  
"Thank you, Miss Nyara," he said awkwardly. Talen clapped both Ark and Link on their backs.  
"Thank goodness the two of you are still alive. It isn't any fun being the only boy around," he whispered. Florella chided him lightly for his little remark. The smith grinned at her before turning to Ark. "By the way, how did you get Zeel to let go? By the looks of things she had a hold of you pretty tight."  
"Ark shock Zeel!" Nyaragon declared. "Ark show Zeel who is boss!" She lifted him up above her head proudly.  
"A-actually," Ark squeaked. "I didn't do anything." There were looks of puzzlement.  
"Then how?" Ark scratched his head.  
"Well…she let me go."


	55. Runt

**Chapter 54 – Runt**

"Uhh? Augh! Fura! Get off!" Link demanded as he awoke to an uncomfortable feeling of dampness against his cheek. The first thing he had seen was Fura's partly-open mouth just below his eye. The Gerudo had obviously snuck across the cabin some time during the night and had fallen asleep on his arm, causing it to go completely numb. The damp feeling on his cheek had been a small river of dribble originating from the corner of Fura's mouth. She always seemed to drool when she slept, frequently soaking her pillows and, sometimes, Link's beloved tunic.  
"And what are you doing on my bunk? There's only room for one, not two," Link groaned. Fura opened her eyes groggily. Despite her obviously-disheveled state, it was easy to see that Fura had regained her colour and vibrancy since the very moment she had jumped on Link's back after he had returned with Ark.  
"Ugh, what?" she grunted, blinking at him before squinting.  
"You're _drooling_ on me!" Link wailed in frustration.  
"Oh," she yawned. "Sorry. You…smell so delicious I can't help but- ack!" Fura found herself pulled into the air and dropped back onto her own bunk across the cabin, courtesy of the Key. She sat up and stuck out her bottom lip in a gigantic pout that was supposed to gain Link's sympathy. It did not.  
"Fura, that's the third time in a week that you've woken me up by cutting off the circulation in one of my arms and dribbling all over me. I'm _not_ going anywhere anytime soon, so stop "keeping a close eye on me" as you put it," he sighed.  
"But I worry," she frowned.  
"I know, and by the Goddesses it's truly thoughtful that you do…but I haven't had a good night's sleep since I came back from Zeel's land-o-fun," Link told her pleadingly. "So please, can you worry about me from you own bed instead of invading mine and crushing _and_ drowning me?"  
"Heh." Link glanced irritably at Florella's bunk and saw the fairy grinning at him idiotically.  
"Shut up, Florella," he grumbled. "And tuck yourself in properly. Your paunch is showing."  
"Paunch!" Florella snapped, sitting bolt upright. She clutched her blanket against her stomach tightly. "There is most certainly _no_ paunch on this body!" There was a groan from Talen, who was trying valiantly to block out the early-morning argument. He rolled over to face the wall of the cabin, pulling his pillow over his head.  
"Please, Florella," he groaned. "Not right now. My ears are not prepared to hear the melodious sound of your voice this early in the morning." Florella clasped her hands together.  
"I'm sorry, Talen," she said girlishly. "Sleep now, my mighty knight." Talen cringed and there was a loud snort from Link.  
"Hah! If ever there was something you've said to induce uncontrollable vomiting it's _that_," he scoffed. Florella's eyebrows slanted together in irritation.  
"Then why don't you lie on your back and do it right now? Maybe I'll get lucky and you'll drown in it," she grumbled icily before flopping back down on her pillow.  
Unfortunately, sleep proved to be just a little too elusive for Link and Talen. Nyaragon woke up only a short while later, and after picking Ark up off her belly where she'd made him sleep every night since he got back she hauled a protesting Talen and Link out from under their blankets. Her excuse was that Link had done such a bang-up job at keeping him safe in Zeel's realm that he was the perfect one for the job. She didn't give and excuse for Talen. The Bloodcat had been incredibly strict in limiting Ark's wanderings from her side. So strict, in fact; that she kept her tail coiled around his waist like a leash so he couldn't stray more than a few steps from her at all times. That included when she decided to take a catnap out in the sun, which had decided to show itself once they had sailed out of the colder waters.  
"Oh it'll do you good to get up early," Saria told the boys as they groaned and grumbled about their forced eviction from their oh-so warm blankets.  
"I don't see you champing at the bit to greet the morning," Link muttered sourly at the Kokiri girl as she smiled at them with her blanket clutched tightly at her chin.  
"That's because I don't have to. I also want to sleep in," she giggled. "Enjoy the day, boys!"

And so Link and Talen followed the same routine of being yanked out of bed early in the morning for the next month and a half. Ark also followed the same routine of sitting next to Nyaragon, sitting on Nyaragon or _sleeping_ on Nyaragon. But he didn't seem to mind. Rather; Ark seemed quite listless ever since returning from Zeel's realm. It wasn't due to the bite she had given him just before she had released him, Florella had confirmed that, but he just seemed rather quiet and contemplative- more so than usual. He didn't even seem to concerned about the amount of water surrounding him, but that was perhaps because he felt safe with Nyaragon. His companions and Nyaragon in particular seemed to be just a little troubled by his behavior, but he assured them that there was nothing wrong and that he was just thinking about things. Nyaragon didn't mind so long as she got to stay close.  
"They seem even odder than usual," Fura chuckled as she sat on top of a stray barrel in the warm sunlight. The weather had warmed dramatically as they neared the equator. Link was back in his green tunic- much to his delight- and the rest of the group had also changed into cooler clothing. Saria was back in her Kokiri Tunic, though she had decided to forego wearing her boots since her feet kept getting too hot. Zelda wore an odd little outfit that consisted of a rather short bodice that showed her stomach if she lifter her arms, and a short dress-bottom that sometimes showed a little too much leg when the wind kicked up. She also seemed to find a great deal of amusement in showing that particular fact off to a rather uncomfortable Link. Florella wore a rather loose-fitting, sleeveless white tunic and her favorite pair of dainty little sandals. The fairy girl had also drawn her hair back into a thick ponytail similar to Zelda's, but she had left herself a fringe that hung down to near her shoulders, framing her face. Talen wore a pair of long shorts and his usual plain, sleeveless shirt. Ark's usually heavy load of clothing had lessened slightly. His cloak had gone and he wore a simple shirt and long shorts that were quite similar to Talen's. Impa wore her Sheikah outfit and Fura continued to wear the clothes she had left Aurora in.  
"Who?" Link grunted from his semi-reclined snoozing position against the side of Fura's barrel. She tapped her feet against his cheeks before pointing one of them at Nyaragon and Ark. The Bloodcat and the grey-haired boy were sitting quietly near the prow of the ship.  
"They just look so odd together. Nyaragon's so big and Ark's rather small," Fura smiled. "He really _does_ look like her pet."  
"I think it's sweet," Zelda said with a small nod. The Princess sat a small distance from Link with a cat's cradle, weaving it into a variety of complex patterns. "They're so funny sometimes. Ark's all manners and formality while Nyara just says and does what she thinks."  
"Like licking the skin of or poor Ark's face," Link murmured sleepily. Fura caught his ears between her toes and pulled them back.  
"Don't be mean…and don't fall asleep either," she chided him.  
"But she got me up so _early_," Link moaned.  
"So you can keep an eye on Ark," Zelda said. "For somebody as gentle as he is, the boy really has been through a lot. Nyara even tells us that he has terrible nightmares sometimes. He's lucky to have her there when he wakes up." Link mumbled something of an affirmative.  
"You know, I had some bad dreams while you were away," Fura said, leaning forward and looking down at Link from atop her barrel. Link blinked and looked up at her. "But not all of them were like that. Some of them involved things that shouldn't be mentioned in front of children." Zelda blushed and got the giggles while the blonde boy looked confused.  
"What's so funny?" Link frowned. Fura leaned down and cupped her hand to his ear and whispered something into it. Link looked rather puzzled at first, but then his expression changed quickly to shock and then embarrassment. Zelda had to cover her mouth with her hand to quell her laughter.  
"_Fura!"_ Link gasped. "I most certainly would never _ever_ do…something like that! I don't think I can look at honey in quite the same way ever again." Fura laughed at him.  
"Oh don't be a prude. It's perfectly normal." Link shuddered before looking disdainfully at Zelda as she rolled onto her back in a fit of giggling.  
"Yeah, but pouring it over…eww, I'm going to see what Talen's doing so you can't put more horrid images in my head. Yuck." Link stood while Fura and Zelda laughed him away.  
"Hah, the seeds have been sewn. He'll be thinking about _that_ for some time now," Fura grinned as she rubbed her hands together.  
"That was evil," Zelda told the smug-looking Gerudo. The Princess paused and looked about before lowering her voice to a hushed whisper. "What…was your dream about exactly?" Fura quirked an eyebrow.  
"What's this? The sweet and innocent Princess of Hyrule wants to know about the dreams of a depraved Gerudo temptress?" she asked in mock surprise. Zelda gave her a flat look.  
"Depraved temptress?" she snorted. "Fura, what would you do if Link suddenly _did_ try to get into your rather tight-fitting pants?" Fura looked thoughtful for a few moments.  
"I'd probably slap him around and set his cap on fire," she admitted truthfully. "I love the idiot more than anything, but until I'm old enough I don't want anybody getting into my pants…not even Link. It'll be a different story in a few years though. Ahh…a night of passion with my one true love." The Gerudo slowly pulled her lips back into a devilish smile. "However…I definitely wouldn't say no if, by some kind of divine intervention; Linkie-pie-darling decided to do a bit of roaming with his hands." She giggled and clasped her hands to her face.  
"Fura!" Zelda gasped.  
"Hey, look who's talking!" Fura exclaimed defensively. "You may act like little miss proper, but you can misbehave just as much as me." Zelda blushed and grinned.  
"That's true I suppose…but you still haven't told me about your dream yet. If you tell me about yours…" Zelda frowned thoughtfully. "Then I'll tell you about mine." The two girls laughed and looked across the deck to where Talen and Link were throwing a small cloth ball to each other. Link missed a catch and was struck in the side of the face when he jerked his head around suddenly to give the Princess and the Fire Witch a suspicious gaze.

The party sailed for another week in the hot weather and spent a majority of the time in various states of lethargy. Fura seemed relatively unaffected by the heat, but was more than happy to lie around with everyone else. Both the Gerudo and Zelda refrained from teasing Link in the heat and the three of them managed to spend a good deal of time together without Link stomping off in an embarrassed huff. Ark was more than happy to sit in Nyaragon's comfortably-sized shadow while the Bloodcat carefully groomed his hair with her sharp claws. In return, Ark scratched her under the chin.  
Talen and Florella found a quiet, shady spot to spend the time playing checkers and other games the Great Fairy was so fond of. Talen, of course; allowed her to win a majority of the games so as to keep the peace. Florella _was_ a Great Fairy, but her child-like body seemed to take the reins sometimes and she got horribly temperamental, but it only seemed to happen with other people, Link in particular. When Talen's blonde friend had first noticed Florella's antennae protruding from her mass of dark purple hair he had made some remark about the fact that she really _was_ an annoying little insect. That set the fairy girl off and she launched herself at Link and the two became engaged in some kind of hair-pulling altercation. However; to Talen she was always sweet and smiley, but she could get upset if she thought he was trying to ignore or avoid her. Truth be told; Talen _had _tried to avoid her on several occasions during the voyage to the Meera village, but it wasn't out of dislike for the fairy girl; it was due to the fact that he was trying to shape the piece of Gorodite he had received from the sunken city of Seavale. Florella could absolutely _not_ see what he was creating until it was ready for her, so Talen took great pains to work on it in secret…though doing so on the confines of a ship was no easy task. Aside from Talen himself, Link was the only other person who knew what he was working on, and he intended to keep it that way until Florella was presented with it.  
"Nyaragon hungry." Ark blinked his eyes open and sat up straight. He had fallen asleep against the Bloodcat's side in the warm sun.  
"Hungry?" he murmured, rubbing his yes. "Oh…well I'm sure we can find you something in the galley." He heard her stomach grumble and she looked up at the sky.  
"Seagulls look tasty," she purred eagerly. "Nyaragon like to have tasty seagulls. Nyaragon not eat bird for a long time." She licked her lips appreciatively and continued to stare at the birds circling above. "Meat taste better raw." Ark cringed as the image of Nyara crunching into a seagull complete with feathers, claws and beak crept into his mind. Seeing her eat live animals was disgusting, but, thankfully, rare. A sudden thought occurred to Ark.  
"Erm…Miss Nyara?" he asked tentatively.  
"Mmm?" The Bloodcat fixed her large eyes on him.  
"Ah…what kind of things do you eat at home?" Nyara smiled, cottoning onto what he seemed a little worried about.  
"Ark no have to eat raw things," she assured him. "Ark can have cooked meat. There also lots of fruit and plants to eat." Ark looked instantly relieved. "But Ark _have_ to try Eebie Grub."  
"E-Eebie Grub?"  
"Big, fat, juicy grub that live in dead trees. One of Meera's favorite things to eat. Pop grub in mouth and swallow, yum," she told him with a look of anticipation evident on her face. "Nyaragon pick out nice big one for Ark."  
"Oh…thank you, Miss Nyara," the boy replied. He didn't sound all that enthused.

Nyaragon had gone off to find something to eat, leaving Ark with Talen. The two boys sat in the afternoon sun and simply stared out to sea. Talen glanced across at his friend's pensive expression and frowned.  
"Rupee for your thoughts?" he asked. Ark blinked and looked at him.  
"Pardon? Oh…it's nothing," Ark assured the smith.  
"Come on," Talen told him. "You've bee like this for most of the voyage. What's wrong? Talking about it could help." Ark looked unsure of himself for a few moments before speaking.  
"It's…Miss Zeel," he murmured. Talen blinked.  
"Oh," he said. "What about her?"  
"Well…it's been a while since she's shown up, but she's never really taken this long to appear again." Talen shrugged.  
"And that bothers you?" he asked. Ark made an odd expression.  
"Well no…but she said something to me just before she let me go," Ark murmured. "She said something about everything is at stake for her…and that I'm pretty much the center of it all. I get the feeling that perhaps her reward can't be measured in terms of monetary value. For all we know she could be getting a cure for a disease she has…maybe she only has a short while left to live, but then again it could be anything. Perhaps the reason for her not turning up for the past two months or so is because she's sick." Ark sighed and put his face in his hands. "Despite everything I don't want something bad to happen to her. She may leave a lot to be desired in terms of personality, but she isn't a bad person." There was silence between the two boys for a while as they both mulled over what had been said. Talen turned back to Ark once more as the smaller boy gazed out to sea with a worried look on his face.  
"Then you're a big man, Ark," the smith told him, putting his hand on Ark's shoulder. "Most people wouldn't take the time to care about somebody like Zeel. In a way she's quite lucky."

There was a cry from the lookout in the crow's nest the following morning, signaling the appearance of land on the horizon. It wouldn't, however; be a direct stop since there was no port. The ship was to moor a short distance from the coast whereupon the party would row to shore in the longboats. The ship would then continue its voyage. Impa was there to make sure everybody was packed and ready to load their equipment into the longboats.  
"Come on, children," the Sheikah woman said levelly. "We don't want to keep the sailors waiting longer than necessary."  
"We're packed," Link said cheerfully. "It's just those lazy girls you're waiting on."  
"Oh shut up, Link," Florella grumbled. "Go and drive somebody else to the edge of insanity." Impa shook her head and stepped out of the cabin to put the boys' packs in a pile ready to be loaded onto the longboats.  
"Sorry, Florella," he murmured. The fairy looked at him sharply.  
"All right, what are you up to?" she sighed.  
"Nothing!" he exclaimed innocently. "I just don't want to upset the terrifying Ant Queen." Florella shook her head in disgust.  
"They do have _one_ use, Link," she muttered. The two antennae atop her head wiggled and then stuck up straight. A tiny bolt of pink energy arced between them and built up between the tips before a small spark or pink jumped from the antennae to the tip of Link's nose. He squawked and jumped about as his nose buzzed uncomfortably. Fura burst out laughing while Florella grinned triumphantly at him. Impa returned at that moment and glanced at Link hopping about the cabin clutching his nose. She turned her attention to Florella.  
"Florella, if you have time to torment Link, then you have time to pack. Chop, chop," the Sheikah woman murmured. Florella made a small squeak.  
"But it was him!" she exclaimed. "He-" Link was standing behind Impa with his tongue sticking out at the fairy girl. Florella ground her teeth together and Link hopped out of the cabin where she couldn't do anything else to him.

Once the girls were finally ready and the ship had dropped its anchor in the bright blue waters of the tropical coast, Impa put all of the equipment safely into two longboats. The two rowboats were then lowered into the water at which point the group slit in half and climbed down into the small crafts. They were then rowed to shore by two crewmen before disembarking and watching the two longboats head back to the ship from the white, sandy beach. Behind them lay a dense tropical forest filled with the sounds of teeming wildlife- birds, insects and who knows what.  
"Ooh!" Saria squealed, wriggling her toes. "It's good to be back on land after two months of being stuck on that ship."  
"Nyaragon home," the Bloodcat said, turning to face the forest. "Meera village not too far from here. Everybody follow Nyaragon." For some strange reason, she didn't appear to be that excited about being back. Yet only Ark seemed to notice.  
"Miss Nyara? Is there something wrong?" Nyaragon turned her head to the sound of the small voice beside her and saw Ark struggling to keep up with her while the others followed along behind. The Bloodcat frowned and cut through the foliage in front of her with her sharp claws.  
"What does Ark mean?" Nyaragon asked.  
"You seem, well…not that excited to be home. Don't you want to see your family again?" the boy asked curiously. Nyaragon winced.  
"Of course Nyaragon want to see family," she said. "But…Nyaragon is…" She trailed off, seemingly ashamed of what she was going to say. "Nyaragon is…Nyaragon's family didn't have high hopes for her." Ark looked shocked.  
"They didn't!? Why in the world not?" he gasped. "Look at you! You're a big Bloodcat! You're so…" Ark trailed off and tried to think of something to say. "I don't think _anybody_ could have anything but high hopes for you." Nyaragon grinned. Ark seemed to take the news as some kind of personal insult.  
"Ark nice," she said, patting him roughly on the head and ripping a branch out of her way at the same time. "But it not like that. Parents love Nyaragon lots…but it because of…eeh…hard for Nyaragon to say." Ark nodded.  
"That's all right," Ark smiled. "Is the village far from here?" The Bloodcat shook her head, her spirits seemingly lifted.  
"Village near. We get there in few hours."  
The group continued moving through the forest at a respectable speed thanks to the path Nyaragon cut for them. However; as they got nearer and nearer their destination, Nyaragon seemed to get increasingly nervous.

"Perhaps we should stop for a brief rest," Impa said suddenly. "This spot is relatively clear, what do you think." The Bloodcat nodded and they all gratefully sat down.  
"Ugh, I've never liked slogging through the heat," Link grunted, pulling his boots off and wiggling his toes in the air. "The desert I can handle, but it's too humid in the tropics."  
"Link can swim in Meera river when we get to village," Nyaragon told the boy. "Nice and cool." Link looked infinitely pleased.  
"Well I think I'll be changing into something a little cooler when we arrive. I'm all hot and itchy," Florella sighed.  
"Perhaps your loyal subjects have something to do with that," Link murmured, pulling his cap off and running his finger through his hair. Florella narrowed an eye at him.  
"What?" Link pointed at her.  
"You have ants crawling all over you." Florella's antennae twanged straight up and she looked down at herself to see a trail of tiny black ants crawling into her tunic. The fairy girl lumped up with a squeal of terror and began dancing about in an attempt to rid herself of the insects.  
"Eek! They're everywhere! Talen! Get them off me!" she shrieked.  
"How?" the smith asked in confusion. "I'm not yanking your clothes off to get at them."  
"Wahahaha!" Florella wailed, brushing furiously at her arms and legs. Nyaragon's ears pricked up while the others stood about in various states of uncertainty. She charged at Florella and picked her up before rushing off into the jungle at top speed. The others ran after them, making note of where they left their packs so they could come back to claim them. Nyaragon ran around trees, jumped over fallen logs and hacked into palm fronds before arriving at the bank of a meandering river. Without a second thought, she hurled the squealing Florella into the air and straight into the water just as the rest of the group caught up. A dark purple mass of hair broke the surface of the water followed by Florella's face. She looked like she was about to crack. Nyaragon smiled in a self-congratulatory manner.  
"Water is best way to get rid of bugs," she told everyone. "Jump in river if get ants on body." Link peered at the wet and miserable-looking fairy in the water and smiled cheerfully.  
"Learning is fun." Florella started bawling.  
With Florella back in dry clothes after her de-anting dip in the river, the party was once again on the move.  
"Look! I can see smoke, we must be close!" Saria said excitedly. Nyaragon's ears drooped and she frowned.  
"Is there something the matter?" Ark asked the Bloodcat. Nyaragon slowed to a stop and peered into the lush foliage ahead of her.  
"Nyaragon want to see everybody again…" she murmured, her expression growing steadily more anxious. "But Nyaragon is only…" The others looked at her strangely.  
"Only what, Miss Nyara?" Ark queried. "What's the matter? You're only what?" Nyaragon's nerves broke and her image warped before she instantaneously shrank and became Nyara once more. The tawny-furred Meera looked at herself.  
"Nyara is only a runt!" she wailed. There was silence from the group as they gazed at her in surprise.  
"N-Nyara! You're back to normal," Zelda squeaked.  
"Well I'll be," Link blinked. "Well at least she isn't as scary as before."  
"R-runt?" Ark asked in confusion.  
"Hoo, wait a minute!" Fura commanded, waving her hands. "Are you telling us that you're-"  
"Nyara smallest in family! One of smallest in village for Nyara's age too! Nyara runt!" she cried in embarrassment. She clasped her hands to he face and looked at the ground.  
"But…_that's_ the smallest?" Link coughed. "How can that be?" The others murmured amongst themselves in agreement.  
"Yeah! I mean…you're hardly a little girl," Fura scoffed, looking closely at her. "_I'm_ considered busty by most standards…but those rockmelons on your chest are bigger than min-"  
"Fura!" Link cried. "Do you _have_ to?"  
"I can't help it," the Gerudo said lamely.  
"I think she means overall size, Fura," Impa told the girl, hiding a smile behind her hand. "Nyara must be the smallest out of all of her siblings." The party looked at Nyara as she fidgeted in shame.  
"The rest must be huge then. Nyara, you're nearly as big as Link and Talen," Zelda told the animal girl. "You are not small, and are most certainly _not_ a runt."  
"You were huge just before," Talen said, stepping towards her. "And I'm sure your family wouldn't see you as a runt if you became a Bloodcat again, right?" Nyara fidgeted and murmured something. She seemed especially determined not to look at Ark.  
"We go now. Village close," she murmured, wandering away from the group and back to where the packs were.

Since Nyara was no longer Nyaragon the Bloodcat, she couldn't simply hack through the foliage that barred the way. Instead, Link chopped through the dense fronds and tangled vines with his sword while the Meera girl pointed out the way. It was tough going, but they made reasonably good time with what little distance they had left between themselves and the Meera village. The smoke from the village was soon joined by the sounds of voices. The village was but yards away.  
"Through there," Nyara said, pointing at a veritable wall of jungle. "Then we at village." Link nodded and gripped his sword.  
"I'm looking forward to having a nice, cool swim. What's the water like, Florella?" he grinned at the fairy. She gave him a flat, unfriendly stare. "Brr! Did it just get cold out here? Lighten up, Porks-a-lot-" Link's little jibe at Florella was suddenly cut short by a gruff shout from the jungle.  
"Halt!" it growled. "Who go near village of the Meera?"


	56. Meera

**Chapter 55 – Meera**

At the sound of the gruff voice, Link and company whirled around to try and identify its owner. Only Nyara seemed unfazed by it.  
"Wait!" she called. "Me Nyara! These are friends! Nyara come back to Meera!" There was a poignant silence from the jungle.  
"Nyara?" the voice queried curiously. There was a rustling from the jungle and an incredibly large man appeared as if from nowhere. He was similar in appearance to Nyara, with the same light covering of fur over his heavily-muscled body. Unlike Nyara, however; the man wore light clothing that consisted of leather garters, manacle-like bracelets and a yellow-trimmed black leather vest-come loincloth held in place by two leather straps that crossed on his chest and went over his shoulders. The Meera walked up to the group, standing well over Impa, and looked down at them all before his eyes finally came to rest on Nyara.  
"Little Nyara," he rumbled. "Who these little people you bring with you?" Impa looked slightly shocked at being called "little". Nyara went slightly red with embarrassment. The other members of her tribe really _did_ see her as the little runt.  
"These Nyara's friends!" Nyara said as fiercely as she could. "Nyara found what she looking for and came back." Ark looked at the animal girl as she stared up at the Meera before her. Nyara had never actually told them why she had so suddenly turned up in the small patch of forest all those months ago. Perhaps now that they were back where she came from, some answers would be provided. The big Meera's gaze roamed around the group once more, his expression set and rather grim.  
"Well…" he growled menacingly. Nyara's ears drooped and she shuffled backwards as he advanced. "And friend of Nyara is friend of Meera Tribe!" The man's expression suddenly changed to a big, toothy smile. Nyara's ears flicked up while the others exchanged looks of relief. "Little people follow me. Come and meet Meera."

The Meera village seemed to follow no kind of design, but it still remained an amazing place. Well-crafted little thatched-roof huts built into the bases of trees made up the dwellings of the Meera Tribe. It appeared upon closer inspection that a family's home consisted of both the hut and the entire tree it was built into; meaning that other rooms could be constructed in other parts of the tree and were made accessible by climbing. The canopy of foliage high above let shafts of light fall here and there, illuminating the odd stone brick and flower that lay scattered in and above the ground. In fact; it appeared the Meera village had been founded on the site of a civilization that had long since passed. Ancient, moss-covered statues and crumbling architecture scattered the area. Combined with the loosely-strung bloom-covered vines overhead and tiny fireflies that also inhabited Kokiri Forest, the Meera village had a kind of ethereal beauty and tranquility to it. There was a good deal of curiosity amongst the Meera at the sight of the strange- and short- guests that had just entered their village. It was also noted that it appeared that only the adult Meera wore clothes. The most that any of the children wore were woven leather necklaces, bracelets and anklets. The younger children skittered about the trees and ancient remnants, eyeing the travelers curiously whilst the older ones peered at them from the ground. Many of the children were the same size, if not shorter than Nyara, but the animal girl informed her friends with a whisper that they were the ones that were still younger than she was. Nyara was still the smallest for her age that there had been in her village for a number of generations.  
"Nyara need go home," the Meera that had met them outside the village told her. "Nyara mother and father worry about her." Nyara nodded. The man turned to the rest of the group. "Nyara friends stay in guest tree. Meera no get many visitors this time of year, but we keep a place ready for them just in case. Follow me."  
"Nyara go home to see family now," Nyara told them. "Nyara back soon. Look after Ark good."  
"Will do, Nyara," Talen assured her. The animal girl gave one last fleeting glimpse at Ark before scurrying off home down one of the moss-covered, paved pathways that ran erratically through the village. As they followed the big Meera- whose name was incidentally Ooroo- Ark summoned up the courage to ask the imposing man a question.  
"Erm…excuse me…" he said quietly. Ooroo blinked and looked about before his eyes zipped down to Ark. To Ooroo, Ark must have been the equivalent of a toddler. "Is…is Miss Nyara not liked here?" Ooroo burst out laughing.  
"Little pointy-hair boy say funny things!" he chortled. "Nyara may be runt, but that not mean Nyara is treated bad. Nyara was very tiny and very weak when born and almost not survive. Nyara strong on inside, but not on outside…so her parents stop her from doing many things that could be dangerous to Nyara."  
"Oh, I see," Ark frowned. "But…Miss Nyara _is_ strong! She was a Bloodcat, we all saw her!" Ooroo blinked at the boy before he burst out laughing.  
"Haha! Nyara no can be Bloodcat! Only Meera deemed worthy by ghosts of Meera warriors past can become Bloodcat! It nice thought, but Nyara simply too small and weak." He shook his head, still grinning in amusement before he stopped at the base of a large tree. "Here is tree where you stay. You welcome to explore Meera village when settled in." And with that, Ooroo headed back to the outskirts of the village to keep watch.  
"Well now," Impa said, turning her attention to their lodgings. "We seem to have plenty of space…I hope you're good at climbing."

While there was sufficient space for at least three people in the cozy little hut built into the base of the large tree, the rest of the group were forced to occupy the various little rooms built into the branches like treehouses. Saria and especially Link appeared quite pleased with their lodgings; the prospect of sleeping in a tree reminding them of home.  
"All right," Impa said. "Zelda and I will take the bottom and there's room for one more if anybody wants to stay there too." Saria put her hand up for that.  
"I dibs the top one!" Link called ahead of Talen. The smith clicked his fingers.  
"Damn…wait! First one there gets it!" he said quickly, taking off up the tree. Link shook his head as Talen scrambled up the tree.  
"Tut, tut, Talen," Link sighed. "You know better than to challenge me to a tree-climbing race." The Key straps coiled like springs and Link launched himself up into the tree whereupon he began bounding from branch to branch, hoisting himself ever upwards and overtaking Talen without any difficulty. He arrived at the entrance to the small room nestled high in the tree and threw his pack inside.  
"You lose, Talen," he grinned.  
"Cheater," Talen grumbled. The smith was resigned to occupying the next room down, at which point Fura immediately began an attempt at wheedling it away from him. Talen would not be swayed.  
"Is there room for two up there?" the Gerudo called up at Link. The blonde boy stuck his head out of his room and looked down at her.  
"Nope!" he called back.  
"You don't have to sound so pleased about it," Fura grumbled indignantly. "Oh well, at least I'm not stuck down the bottom like Zelda." The Hylian Princess made an indelicate little sound at the Gerudo before gazing up at the canopy high above their tree.  
"This place is certainly breathtaking," she said. "Just look at all the old bits of stone everywhere. This must have once been some kind of city."  
"It reminds me of home," Saria smiled contentedly, watching as a small cluster of fireflies zigzagged overhead. Chat jingled in agreement.  
"If you discount all the old statues lying around," Link said, dropping out of the tree and landing next to her. "But I'll have to agree with both you and Zelda; this place is fantastic. Lots of trees to climb and things to explore." The young Hylian boy looked up the tree a short way to find Ark standing in the entrance to his room after putting his pack inside. "Hey Ark! Want to go and explore?"  
"I'd like to, but I should probably wait here for Miss Nyara. She may get concerned if she comes back and I'm not here," Ark frowned, climbing out of the tree.  
"Fair enough," Link shrugged. He turned his attention to his smith friend. "Talen?"  
"Coming," he replied, climbing down from his room. "I'd like to take a look at all the old statues and buildings and things. They look very interesting." Florella rolled her eyes and shook her head.  
"You boys would prefer to poke around some crumbly old bits of rock rather than spend some time with us while we get acquainted with this place?" the fairy asked incredulously.  
"You took the words right out of my mouth, Florella," Link nodded. "We'll be back later." And with that the two boys darted off through the village towards a cluster of crumbling buildings in the distance.  
"Toads," Florella grumbled as her antennae twitched irritably. "Oh well, let's just hope the pair of them don't get completely filthy."

It was dark when Link and Talen returned to the others and in the time that they had been gone, the Meera village had truly become an amazing sight. Stars shone through the gaps of the forest canopy whilst the fireflies fitted about high above like small lanterns. A large fire-pit on the center of the village had also been lit, casting its flickering light in all directions and creating a myriad of shadows dancing through the trees.  
"Well _finally!_" Zelda sighed as the two boys returned. "We were beginning to think you weren't coming back at all. It's dark and dinner's ready."  
"Sorry," Link said, scratching the back of his head.  
"Just go eat," the Princess tutted, ushering them both inside. The interior of the little hut was very cozy, with a table and chairs in the center of the room, an area for cooking and three beds against the back wall. The rest of the party was sitting around the table when Talen, Link and Zelda came in. Nyara was also there, having returned from seeing her parents.  
"Oh, hello Nyara," Talen greeted the Meera. "How is your family?"  
"They happy to see Nyara again," she chirped, seemingly in higher spirits than before. "But little bit grumpy because Nyara make them worry lots." She shrugged and turned her attention back to her dinner, which she ate wholeheartedly. Talen was about to ask her why she wasn't eating with her family, but he then noticed Ark sitting next to her staring at his heaped plate rather pathetically. Despite being back home, Ark was still at the top of Nyara's priorities list. The animal girl suddenly seemed to remember something and, rather sheepishly, brought her head up from her meal and looked at Talen.  
"Ah…Talen might get a visit from Nyara's big brother tomorrow," she told him apologetically.  
"Your brother? What would he want to see me for?" the smith asked curiously.  
"Well…" Nyara winced, rubbing the back of her neck. "Brother say that Nyara shouldn't have left because she so small. Nyara tell brother that she still strong even though she small…then Nyara tell brother that Talen small too, but also stronger than brother." The Meera girl sighed. "Brother boast lots about strength; say he strongest in village for his age. He now want to show everybody he stronger than Talen." Talen blinked as the others looked at him for a reaction.  
"Oh," he said. "Err…how exactly?"  
"Fight," Nyara said in a small voice. Talen began coughing and Florella gave a start, spitting out her current mouthful of food.  
"What!?" the fairy demanded. "A fight!?"  
"Not big fight!" Nyara said quickly. "Just little one to prove strength."  
"But…I don't know if I feel right about fighting your brother, Nyara," Talen frowned. Nyara slapped her palms down on the table.  
"Talen has to do it! Big brother need to be put in his place!" she exclaimed. "Talen show him that size not matter!"

The forest was quiet as the Meera village slept soundly under the dull glow of the fireflies. The odd chirp of a cricket and cry of a bird the only sounds piercing the night. Ark lay sprawled on his stomach in his room suspended above the floor of the forest. The bed he lay in was something akin to a nest; round and made of flexible woven cane with a circular mattress filled with seed husks. It was perhaps the most comfortable thing Ark had ever slept on, that is; with the exception of one thing- Nyara's belly. Or, more accurately; Nyaragon's belly. However; whether it was Nyara or Nyaragon, Ark had grown so accustomed to having her nearby when he slept that it felt quite wrong to _not_ have her around. With a frustrated sigh, Ark rolled onto his back and gazed out a small, round window that looked up at the canopy above. He didn't seem to have much trouble sleeping when he was trapped in Zeel's manor, so why here in the Meera village? Perhaps it was the knowledge that Nyara was nearby, but not with him that was causing his restlessness.  
"But she needs to be home with her family," Ark reasoned with himself. "She hasn't seen them for so long." The Meera girl had been worried about leaving him in his room alone- especially since he no longer had his staff to channel the vast amounts of electricity he could generate. Without it, he could barely control his power and wouldn't be much good in defending himself should Zeel or somebody else appear to do him harm. He glanced over at the door, which was essentially a material curtain much like the doors to the houses in Kokiri Forest where he had first met Link and Saria. With another sigh, Ark reached over to a small table next to his bed and picked up the Compass as it sat glowing softly next to the luminescent sphere that Zeel had given him. It was strange, he thought, that he still had it. He peered at it only to find it still pointing in the same direction it had been pointing in five minutes ago, and the five minutes before that.  
"Ugh, I _have_ to get to sleep," Ark groaned. He inhaled deeply and tried to relax by counting sheep and focusing on how comfortable the mattress was. Unfortunately, all he could think about was how it didn't rise and fall slowly and methodically, how it didn't grumble every now and then and how it didn't drum with a soft heartbeat. "Oh, this is hopeless. Why can't I sleep without Miss Nya-" His quiet murmurings were cut short by a rustling noise outside his door. He sat up with a start and looked at the piece of cloth warily, his hand creeping towards a dagger Impa had given him should the need arise to protect himself before the others arrived to fend of a possible attacker. The door suddenly flapped inwards and Nyara bounded in  
"M-Miss Nyara!" Ark squeaked. He exhaled heavily in relief. "You startled me."  
"Sorry," she said, flicking her tail. "Ark no can sleep?" Ark paused for a few moments.  
"Well…no, I can't," he admitted. "But what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be sleeping yourself?"  
"Nyara no sleep either," she frowned. "Nyara restless when Ark not around." Ark blinked and stared at her. "If Ark no sleep and Nyara no sleep, then Nyara have idea!" She seemed quite excited.  
"Wh-what is it?" he asked.  
"Nyara have secret spot that only Nyara know about. Ark come with Nyara to see it!" she urged him. Ark looked dubious.  
"I don't know," he winced. "It's late and-" He saw Nyara's expression" she obviously didn't care how late it was. "Well all right. Just let me get some more clothing on."  
"Not far now, Ark!" Nyara told the boy as she dragged him along by his wrist. They had been running through the forest for a short while, clearing the village and making their way through the long-forgotten ruins of the ancient city. Together they scrambled over vast roots, made their way through thick patches of ferns and squeezed through narrow gaps between strangler-vines. Ark was almost out of breath when Nyara suddenly ground to a halt, almost causing him to run into her back.  
"Through here," she told him, crouching down and crawling through a hollow log half-concealed by the roots of a bigger tree that had entangled it. Ark dubiously crawled through after her, making sure to keep his eyes firmly directed at the wood beneath him and not at Nyara's wiggling posterior. However; because of his determination to keep his attention beneath him, he didn't notice Nyara stop at the exit of the log tunnel, and he headbutted her rump. Nyara gave a squeak and leaped out of the log while Ark jerked back and immediately began babbling apologies. Nyara laughed at him and gestured for the boy to come out.  
"Silly Ark not look where he going," she giggled. "Ark hair all tickly like feathers."  
"Sorry," he murmured, blushing furiously and patting his hair down. It sprung straight back up again.  
"We almost there, Ark. Look," Nyara told him, pointing ahead. The pair of them stood on a grassy path that traveled along the wall of a narrow ravine. Small overhangs crowded with leafy plants, creepers and flowers jutted out randomly from the ravine walls above and below them. The sound of water lapping gently below told Ark that they were probably near the river Nyara had told him about. The Meera girl took hold of Ark's wrist again and led him carefully along the downward-sloping path, keeping close to the wall because of Ark's fear of water. Then, suddenly, they reached their destination.  
"Here, Ark! This Nyara's secret place," she told him proudly. "Ark first person Nyara show this to." The anima; girl looked slightly bashful. "Because Ark is Nyara's favorite person in the whole world." Ark looked about in wonder. Nyara had brought him to a secluded, grassy spot on the bank of a small lake. Two moss and vine-covered pillars framed the entrance to the area while tall, elegant trees with slender, wispy branches ringed the lake and intertwined overhead to create a leafy ceiling broken only in a few places, allowing the moon's glow to ghost through in shafts of near-tangible light. But perhaps the most breathtaking sight to behold was the multitude of firefly-like balls of light wafting around the surface of the crystal-clear water. They were fairies; dozens and dozens of fairies that drifted about in colours ranging from yellowish-white like Navi, to soft blue and green. Adding to that, each fairy produced a quiet tinkling noise like that of a plucked harp string, creating something of an eerily beautiful song.  
"Miss Nyara…" Ark gaped. "This place…it's unlike anything I've ever seen!" Nyara beamed and hopped up onto a low-hanging branch covered in thick, carpet-like moss.  
"Nyara find it long time ago," she told him. "Nyara ran away when brother was being mean about Nyara's size. Nyara hear fairies' music and follow to this place. Nyara like to listen to fairy music." The Meera girl walked to the end of the branch and dove off into the lake, breaking the surface with nary a splash. Ark crouched down at the edge of the lake peered into the depths at Nyara, who slid gracefully through the water coated in tiny silver bubbles. He stared at her in wonder, not even noticing that she was heading towards him until the last second. She popped her head out of the water with a big breath of air, startling Ark so that he fell back onto his backside. Nyara blinked at him with her big, yellow eyes that reflected the moonlight in the dark.  
"Ark come in too," she told him. Ark looked surprised.  
"Me? I-in there?" he asked dubiously. "Erm…maybe another time, Miss Nyara. I'd rather just watch you." The Meera girl looked disappointed, but resigned herself to the conclusion that Ark was still very much afraid of the water, even though she would be there to help him.  
"All right," she smiled. She then lifted a hand out of the water and jabbed a finger at him. "But Ark no back out when it time for Nyara to teach him to swim. Ark made promise." Ark smiled weakly.  
"I know," he told her, once again going to the edge of the lake to marvel at her silver form cutting through the crystal-clear water. "I shall keep it."

"Link! Link, wake up!" The cry succeeded in rousing Link from his slumber and he leaped up with a start.  
"Huh? What? Where?" he grunted, spinning about confusedly. The fog of sleep quickly lifted from his brain and he found himself looked at a very excited Fura and Zelda as they stood in the entrance to his room. "What's wrong?"  
"Nothing's wrong," Zelda told him.  
"There's just something utterly fantastic that you need to see!" Fura continued. "It's this amazing bath the Meera have! We _have_ to go there!" Link's jaw hung open slightly and he sat down heavily on his mattress.  
"You climbed all the way up here and woke me up for _that?_" he asked incredulously. "Ugh, go have your bath. I wanna sleep." He flopped determinedly onto his side and rolled away from them. Fura and Zelda's expressions grew slightly miffed.  
"Link! The last time you had a _proper_ bath was at Aurora!" Zelda told him crisply. "Since then you've only dunked yourself in seawater and had a short scrub with the soap. You need a bath- a long one at that." Link made a rather indelicate grunt.  
"Lemme sleep some more," he mumbled. "You go have your bath first."  
"No, the whole lot of us are going together," Fura told him archly. "It's a great big hot spring."  
"What? I'm not having a bath with you," Link scoffed. "I like privacy."  
"Listen, you're going, and you're going _now_," Fura told him sternly. The two girls grabbed the metal rings of the Key and tugged on them. Link's eyes opened irritably.

Several seconds later, Florella emerged from her room to find Fura and Zelda hanging upside-down with the Key straps wound around them like bandages, covering their mouths to stifle their cries of indignity. Florella blinked and craned her neck to see the straps coming out of Link's room.  
"Oh dear," she sighed as Fura and Zelda's muffled cries became louder upon seeing the fairy. Florella fluttered her wings and zipped up to Talen's room before knocking politely on the wall. He stuck his head out, having obviously just finished readying himself for the day.  
"Oh, good morning Florella," he greeted her. "What can I do for you?"  
"Talen, dear," she said in her most appealing tone. "Link seems to be having a little bit of trouble co-operating today…can you be a darling and help out?"

"Backstabber," Link murmured to Talen as the group walked through the village towards the springs with Nyara leading the way. The smith looked at Link apologetically.  
"Stop talking, prisoner!" Fura barked, rapping him across the back of the head with her thick golden bracelet. Link turned and gave her a flat look. The Gerudo giggled. "Sorry, got carried away."  
"Bath have two parts," Nyara was telling Saria after the Kokiri girl asked her about the springs. "First part is best of all!" The Kokiri girl was about to ask why when the suddenly arrived at the entrance to the springs. They stood near the edge of the village where the ground dropped sharply away on the other side of a massive, gnarled root that was in the shape of an arch. Carved into where the keystone on a regular stone arch would be were the words "Mud-Bath and Springs". They stared at the sign for a while.  
"Mud-bath?" Saria coughed. "We're going to wallow in mud like Link- I mean pigs." Link pretended to laugh as hard as he could until the Kokiri girl turned her head towards him.  
"It special mud!" Nyara insisted. "Good for skin! Follow Nyara!" The animal girl ran off down some stone steps to the changing area, which was something of a flat paved semicircle cut into the side of the hill.  
"Erm…" Ark frowned, looking about. "This doesn't appear to differentiate too well between men and women." Modesty, it seemed, wasn't too much of a big thing with the Meera; the adults only wearing clothing as a sign of age rather than to cover themselves up. Luckily, Link and company were the only ones using the baths.  
"I'll take care of that," Link said. "Talen, Ark…stand on this side and the rest of you stand there." The Key straps began to weave together, creating a wall of sorts between the boys and the girls. Talen, Ark and Link stripped down to their underclothes and bound their waists with towels in the wink of an eye, the girls, however; took considerably longer.  
"Aren't you done yet?" Link asked.  
"Hold your horses!" Zelda told him from the other side of the wall. "We have more to cover up than you do." Link tapped his foot impatiently whilst Talen and Ark folded their clothes.  
"This actually takes a fair bit of effort, you know," Link sighed. "The longer I make the straps, the more energy I have to put into it."  
"Ugh, all right! Jeez!" Fura exclaimed, sticking her hand between the wall bindings to make a hole she could look through. "We're done, mister complainy-pants."  
"Finally," Link mumbled. They straps reeled in rapidly, stopping at their default length. The girls had their towels tied under their arms, but wore Gerudo-like tube-tops underneath should anything come undone. As usual, Nyara wore nothing.  
"This way! This way!" she bubbled excitedly. "This best part!" The Meera skipped up to the edge of the changing platform and threw herself off with a gleeful yowl. The others dashed up after her and saw Nyara sliding down a muddy slope, off an overhang and into a bubbling pool of thick, grey mud below. She disappeared below the surface with a loud "splop" noise, emerging a few seconds later covered heat to toe in grey ooze.  
"Ooh! I don't think I'd mind going in that one," Link said, peering down the mudslide.  
"What!? You're kidding!" Saria exclaimed. "Sorry, but I'm heading straight into the spring."  
"I'm with Saria," Florella shuddered, watching as Nyara wallowed in the mud and waved madly for them to head down. Nobody, bar Talen, Impa and Ark, noticed Link move into position behind the girls as they looked down at the bubbling pool of mud. With a small amount of flair, he coiled his second towel into a whip which he held stretched between his hands. Then, without any hint of mercy, he flicked Saria, Florella, Fura and Zelda on their backsides one by one. They each gave a cry of surprise and jumped reflexively away from him. Unfortunately, it sent them sliding off down the mudslide with shrill squeals of terror before they were silenced by the thick mud at the bottom. Their four heads popped up one by one before they looked at their mud-covered selves, and then up at Link as he broke out in helpless laughter. Talen and Ark fought hard to conceal their amusement as well.  
"What's it like in there?" Link called down at them.  
"Augh! Damn you!" Florella shrieked back up the mudslide as thick gobs of mud fell from her plastered hair.  
"Link! You'll pay for this!" Fura growled.  
"Oh come on! Can't you take a joke?" he laughed.  
"_No!"_ came their unanimous reply. Link flinched.  
"Jeez. Well I'm not going in there now," he frowned. "Let's head over to the spri-iiiahh!" As Link stood at the edge of the mudslide, Impa calmly walked up behind him and placed her finger between his shoulder blades and jabbed it forwards, throwing him off balance.  
"Oh dear," Ark winced.  
"Augh! Impa! How could you!?" Link wailed, toppling over and landing face-first on the muddy slope. He rushed down head-on to muddy pool below, flying off the overhang and disappearing into the grey muck. The not-so-blonde boy popped up from the mud and shook his head.  
"Ick," he muttered, wrinkling his nose up. "Oh well, it's actually quite nice in here." The mud _was_ nice and warm and felt surprisingly good to loll around in.  
"Is it?" came a frosty voice over his shoulder. Link flinched and turned around to see Fura and Zelda flanked by Saria and Florella. They seemed rather pleased with his sudden appearance.  
"Oh raspberries," Link sighed before he was dragged under the mud.

Talen was next to arrive in the mud-bath, creating a wave of the grey muck as he landed that swept Florella under. Ark came down next, but a last minute panic made him dig his hands and feet into the slide, grinding him to a halt just before he sailed off the overhang and into the mud. He looked dubiously down into the pool while Nyara and the others tried to coax him in. It was Impa, however; that ended up getting Ark into the mud. She came sliding down behind him, grabbed the boy by the waist and sent them both rushing into the mud-bath. Ark popped up with a loud gasp and Impa patted him on the head with a muddy hand.  
"There now, it's not so bad," she told him with an amused expression before sinking up to her neck. "Well now, this _does_ feel good." Link was still trying to get the mud out of his mouth from his earlier punishment while the four previously enraged girls sat by with calm expressions.  
"Doesn't taste too good," Link muttered. Fura draped an arm around his neck and grinned at him.  
"Want me to help wash your mouth out?" she asked.  
"No," Link said flatly.  
"Aww, come on," she pouted. "I know a sure-fire way of getting rid of it."  
"We're covered in mud, Fura," Link sighed. "I'd just get even _more_ of it in my mouth with your "sure-fire" way." Fura shrugged.  
"Oh well, there's always the spring afterwards," she told him, clapping her hand on his back with a sticky slap.


	57. Fated

**Chapter 56 – Fated**

There was a feeling of shared uneasiness between Link, Ark and Talen as they sat in the mud-bath with the feminine proportion of the party. Every now and then Link would jump up with a cry of surprise as something grazed his leg in the thick mud, and then either Fura or Zelda would begin whistling innocently- though the act only served to make them more guilty. Talen was positive Florella tried something similar on more than one occasion, but the fairy girl's legs weren't long enough to reach from where she was sitting, so she resigned herself to sit idly by with her antennae drooped and caked with mud. Nyara, in the meantime, wasn't particularly interested in playing footsies or anything like that with Ark. She was more interested in playing. As the genteel young boy sat up to his neck with his usually gravity-defying hair plastered down, Nyara sunk under the mud and burst up in front of him with a terrible growl. Added to the shock of that was the fact that the Meera girl had fashioned her hair into a set of horns and a mane. Ark almost fainted, jumping back, but not quite succeeding in his escape and falling onto his back whereupon he sunk. The grey-haired boy emerged seconds later gasping for air- though it wasn't water; it was close enough to get him a little higher-strung than usual. He was then subjected to a rough, muddy hug from Nyara. After Ark's scare, the Meera girl decided that they should do something a little less nerve-wracking. And so Ark wound up seated before Nyara while she ran her fingers through his hair and arranged it in the most ridiculous styles she could come up with. After all; she wouldn't get the chance to do so once the mud was washed out and his hair regained its usual feathery consistency. It was also embarrassing enough without the rest of the girls dribbling out "awww" while they watched the scene unfold. But Ark put up with it. He was, after all, Nyara's favorite person in the world.  
"Come on," Fura insisted. "Rub them cute little tootsies of mine." She wiggled her toes in front of Link. Unfortunately in their current, muddy state, they didn't look particularly tootsie-ish.  
"Cute little tootsies?" Link scoffed. "They look like the sodden club-foot of a bog-monster." Fura glared at him flatly and lowered her leg back into the mud.  
"Stinker," she muttered. Link grinned at her before his face contorted into an expression of pain. Fura slowly lifted her hand from the grey muck with her fingers firmly threaded through his toes.  
"Ow, _ow!_" he squawked. "Fura, let go!"  
"This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home," she began, popping his toes one by one. "This little piggy had roast beef and this little piggy had none…" She squeezed his little toe between the thumb and forefinger of her free hand. "And _this_ little piggy went "Wee, wee, wee! I'm going to kiss Link!" Hahaha!" She dove forward and tackled Link under the mud, simultaneously catching him with a big, wet, muddy kiss. The surface churned for a while as the two of them thrashed about- Link in particular. Finally, the blonde boy leaped out of the mud and scrambled over behind Talen for safety while Fura emerged from the mud and spat out a sizeable mouthful of the grey ooze.  
"You little _cheat!_" she accused, pawing at her tongue.  
"What happened?" Florella asked, obviously displeased that Link had managed to worm his way out of the Gerudo girl's grasp.  
"The little weasel got his fingers in-between our lips and held my mouth open," she coughed. "I got a whole mouthful of mud!"  
"Haha! Serves you right, doing that in front of everyone," Link laughed from the relative safety of behind Talen. "You got your just desserts."  
"Come over here and tell me that," Fura growled, crooking her finger at him. "I won't hurt you."  
"I think you'd better do as she says, Link," Florella said. Link gave her an irritated glance.  
"Stop oinking garbage and go annoy Talen or somebody," Link told her.  
"Oinking!?" Florella exclaimed, standing up suddenly.  
"Sit down, Florella," Link said. "Your curly little tail is showing." Florella almost looked over her shoulder to see if Link was right, but she stopped herself upon remembering that she didn't actually _have_ a curly piggy-tail. Her antennae flicked up and gave an indignant little flash.  
"You're such a…a…" she began, trailing off as he grinned roguishly at her. "Rrgh! Somebody deal with him! Too much Link makes my brain want to explode!" She stomped through the mud towards Talen with an expectant look on her face. "Talen! Comfort me- ack!" The fairy stepped on some uneven ground under the mud and promptly disappeared from sight. She popped up again and spat a great stream of grey mud from her mouth.  
"Waugh! Why must I suffer through this disgrace!" she wailed. "It's all Link's fault!" She whirled on the blonde boy and pointed at him accusingly. "You! You must emit some kind of invisible…_force_ that takes away all of my grace!" Link stared at her for a while before holding out both his palms towards her.  
"And legend has it among the Meera that the great pig-fairy went ballistic, shooting fire from her eyes and mouth," he said in a solemn tone. "And the innocent boy upon whom her terrible wrath fell upon was deafened by her horrible squealing and oinking, his ears becoming rivers of blood as the hideous sound- yeek!" Surprisingly, it had been Zelda who had silenced Link, stepping up behind him and smacking his towel-clad backside with her hand. He jumped several feel and splopped back down into the mud. He sat in silence for a few moments as Florella stared at him frostily.  
"…And it's name…_El Fairy Diablo_..." he finished in a hushed whisper.  
"Stop being a naughty boy," Zelda scolded him. "Or else you'll be punished for your misbehavior." Fura got the giggles.  
"Hee, _punished_," she snickered.  
"Ark need get mud right down to scalp," Nyara told the boy, massaging the grey ooze into his hair with her fingers. "Mud very good for hair, make it grow."  
"Does it really?" Ark asked as his eyes were pulled open by the force of Nyara's ministrations. She frowned thoughtfully as Ark sat with his head crooked back in the Meera girl's hands.  
"Ark check and see if foofy fringe get any bigger tomorrow morning," she grinned. Nyara suddenly wrapped her arms around Ark's shoulders and gave him a crushing hug, squishing her cheek up against his and nuzzling him affectionately. "Nyah! Nyara like mud-bath with Ark! Nyara and Ark have lots more when Ark come back to Meera village to swim with Nyara!"  
"S-sure, Miss Nyara," Ark stammered.  
"Eeee! That is just so _cute!_" Saria squealed from across the bath. Ark went beet red. "Don't they look just perfect like that?"  
"P-perfect?" Ark queried.  
"Yes, perfect," Saria continued, squinting at the two of them as Nyara hung over Ark's shoulders. "Ark and Nyara. You can't have one without the other." Nyara and Ark looked at each other. Nyara grinned and flicked her tongue out, scratching it over the tip of Ark's nose and causing him to squeak and flinch back. His action served only to bring forth more sounds of gushy appreciation from the other girls. That is, until Link began making vomiting sounds to draw their attention away and give Ark some relief. Impa sat back with her eyes closed and listened to it all with an amused expression.

After the mud-bath came the dip in the hot spring. Everyone bar Ark jumped in eagerly, washing all the caked mud away and creating a dark cloud in the water that quickly dissipated down a series of drainage holes in the wall surrounding the spring in the down-side of the slope. It took a little bit longer to get Ark into the warm water, with Nyara eventually having to pick him up and carry him in herself. Even after he was in he was quite reluctant to let her go, so the Meera girl plonked him down in her lap and began washing his hair thoroughly with tremendous amounts of soap-lather. Link almost settled down for something of a nap against a rock sticking out of the water, but Saria woke him and began lathering up his head for a thorough wash. After he was to her satisfaction, she sent him over to where Fura and Zelda were waiting patiently and told him to start washing. His complaint that washing Fura's tremendous mass of hair would take him until the dawn of the following morning was met with a rather amusing retaliation from the redhead. She drifted slowly over to him and crooked her head to one side before swinging it back around and whipping Link smartly across the back with her long, red hair.  
"Yow!" he yelped as Fura's hair stung his back. "Ack! That hurts! There's going to be a mark there now." He looked over his shoulder at his back and winced. "Fura, you need to cut your hair."  
"Cut my hair!? That's an insult!" she exclaimed dramatically. "After you, my hair is the most precious thing I own! I demand an apology, knave!" The Gerudo leaped at Link, knocking him down and wrapping a sizeable mass of red hair around his neck before pulling it taut. The two of them began thrashing about in the water, creating a good deal of splashing and disturbance. In the end Link managed to gurgle out an apology after Fura restrained him in a headlock that landed him dangerously close to her chest.  
"In the end, a Gerudo always gets what she's owed," she said self-satisfactorily. "You all right, Linkie-do?"  
"Ugh, I'm fine," he frowned, pulling a long hair from his tongue. "Yuck."  
"You sure you don't need any help?" Fura asked, leaning down at him.  
"Help?" Link was confused. Fura's hands whipped out and clamped onto his cheeks.  
"_Mouth to Moooouth!"_ Fura exclaimed.  
"Ack! No!" Fura suddenly found herself catapulted across the spring whereupon she was dumped rather unceremoniously upside-down in the water by the Key. Link breathed a sigh of relief.  
"All right, I think I'll take my own personal safety into account," Link frowned. "Zelda, you're not going to maim me, are you?"  
"No."  
"Then I'll wash your hair first." Fura stuck her tongue out at him

Once the party had been washed, dried and dressed, Nyara set about showing everybody around the village. Talen had to be literally dragged away from the village smithy after getting into a conversation about rivets with the blacksmith. The final stop for the group was a small grove of stout trees just outside of the village. The branches were heavy with purple, eggplant-like fruits that Nyara pointed at proudly.  
"Pelopp Fruit!" she told them.  
"Pelopp? Why are they called Pelopp Fruits?" Impa murmured, reaching up and plucking one from the tree. The resulting vibration caused several more fruits to fall, two of which struck Zelda while the rest hit the ground.  
"Because they make a "pelopp" sound when they hit the ground," Nyara said. "Pelopp!"  
"That makes sense," Talen shrugged. He picked one of the fruits up off the ground and bit into it. "They taste almost like plums. Very juicy though." Link picked another of the fruits up and squinted at it.  
"They look familiar," he frowned. "Almost like…" Link moved the fruit around until it was in line with Florella. "Now I remember." Florella blinked and looked at the fruit she was just about to bit into- slightly egg-shaped and squishy. With an irritated little huff, she hurled it at Link and struck the boy in the forehead.  
"Ahh! You got the juice in my eye!" he squawked.  
"Karma," Florella grinned. "For all the grief you've given me today. It's the Goddesses' way of paying you back."  
"Maybe meeting me was your punishment for being such a meddler," Link shot back, biting into the purple fruit.  
"And maybe meeting _me_ was _your_ punishment for being such a stubborn, smart-mouthed brat," Florella smirked. Link looked hurt.  
"Now come on, Florella. Fair's fair," he frowned. "Let's not say things we can't take back; I don't think I've done anything _that_ horrific." The fairy hurled another Pelopp Fruit at him, but missed as he stepped to the side.  
"Talen, don't laugh," Florella told the smith in a small, wavering voice as her covered his mouth with his hand.  
"Sorry," he murmured apologetically. "I-"  
"Where is little Talen!?" a loud voice boomed, cutting the smith off. Nyara, who was in the process of feeding Ark Pelopp after Pelopp, priced her ears up and turned her head sharply. A rather big Meera stood in the entrance to the grove with his arms folded across his chest. He was perhaps Impa's height- maybe taller, very muscular and had a similar tawny colouring to Nyara. The Meera girl's ears drooped and she sighed rather loudly.  
"That big brother Gurr," Nyara murmured.  
"He's huge!" Saria squeaked. Gurr tramped up to the group, standing well above them. He peered down at them, his expression set and rather unfriendly.  
"Which tiny person is Talen?" he asked gruffly. "Nyara tell Gurr that Talen stronger than Gurr. Gurr come to show Nyara that Gurr is the strongest!"  
"Talen stronger than Gurr!" Nyara snapped. "Gurr is going to get what coming to him!" Gurr frowned at his little sister before reaching out and flicking her forehead. Nyara yelped and clutched at the spot his finger had struck.  
"Leave her alone!" Ark exclaimed with uncharacteristic heat. "She's your sister and a lady to boot! Show Miss Nyara some respect!" Gurr looked down at Ark and snorted.  
"Is this Talen? Hah! He even tinier than little Nyara!" he laughed. "No wonder Nyara make friends with such tiny people, they only ones that can talk to her at same height!"  
"Gurr, you big fat idiot!" Nyara snapped angrily, hot tears forming in her eyes. Being made fun of for being short was bad enough, but in front of Ark it was next to unbearable for her.  
"Little Nyara going to cry now? Cry, little Nyara, cry like you always do," Gurr snorted.  
"So Gurr, you think all people smaller than you are weak?" Talen asked flatly. Florella clapped her hands and hopped up and down.  
"You tell him Talen!" she whooped loudly. Talen winced and smiled weakly at her.  
"So you Talen?" Gurr asked incredulously. Talen nodded. "Then fight Gurr! Or is little Talen too scared?"  
"I usually don't like fighting people, especially family members of people I know…but I think you deserve something of a fat lip to make it just that little bit harder for you to go around bragging about how strong you are."

Talen and the rest of the group followed Gurr out to the village square, where a rather sizeable crowd had gathered. It appeared that Gurr had spread the word of his fight with Talen. Almost the entire village was present, cheering and stamping their feet for Gurr, who held his arms up at their applause. And then there was his opponent who barely reached Gurr's chest. How could somebody as small as Talen hope to beat one of the strongest in the village? Many of the villagers began to jeer and laugh at the young smith as he stood quietly by and waited for Gurr to finish flaunting at the crowd. A rather large circle was formed by the crowd, with Talen's companions standing near the front to watch.  
"Oh Talen, be careful!" Florella pleaded, standing on hr tiptoes. Impa put her hands on the fairy's shoulders.  
"Talen will be fine," the Sheikah woman assured her. "He's a sensible boy."  
"Pound the living hell out of him, Talen!" Fura cheered loudly. She suddenly stopped herself. "Oops…sorry Nyara."  
"No, Talen should beat up big brother. He need to be humbled," Nyara muttered. Gurr finally stopped parading to the crowd and turned to face Talen. The cheering died down as a hushed silence descended upon the spectators.  
"Is little Talen ready to loose?" Gurr asked Talen, cracking his knuckles.  
"Not really," Talen shrugged. "Can you hurry up, please? I'm a little thirsty." Gurr blinked.  
"All right! Gurr knock little Talen out in one hit! Get ready!" And then Gurr charged, winding his arm back to deliver a crushing blow to the boy before him. The crowd began cheering once more for the victory that would surely await Gurr at the end of his assault. But Talen merely stood there with a passive expression on his face. Gurr swung, but Talen stepped neatly under the blow, scuttling through Gurr's legs and retreating to the opposite end of the square. The big Meera turned around in confusion before he spotted Talen standing there with his hands behind his back. Gurr took a slower approach, walking right up to Talen with his fist clenched.  
"Little Talen so small he slip through Gurr's fingers," the big Meera laughed. The crowd cheered. "Just stand still and fight be over quick."  
"All right," Talen said reasonably. "But make it quick." Gurr grinned and swung his fist with all his might, but Talen's hand whipped up and caught it. The big Meera stopped still, straining with all his strength to move his fist against Talen's seemingly impassable arm. Suddenly, the smith jerked his arm back and swung Gurr over his shoulder, smashing him into the ground behind himself before swinging Gurr back over his shoulder and smashing him into the ground before him. Gurr stood up dazedly as Talen clenched his fingers into a fist. The big Meera blinked stupidly and Talen would back and drove his fist into Gurr's chin. Gurr flew back and crashed headlong into a tree, shattering a large portion of the bark before slumping down at its base. He was out cold. The hushed crowd stared at the unconscious Gurr in astonishment before all heads turned to Talen. He blinked rather self-consciously and looked around.  
"Erm…and the crowd goes wild," he murmured. There was a great explosion of deafening cheers from the Meera. To Talen's surprise, he was lifted into the air and carried about upon the Meera's shoulders like some kind of hero.  
"Eeee! Talen! You were fantastic!" Florella cried ecstatically. Nyara looked similarly pleased.  
"Stupid Gurr, Talen show him that small not mean weak," she smirked, looking over at her unconscious brother. "Maybe Gurr shut up for once now."

It appeared that Gurr was not as popular as he had thought. In fact; many of the Meera were rather glad that Talen had brought him up short and given him a much-needed smack, so much so that the smith and his companions became something of an attraction for the friendly tribe throughout the rest of the afternoon. As the sky began to turn a dusky shade of orange, they met with the chief of the village who, incidentally, turned out to be Nyara's grandfather. The kindly old man was perhaps the closest companion Nyara had in the entire village and she greeted him enthusiastically when the group went to see him. Despite his age, Argor- as he was known- was still very big and very strong. Most of the fur on his shoulders, head and forearms had turned silver-grey or white, but the similarities to Nyara's markings were plainly visible. They met Argor inside the chief's hut; a large, lodge-like building in the center of the village. The interior was decorated by weavings depicting Meera of old in fierce battles with another race of animalistic people, though the other race appeared to be far more feral in appearance than the Meera. The floor was covered in large, woven rush mats and torches burned merrily, their wisps of smoke traveling up and escaping through a cleverly-designed ceiling. Argor was very happy to meet with the people who had befriended his granddaughter despite her small size. He approached the group and gave each of them a crushing handshake causing all of them bar Talen to wince in pain.  
"Argor is very happy to meet Nyara's companions," he smiled broadly after he'd finished ruining their hands. "Nyara has told Argor much about you all since she return." He motioned to a low table piled up with food behind him and instructed everybody to sit down and eat their fill. Since the table was so low, the party sat or knelt on the woven rush mats to eat. Most of the food consisted of plants straight from the forest; fruits, nuts and salads. But there were also a number of more interesting morsels on the table.  
"What are these?" Florella asked, picking up something soft and fleshy about the size of her thumb.  
"Eebie Grub!" Nyara grinned, grabbing a handful of the light brown grubs and stuffing them in her mouth.  
"G-grubs?" the fairy stammered, looking down at her hand. "Yeek! Disgusting! Get it away!" She dropped it on the table and watched as it began to slowly squirm.  
"Little Florella not like grubs?" Argor asked incredulously.  
"Florella used to eating funny food," Nyara told her grandfather. "Not used to eating normal things."  
"You call _that_ normal?" Florella winced, eyeing the grub distastefully. To her horror, Talen picked up the squirming invertebrate and popped it in his mouth. "Oh Talen! How could you?" The smith swallowed.  
"Hmm…not bad. Kinda juicy," he frowned thoughtfully.  
"Juicy!? Eww!" Zelda shuddered. "Imagine kissing somebody after they'd crunched down a bowl full of bugs." Link wasted no time in devouring a whole handful of them.  
"Har-de-har-har," the Princess snorted, flicking his ear. "But I'm afraid that won't put me off." One of the grubs popped out from between Link's lips where it squirmed for a few seconds before he slurped it back down noisily. Zelda paled visibly. "O-okay…maybe _that_ will."  
Argor, Nyara, Link and Talen were the ones that ate the most out of everyone. The old Meera found it quite amusing that Impa, the adult out of the "little people", ate even less that the two boys.  
"Maybe that why you skinny," Argor chuckled. The old man's eyes twinkled as Impa raised an eyebrow. Impa was, by all accounts, a rather tall and well-developed woman, but by Meera standards she was something of a twig. But the Sheikah woman, like Argor, had a geed sense of humor.  
"Being a skinny rabbit helps to avoid the slow and ungainly hunters such as yourself, Argor," she said in a level, yet humored tone. "Maybe if your stomach didn't get in the way, you'd be able to catch more." Argor blinked and looked down at his stomach before he burst out laughing. His arm swung down and he clapped Impa across the back, causing the Sheikah woman to lurch forward and expel a great whoosh of breath.  
"Ahem," she coughed, composing herself. "Argor, may I ask you and Nyara a question?"  
"Argor will tell Skinny Rabbit Impa whatever she pleases," Argor told her with a nod.  
"I have been very curious from the beginning about Nyara's involvement in all of this. Why was she so far from home, and in Hyrule Field of all places?" Impa queried. The room descended into silence. "And for whatever reason, she seemed to know about Ark before they had met."  
"Miss Nyara said…that she was sent to find and protect," Ark said quietly. "But she wasn't allowed to say why." A glance at Nyara revealed the Meera girl fidgeting rather uncomfortably. Argor sighed through his nose and brought his hands together under his chin.  
"The sacred treasure we Meera protect," he murmured.  
"Sacred treasure?" Link frowned.  
"It said that the treasure can show a person a part of their destiny…but as chief of Meera it is my responsibility to make sure nobody go to treasure to use," Argor continued. He looked slowly over at Nyara. "But Nyara…little Nyara, Argor's lonely granddaughter. Argor wanted to show Nyara that she important even though she small…so Argor took Nyara to treasure so she could look at a glimpse of destiny, but I also tell her not to tell anybody that she se Meera treasure."  
"And…what did she see?" Fura asked intently. Argor shook his head solemnly.  
"Argor not know, because Nyara disappear when treasure activate. Nyara disappear and go to where she saw destiny," the old man said. "If you want to know what Nyara saw, then you have to ask Nyara." The Meera girl began to fidget even more as the attention of everyone in the room focused on her.  
"It's all right, Miss Nyara," Ark said. "If what you saw was something private, then it is not for us to ask about it."  
"Nyara…Nyara owes everybody explanation. Explanation for why Nyara go to Hyrule Field…why Nyara met Link and Ark…why Nyara go with Link and Ark all around world," she mumbled. "Nyara see something and Nyara hear voices…women voices…telling her that she must protect. Telling her that what she see is more important than anything in world…for Nyara." She wiggled her toes and bit her lips before continuing. "Voices say that for Nyara…what she see will fill her with happiness and…sorrow." The occupants of the room waited with breathless anticipation. Fura, Zelda, Saria and Florella waited with wide eyes and baited breath while Talen, Link and Ark sat with curious expressions. Impa seemed to have a strange, knowing look about her.  
"What…did you see?" Zelda breathed eagerly. Nyara lifted her hand and extended her index finger, trailing it slowly through the air before pointing at her target. Ark felt the air leave his lungs and his heart pound. It was at that moment that Ark understood. He understood why she fought so hard to protect him, why she fed, groomed and looked after him. He knew then that the pull between them was more than just companionship- more than just the simple desire to look after and to be looked after. It was the most powerful force in the universe that sent two lives crashing headlong into each other: destiny, and for reasons unknown it had chosen to do exactly that to a quiet boy that couldn't keep his hair down and a girl that was as much an animal as she was a person. Nyara and Ark, you couldn't have one without the other. She was pointing at him.


	58. Teebo

**Chapter 57 – Teebo**

"What do you think it means?" Link opened his eyes and glanced sidelong at Zelda.  
"Huh?" he murmured, sitting up on the roof of his room. The Princess frowned at him and rolled her eyes.  
"Ark and Nyara," she sighed exasperatedly.  
"Oh," Link sniffed. "What do you think about it?"  
"I was asking _you_," she said, clicking her tongue at him. Link scratched his head while Zelda waited expectantly for his reply.  
"Well…I'd be lying if I said it wasn't something of a surprise…but I'd also be lying if I said that I didn't entirely expect it," the boy told her. "We seem to have friends in high places- _very_ high places- and they seem to prefer that some things aren't left to chance." Zelda looked at him strangely. "If Nyara saw a piece of her destiny, and that piece was Ark, then it seems to make some kind of sense. The bond those two have has enabled them to survive and protect each other. Nyara's desire to protect Ark enabled her to become Nyaragon the Bloodcat, whereas Ark's desire to protect Nyara has given him the courage he needed to defeat those that may harm her. Like Saria said; you can't have one without the other." Zelda chuckled to herself and wandered across the roof of Link's room and leaned up against the trunk of the tree is rested in.  
"My, aren't you the insightful one today," she smiled. Link yawned and looked up at her.  
"I can't poke fun at Florella _all_ the time, can I? Somebody has to have a brain that thinks about things," he told her.  
"I know," the Princess said. "I can see you thinking. Even when you're messing around and trying your hardest to make Florella have a nervous breakdown." Link stared at her. "It's there behind those big, blue eyes of yours. Your brain is always working away…I can hear it." Zelda tapped the side of her head.  
"I can't help myself sometimes," the blonde boy shrugged. "So much spirals down to us; our little group. All the things that have happened; my arm and face, the Key, the Locks…and I still think about the Compass- why it scattered us like it did. There's something odd about it I can't quite put my finger on. It feels like it was a mistake…but at the same time it feels like it isn't." The blonde boy frowned and narrowed his eyes. "Hey…I just remembered something. When Nyara told us that she saw Ark, Argor looked kinda funny."  
"Funny?" the Princess asked. "Funny like how?"  
"I don't know…he looked like something unpleasant was going to happen," Link murmured. "Something's up." Link and Zelda stayed silent for a while in the dusky jungle, listening to the sounds of talking, laughing and rhythmic drumming from an evening gathering in the village square below. They had been told that it was to welcome the party to the village, but Talen's sound trouncing of Gurr appeared to play a big part of it as well. It seemed that Gurr had been something of an annoyance to the rest of the Meera- throwing his weight around and being a general pain because of his strength and size. But the event of being so easily beaten by Talen had brought Gurr back to reality and, in the space of an afternoon; Nyara's big brother seemed to have pulled his head in slightly. In the midst of all the noise, dancing, food and general frivolities of the evening, Link had crept away to think about things. Ark had gone strange and quiet after the meeting with Argor and Nyara had gone unnaturally bashful around him, so Florella had set herself the task of restoring normality between them. And, in usual Florella fashion, she had done it with flying colours and the two of them were back on normal terms, though for some reason Nyara seemed to be a little more restrained.  
"What about us?" Zelda asked suddenly. Link was caught off guard.  
"What? Us? What about us?"  
"Do you think we were fated to meet? Do you think that, maybe, three rather powerful ladies somewhere far above have seen fit to throw Zelda the Princess and Link the orphan come swordsman together?" Link turned his head and watched the girl gaze up at the sky through the canopy of branches and leaves high above.  
"I suspect that perhaps they had something to do with things, if what an old friend of mine says about them is true…but I don't doubt it for a second, Zelda," Link murmured. "Destiny has seen fit that the two of us should meet from the very beginning. All of us were fated to meet, and there appears to be a certain amount of "neatness" to things."  
"Neatness?" Zelda asked curiously.  
"Hmm? Oh, never mind," Link said, waving it off. "Forget about it."  
"I shall, O deep thinker," Zelda said, stepping in front of him and performing a mocking bow. As she stood back upright, a gust of wind ghosted through the forest and kicked up Zelda's dress, giving Link a first-hand look at the colour of her underclothes. He blinked, went extremely red and slapped his hands over his eyes.  
"Whoops!" Zelda laughed. "Maybe I should change this dress. It doesn't seem to like staying down when the wind comes to say hello."  
"Yes, perhaps you should," Link coughed uneasily. Zelda giggled and yanked the dress down to stop it flapping about.  
"Princesses shouldn't let boys see their underwear, should they," Zelda said. It was more of a statement than a question.  
"No, I don't think they should," Link replied. He still had his hands over his eyes.  
"What would Impa say?" Zelda sighed, shaking her head.  
"She'd probably shake her head and give you a light scolding. She's not tough enough on you," Link murmured.  
"But then again, you're a special case," the Princess said. "So a little peep like that can't do any harm."  
"I don't think it should be made a regular occurrence," Link frowned.  
"They're nice legs, aren't they," Zelda smiled. "And did you like the underwear? A rather tasteful lavender hue."  
"You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you," Link sighed. "Maybe you should be separated from Fura. She's been a very, _very_ bad influence on you." The blonde boy uncovered his eyes and looked up at the Princess with a pained expression. Zelda smiled at him and sat down, leaning back on one arm while the other wrapped itself around one of her knees.  
"Do you think I've changed since we first met, Link?" she asked.  
"You have," he told her. "The Zelda I first met in the courtyard of Hyrule Castle would never _ever_ have condoned the practice of a display like that."  
"Would you like it if I were still that Zelda?" she asked curiously. Link shook his head.  
"Zelda is Zelda. Whoever she is I'll like her just the same," he sighed. Zelda giggled as Link blushed slightly and looked down at the gathering in the square. "People may start to wonder where we are if we stay away much longer." The Hylian boy began to rise in readiness to climb down to the ground, but a call from Zelda stopped him.  
"Link?" she asked. He turned his head and blinked at her. Zelda blushed rosily and twiddled the fingers grasping her knee. "Would you like to kiss me?" Link's heart started pounding.

"There you are!" Fura called excitedly from the crowd. She ran over and met with Link and Zelda as they returned to the festivities.  
"Hello Fura," Link said. "Are you enjoying yourself?"  
"Well I _was_ until you wandered off," she pouted. "By the way…where did you go?" Link's eyes roamed uneasily.  
"Erm…I got lost in the crowd," he told her. But Fura had already turned her attention to Zelda.  
"Keeping him all to yourself, Zelda?" the Gerudo asked incredulously. "Aren't we being a little bit selfish?"  
"What are you talking about?" the Princess asked innocently. "I only just found him." Fura looked suspiciously between the two of them.  
"Hmm, well whatever you say," she shrugged. Link breathed a sigh of relief, but Fura suddenly grabbed his arm and yanked him over, whereupon she began examining his neck rather closely. "Heyyy…what's that mark?" Link squirmed free and bunched his shoulder slightly, pushing the Key up over the mark.  
"It's nothing!" he said quickly. Fura raised her eyebrows and turned around.  
"If you say so," she smirked. "Come on, we can all go get our faces painted. Talen and Ark have already had theirs done."  
"Do they look ridiculous?" Link asked with a hint of amusement evident in his voice. Fura turned her head slightly.  
"Perhaps _you_ could get your neck painted to cover up the love-bite that Zelda's obviously given you," the Gerudo suggested with a hint of smugness in her voice. Link's eyes bugged out and he clenched his teeth, slapping his hand over the red mark.  
"It was Zelda's fault!" he exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the Princess. "Just a little kiss my butt. She bit me!" Zelda blushed and giggled while Fura raised an eyebrow.  
"Well it's actually where you suck on the skin and it causes the blood to go to the surface," Fura said thoughtfully. "So it's technically not a bite. I've never tried it before…can I have a go-"  
"No!" Link squeaked, covering his neck entirely.  
"You let Zelda," she pouted.  
"I did not! The foul temptress tricked me!" Link protested. "She's a sweet little Princess on the outside, but the devil burns bright underneath."  
"Oh I'm so embarrassed!" Zelda squealed. "It was just a little spur-of-the-moment thing!"  
"Maybe you should have another one on the other side, Link," Fura suggested. "You know, to even it out- hey, where'd he go?" Fura and Zelda looked about to see Link disappear into the crowd. The two girls looked quite indignant.  
"Well of all the nerve!" Fura huffed. "Come on, devil-lips. Let's see if we can't add some texture to that pale skin of yours."

By the end of the evening, every member from the traveling party had their faces painted, even Impa. Ark and Talen had stripes and fake ears put on, making them look like the Meera themselves. In the middle of Florella's turn, Link whispered a few words to the face-painter and took over for a short while. Florella, however; didn't notice because she had her eyes shut tight and it wasn't until sometime later that she realized with dismay that she'd been painted up to look like a pig. Link thought it was hilarious and nearly choked to death with laughter. The Great Fairy blew her top and chased Link off through the crowd, but she returned shortly after losing him. In a strange twist, Zelda had all of her visible skin painted a coppery-tan colour while Fura's was painted a lighter shade representative of a Hylian. To finish it off, Zelda stuck on a wig made of dyed red coconut fibers, while Fura put on one made of yellow fibers. The two of them then went off and swapped clothes, returning before Link plucked up enough courage to return. Florella, forgetting her current state of piggery, thought it was one of the greatest things she'd ever seen and urged them to show Link to see if he noticed who was who right away. At first, he didn't; not even batting an eyelid when Zelda- dressed as Fura- ran around pretending to set things on fire. A peeved Fura lifted him up by the front of his tunic and demanded that he apologize for thinking that Zelda's tasteless display was actually the Gerudo's normal behavior. Florella began chanting for Fura to burn the insolent wretch to ashes, but then Impa- with her face painted to look like a flower- intervened and suggested that Link have _his_ face painted. Under the condition that Saria have hers done at the same time as him, he agreed and the two of them soon ended up as a pair of Meera. The woman who painted Saria's face made her look like a kitten "To suit her size" she had said.  
With the face-painting done with, everyone had a look at each other, though Florella wasn't too thrilled about showing off her decidedly unflattering guise. Nyara dragged everybody off to the fire-pit in the middle of the square where a variety of food was on offer. From the edge of the flames she plucked several roasting Eebie Grubs.  
"Roaster Eebie Grub stuffed with Death Peppers," Nyara grinned, handing the small, skewered delicacies to her friends and keeping one herself.  
"Death Peppers?" Saria asked dubiously. "They aren't hot…are they?"  
"There little buzz, but nothing too spicy," Nyara shrugged, pogging her stuffed grub down in a single mouthful. Link and company bit into theirs at the same time, resulting in a variety of reactions. Zelda, Saria and Florella started squealing in agony as their tongues threatened to shrivel up and burst into flames while Talen's eyes started watering and he coughed several times. Fura literally blew fire from her mouth while Link and Impa remained impassive.  
"They're good," Link mumbled, chewing into his grub wholeheartedly. Impa nodded in agreement.  
"What, do you two have iron-clad stomachs?" Fura demanded. "They're making even _me_ sweat! Augh! I can see why they're called Death Peppers!" Thankfully, a pitcher of cold milk was close at hand, allowing those suffering from burnt mouths to cool off while Impa and Link helped themselves to more stuffed grubs.

Ark gave a big yawn before shaking his head to try and clear it of the fog of tiredness. He was sitting cross-legged on top of a large, knotted root growing from one of the big trees surrounding the square. It was somewhat cooler away from the fire, but the muggy tropical air still weighed down on him like a damp blanket. Out towards the crowd he could see a group of young Meera males trying to best Talen in a tug-o-war, but even their combined strength was not enough to budge the smith. The rest of his companions stood by and cheered him on, with Nyara being the loudest one of all.  
"Having a rest?" Ark gasped and jumped in surprise, losing his balance and toppling from the root he sat on. But a pair of hands caught and pushed him back up into his previous sitting position.  
"Oh! Miss Impa, you startled me," Ark said, turning his head to see the tall, flower-faced Sheikah woman standing behind him.  
"Be careful not to wander too far away," she murmured. "We may not have seen Zeel for at least two months, but for all we know she could be watching you at this very moment."  
"O-oh, I'm sorry…" Ark stammered. Impa chuckled and patted him on the head.  
"I'm not scolding you," she assured him. "Just be careful. Zeel seems pretty ruthless." Ark looked down at his feet.  
"Miss Zeel…isn't as terrible as you may think," he mumbled. Impa raised an eyebrow. "She's rather bad-tempered and scary…but she isn't heartless."  
"I see." Impa appeared genuinely curious. "What makes you say that?"  
"Well…it may not seem like much, but when I was alone in my room in the dark…she gave me a ball that glowed so I wouldn't be scared," Ark murmured. "She also apologized for being so cruel to me in the past. Miss Impa…I don't think Miss Zeel is doing this by choice…she needs something." Impa pursed her lips thoughtfully.  
"And she won't stop until she gets it," Impa sighed. She shook her head with a wry smile. "Who would have thought a lad like you could appeal to the decency in somebody as ruthless as Zeel?" Ark scratched his head and wiggled his toes inside his boots.  
"I feel sorry for her…the demon-girl as well," he murmured. "They're all alone in that miserable, dark place." Impa regarded Ark for a while as the boy stared off into space. He was an unremarkable, yet simultaneously strange boy- much like Link and Talen. The three of them shared a strong sense of justice that drove them in doing almost everything they did. Impa enjoyed observing her odd little family; it was something she never grew tired of. It would be very interesting to see how their futures panned out.  
"So…how does news of what Nyara saw sit with you? You're probably wondering how you fit into her destiny," the Sheikah asked, changing the subject.  
"Well…I must admit that I'm rather curious," Ark frowned thoughtfully. "I mean…I'm nothing special, I'm just Ark. I'm not very good at fighting, I'm not very strong and I can't even use my magic properly anymore…now that Miss Zeel has my staff." He sighed and smoothed his spiked fringe back, but it sproinged back up as soon as he let go of it. "But…if it's my role to help her however I can, then I'll fulfill that role to the best of my ability." Impa smiled and nodded.  
"Good lad," she approved. "But did the thought ever cross your mind that your role in Nyara's fate could be much more significant than to simply help her?" Ark looked confused.  
"I'm not sure I follow…what else could it be?" he asked, his big, green eyes filled with genuine curiosity. Impa smiled and shook her head.  
"Never mind, Ark," she chuckled. "You'll come to figure it out in time." She poked his chest twice with the tip of her finger. "Just don't forget about this, all right? There may come a time when it will be more effective than your magic." And then she left, leaving Ark to sit and ponder her words while the music and voices of the Meera spiraled away into the night.

The morning after the Meera's gathering, Link found himself on the receiving end of a particularly painful face-wash. He had woken up, rolled out of bed, pulled his boots onto the wrong feet and climbed awkwardly down to the ground before being ambushed by Saria. The face-paint was still visible, despite his best efforts at scrubbing it off with the sleeve of his tunic. In fact; that only seemed to make Saria even more adamant in her meticulous face-washing with a damp cloth.  
"Honestly, Link," she sighed. "Did it ever occur to you that your tunic isn't the best thing to use when washing your face?"  
"Ow! There isn't any paint in my ears!" Link complained vocally as Saria jammed her cloth-covered finger in his ear and began wiggling it around.  
"I know," she told him. "But your ears need cleaning anyway, and you're certainly not going to do it."  
"You don't have to be so rough!"  
"I need to chisel through all the filth you seem to accumulate," Saria told him mildly, finishing with the inside of his ears and scrubbing furiously behind them. "Would your rather Fura do it?" Link fell silent.  
"Good point," he mumbled. Fura, who was eating her breakfast, scowled at him.  
"Hey, what's this red mark?" Saria asked suddenly, poking at a spot on Link's neck. He gasped and slapped his hand over it.  
"It's nothing!" he said quickly. Zelda began giggling.  
"It's pretty big, can you remember being bitten by some horrible creepy-crawly?" the Kokiri girl asked.  
"Yes, yes I can. Something horrible bit me all right," the blonde boy said, glancing at Zelda from the corner of his eye. She stuck her tongue out at him. Florella, noticing the exchange, jumped up and peered at Link's neck with a big grin plastered on her face.  
"Oho!" she laughed.  
"No! There's no "Oho!" thank you very much!" he snapped, beating her little hands away. "It's just a bug-bite."  
"That's what I was going to say," Florella pouted, looking hurt. Link furrowed his brow before Florella's face broke out into another grin. "A bite from the _love-bug_, that is! Everyone! Link has a love-bite!" Her antennae waved madly.  
"Shut up, piggy!"  
"A passion-purpura!" Florella continued to sing, sweeping up onto her tiptoes with her arms stretched out like a ballerina. However; the fairy's teasing was short-lived, with Link firing one of the Key straps at her and shoving her out the door. He wound the strap around the door latch, keeping it closed tight. It jiggled lightly as Florella tried to get back in, but it soon stopped and she appeared at one of the windows to make kissy-faces. Link did his best to ignore her whilst turning a deep shade of scarlet after his horrible secret had been discovered.  
"So…" Saria said mildly, continuing the paint-removal. "Who gave you that? My guess is Fura."  
"Enough," Link muttered. "Let us never speak of it again."  
"I didn't do it," Fura said, leaning back in her chair. She folded her arms behind her head. "I would have taken a shot on his collarbone because the Key could get in the way…a much bigger one as well."  
"_Fura!"_ Link exclaimed.  
"Oh, so it was Zelda?" Impa whistled in mild surprise. Zelda blushed and smiled awkwardly. Link buried his face in his hands and prayed to be swallowed up by the ground.  
"All right, all right," Saria chuckled. "We'll stop."  
"Thank you," Link mumbled sullenly. Saria continued wiping at his face clean  
of the face-paint while the others went about having breakfast. Ark, who was left to the unfamiliar task of feeding himself since Nyara was not around, looked around the room curiously. Frowning uncertainly, he leaned over to Fura and cleared his throat politely.  
"Erm…Lady Fura?" he asked quietly. Fura glanced over at him.  
"Mm-hmm?""What's a love-bite?"

Once everyone had been cleansed of face-pain, Saria set herself the task of issuing haircuts. Link, Ark and Talen needed their hair trimmed more than anyone, so the Kokiri girl sat them down in a chair outside so as not to get hair all over the floor of the hut. Link went first and behaved quite well as the green-haired girl began snipping away at his unruly blonde hair, whistling her favorite song as she went. Florella took it upon herself to cut Talen's hair, but had to resort to flying in order to reach the top of his head. Saria was the first to finish. She took Link's chin between her thumb and forefinger and turned his head from side to side as a last check to see that things were to her satisfaction. Satisfied, she shooed him off the chair and motioned for Ark to sit down.  
"Keep the fringe, Saria," Fura told the Kokiri girl. "Ark wouldn't look the same without it, so be careful."  
"I know, Fura," Saria said crisply. "I'm using scissors, not a knife like that hair-butcher Nabooru. That woman should be kept far away from _anyone's_ head." Fura nodded ruefully and scratched her ear.  
"She made a real dog's breakfast of mine once," the Gerudo girl winced. "And she gets a real bee in her bonnet if you tell her she stinks at cutting hair."  
While Ark was having his trim, Nyara came bounding along the path towards the tree at top speed. She skidded into view with an almost manic look in her eye before leaping at the grey-haired boy whilst Saria was still busy cutting his hair.  
"Nooo!" Saria wailed as Nyara careened towards them. "You'll wreck the hair!" There was a flash of silver and Nyara suddenly halted in mid-leap. Link had caught her with the Key.  
"Just wait until Saria's finished," the blonde boy told the Meera. "Then you can say hello." Nyara grinned sheepishly as he put her down and Saria breathed a sigh of relief and continued cutting, casting furtive glances at the Meera girl as she sat on the ground and flicked her tail from side to side.  
"Where have you been, Nyara?" Impa asked curiously as she peeled an apple with her long dagger. "It's rather late in the morning."  
"Nyara…uh…have things to talk about with parents," she replied, fidgeting uncomfortably. "Nyara and parents not agree on something." Impa decided not to press it any further, opting instead to pop a slice of her apple into her mouth.  
"Well I think we should head out for the Lock today," the Sheikah announced. "There's no point in wasting time. With the next one collected, we will have two Locks to go." The others murmured in agreement.  
"But we need to be careful," Zelda said soberly. "The one behind the scattering of the Locks will probably try even harder to thwart us, and Gaul is bound to show up again." Link shuddered at the thought of the name.  
"And I barely managed to fend him off last time," he sighed. "Gaul is powerful."  
"But so are you," Fura told him, tapping his nose with her finger. She smiled sweetly at him. "And when you finally beat him for good, I'll be there too smooch those wounds away."  
"Ugh, no fear," Link grimaced. Fura scowled and pounced on the boy, catching him in a headlock. The two of them staggered about in a playfight in which Fura seemed to hold the upper-hand. The Gerudo had a frighteningly strong grip- one which seemed to have its work cut out for it trying to keep hold of the especially slippery Link. Saria shook her head despairingly as the struggling pair inevitably stumbled and fell into a bickering heap on the ground, with Fura managing keeping her tanned arms locked around Link's neck.  
"Then there's Zeel," Talen murmured suddenly.  
"What about Miss Zeel?" Ark asked.  
"Ah! Ark, keep your head still!" Saria squeaked.  
"S-sorry," he stammered.  
"Zeel's going to get even more determined the closer we get to putting an end to all of the trouble with the Eternal Ark," the smith frowned. "If we put her "employer" out of commission, then she loses whatever reward she was promised." Ark seemed strangely disheartened by the news.  
"But…if her reward is something like a cure for a disease…and she doesn't get it…" the grey-haired boy began. "She could die! We- we have to help her if that comes to pass!" The others looked at him strangely.  
"You want to help her?" Fura asked. "She's tried to cut you to ribbons in the past. That girl's a regular devil."  
"Zeel bad!" Nyara squawked. "She hurt Ark, take him away!"  
"But she also saved his life on more than one occasion," Impa said quietly. "I think Ark has a point; maybe Zeel is doing this because she feels she needs to."  
"I know it sounds strange," Ark sighed. "But…she just seems so lonely and desperate for…_something_. And she's really not a terrible person…like Miss Impa said; she saved my life on more than one occasion." The group lapsed into a thoughtful silence, save for the snip, snip, snip of Saria's scissors. Nyara flicked her tail and seemed to come to a kind of decision.  
"If Ark want to help Zeel when this over, then…Nyara help too. Anybody that save pet Ark's life not be all bad," the Meera girl shrugged. Ark smiled at her.  
"Than you, Miss Nyara."  
"And _finished!_" Saria declared suddenly. Startled by the Kokiri's sudden outburst, Saria's companions stared at her. She blinked and snipped her scissors twice in the air. "Ah…what were we talking about?"

With the haircuts out of the way, the party readied themselves in order to find the next Lock. They decided to take only their weapons, for if the Lock piece was too far to reach in the space of a day, then they would return to the village. Ark pulled out the Compass and looked at it closely before pointing off into the ruins of the ancient city that lay entombed by the jungle.  
"It's out there somewhere," he told the others. Nyara's hackles rose.  
"What's the matter?" Link asked her.  
"That bad place in there," she growled. "Bad things hide in ruins. Meera no go in there for long time."  
"B-bad things?" Ark stammered nervously.  
"They no come near village, though," Nyara frowned. "They only in old city."  
"Creatures or no, we need to find the Lock," Impa said. "Saria, Zelda and Florella…you stay behind."  
"What!?" Zelda exclaimed. "But…!" She looked around her guardian at Link.  
"I'll make sure he doesn't get into any trouble, Zelda," Impa told her charge. "But a place like that is no place for you." Impa was right. The ruins of the city that stretched off into the jungle beyond the Meera village appeared mysterious and unfriendly, especially with the statues and threatening carved heads that littered the crumbling stone buildings.  
"All right," Zelda pouted petulantly. "But Link, you had better be careful or else there'll be Hell to pay." He grinned uneasily and nodded.  
"Good girl," Impa smiled, patting her on the head.  
"You be careful too, Talen," Florella told the smith.  
"Yes, Florella," he replied automatically. The group turned to go, but a sudden shout halted their departure.  
"Nyara!" Nyara's eyes opened wide and she whirled around sharply. Standing near the base of the tree the group was staying in were two Meera. One was a man- a huge one at that, and the other was a woman. The man looked rather stony-faced, with an enormous frame and rather dark, tiger-like markings. The woman was much more slender and feminine, with long, cream-coloured hair, a white stomach against her tawny colouring and a rather large bust. Nyara recognized them immediately.  
"Mother! Father!" she exclaimed. She seemed surprised to see them there.  
"So _they're_ Nyara's parents," Florella smiled. "I was wondering when we'd meet them."  
"Well," Fura murmured to Link. "I can see where Nyara got her assets from." Link blinked in confusion before going a little red.  
"Fura!" he hissed. "Not now!"  
"Nyara not go into ruins!" Nyara's mother said almost desperately. "Nyara too little! Nyara be in danger!" Nyara looked for a reply as her ears drooped.  
"And what about Teebo?" her father rumbled. "What will Nyara's father tell Teebo when Nyara not come back?"  
"What's going on?" Zelda whispered to Impa.  
"I don't know…perhaps this is the "disagreement" Nyara mentioned having with them before." Nyara gritted her teeth together.  
"No!" she cried. "No Teebo! Nyara will not!"  
"M-miss Nyara?" Ark stammered nervously. "Are you all right? Who is Teebo?" Nyara looked at him helplessly, her yellow eyes filling with tears.  
"Teebo…" Nyara's father began in a deep voice. "…is Nyara's future mate."


	59. Rain

**Chapter 58 – Rain**

"F-future mate!?" Florella exclaimed. "Like an arranged marriage!?" Nyara looked at the fairy with a hopeless expression and nodded. "But…augh! This is wrong on so many levels! The wedding! The honeymoon! They'll all go flying out the window if something isn't done!"  
"Calm down, Florella," Talen told her, putting a hand on her shoulder.  
"But Talen!" she cried. "It's…it's…"  
"Shhh," he shushed her gently. "You're making Nyara feel worse." Florella looked over at the Meera girl and saw that her ears were drooped and her expression was downcast.  
"Has Nyara forgotten arrangement with Teebo?" Nyara's father rumbled suddenly. Nyara flinched and looked up at the huge man.  
"N-no," she mumbled. "But…Nyara would like to pick her own mate!"  
"But Nyara so small," her mother said pleadingly. "Nyara need strong mate like Teebo." Nyara and her parents continued to speak with each other, with Nyara saying over and over that she wanted to pick her own mate, while her parents insisted that Teebo was the only choice.  
"I don't understand…why can't Nyara decide on her own?" Saria whispered.  
"I think I know," Zelda frowned. The others turned to look at her. "Nyara's a- excuse the term- "runt" among the Meera. I expect that they see strength and size and what have you as positive traits, but Nyara is small. She's probably a little on the unpopular size with the boys. Coupled with the assumption that she needs looking after and it's easy to see that her parents have arranged her a mate…like an arranged marriage."  
"If Nyara carries the genes of somebody as huge as her father, then I can see how such an arrangement was made," Impa murmured. "That must have been an important factor in arranging her and Teebo's coupling; it's the equivalent of gaining a large estate through an arranged marriage in Hyrule. It sounds rather cold, but her parents just want what's best for their daughter."  
"Poor Nyara," Fura sighed.  
"B-but…shouldn't we be congratulating her?" Ark asked incredulously. Everyone stopped and stared at him, including Nyara, whose eyes went extremely wide. "I-isn't it good news?"  
"A-Ark happy for Nyara?" Nyara asked. He nodded slowly, feeling rather self-conscious.  
"Erm…yes…"  
"A-Ark want Nyara and Teebo to be…m-mates?"  
"Well…your parents wouldn't have chosen Teebo if he wasn't a good man…would they? Isn't it…what's best?" Nyara's wide eyes filled with tears and her bottom lip began to quiver. Then, unable to keep her composure any longer; she fled from her companions and parents, sobbing her heart out. Ark stared after her in disbelief.  
"Miss Nyara!" he called, but she was gone. Ark blinked and looked at his friends. "D-did I say something wrong?"  
"Oh Ark," Zelda sighed, holding the bridge of her nose. "You don't understand, do you?"  
"U-understand what?" he stammered, looking more and more panicked by the second. "I-I haven't said something terrible to Miss Nyara…have I?" He gasped, his mouth hanging open. "I have, haven't I! Oh, what have I done!? I didn't mean to upset Miss Nyara! I-I would _never_ do such a thing on purpose! I-"  
"Hush, Ark," Impa told the boy, placing a hand on his head. "You haven't said anything terrible to her at all…just something she thought you wouldn't."  
"Wh-what should I do? I can't _stand_ the thought of making her upset!" Florella, who was standing nearby, suddenly pinched his cheek.  
"Oooh! You're a little dense, but you're just so _sweet!_" she squealed. "Now…what Nyara wanted you to say and what you should do now are things that you cannot be told, Ark. You're just going to have to talk to her…say what you want to say. Now…go find her."

The group decided to temporarily call off their search for the next Lock. Ark had dashed away as fast as he could, desperate to tell Nyara that his upsetting her was a gigantic mistake. Nyara's parents invited the remainder of the party back to their home to meet, having heard about them from their daughter. Nyara's father, Garr, and mother, Oora, were really very friendly people who only wanted their daughter to be happy. Arranging two people to become mates was not usual practice amongst the Meera, but so worried about their daughter were Garr and Oora that they did what they thought was necessary to ensure that she wouldn't be unhappy when she grew up. But the conversation didn't dwell on the previous happenings and instead focused on getting to know the people that Nyara had befriended when she had left the village. Because Nyara had simply vanished from the village and was sent straight to Hyrule field, her parents were given no warning of her departure. It had taken Nyara's grandfather, who was Garr's father, a great deal of explaining before they had calmed down. In the end they could do was hope that their daughter would return to them unscathed. When Nyara _had_ returned, and they had witnessed Talen's swift defeat of their son, Gurr, Garr and Oora had instantly jumped to the conclusion that the smith had protected their daughter throughout the long journey back to the Meera village. They showered the boy with praise and called up their tree to all of their children, sending Nyara's siblings scuttling down to the ground. Before long, through the door came the rest of the family. There were four other girls and five boys, Gurr included. Needless to say, the guests were quite shocked.  
"H-holy !" Link exclaimed.  
"Wow," Fura whistled. "I can see that Nyara's parents enjoy a very healthy and passionate relationship."  
"Either that or the Meera have children in litters," Florella frowned. "…but wow. _Nine_ children." One of the girls was Nyara's age, but was much more solidly built and was nearly as tall as Impa. The three other girls were much younger and were at around Florella's height when the fairy had just met Link and everyone. Florella, Zelda, Fura and Saria found them utterly adorable, with their big ears, large eyes and the pom-poms on their shoulders, wrists, ankles and tails. Interestingly enough; it appeared that as the Meera aged, the pom-pom balls of fur got smaller and smaller until they disappeared altogether, bar the one at the tip of the tail. The boys were all a few years older than Nyara- around Gurr's age, but were slightly shorter than their brother. Interestingly enough, when Gurr saw Talen he didn't seem to react as expected; he simply nodded at him as if accepting his defeat before standing quietly with the rest of his siblings. Garr and Oora then rattled off the names of their swarm of offspring. Eyara was the eldest girl and the three little ones were called Miamm, Mii and Nanu. The boys that the party had not yet met were named Rooga, Chak and Boe. All of them were eager to meet with the one who had so easily trounced their bigger brother and crowded around Talen pressing for details about how somebody as small as him got so strong. Miamm, Mii and Nanu, however; seemed more interested with the fascinating dangly-things that hung from the back of a certain blonde boy's neck. While his companions introduced themselves, Link was preoccupied with trying shoo the three little girls away from the Key straps. They tugged, batted and chewed on the straps, frequently yanking Link back and nearly pulling him entirely off his feet. For people their size, they were remarkably strong- persistent as well as they began clambering up Link's clothing to get at the Key. To the embarrassment of his companions, the blonde boy gave a cry of pain as one of the little Meeras chomped onto his ear.  
"Oh Link," Saria groaned. "_Please_ behave yourself."  
"It's- ow! It's not me!" he wailed. "Ahh! They're worse than Nyara!" The three little Meera girls began biting, chewing, scratching and generally causing Link a good deal of pain with their pointy little incisors.  
"Little blonde boy play well with cubs," Oora smiled as Link let out feeble cries of pain.  
"Oh Link!" Saria snapped. "Stop making such a scene!"  
"You try it!" he told her. "Their teeth are like needles!"  
"Miamm, Mii and Nanu are strong and healthy," Garr said proudly. "They grow up to be big and strong like mother and father." It was then that Link managed to shake the three young Meeras off of himself before he escaped out the door as fast as his legs could carry him. Miamm, Mii and Nanu followed after him on all fours, growling and mewing as they went.  
"Don't go too far," Oora called after them. "Play nice with little blonde boy." There was another wail of pain from outside. The girls were obviously very fast.

Ark was relatively unfamiliar with the Meera village, so he was not sure where to begin searching for Nyara. His first port of call was her grandfather, but the old Meera said that he had not seen his granddaughter at all that day. And so Ark headed towards the only place he could think of that Nyara would go to when feeling upset; her secret place. Ark ran through the village as fast as he could, quickly leaving it behind and making his way through the forest and crumbling ruins of the ancient city. It wasn't long until he came to the log covered in the roots of a tree that had grown over the top of it. Ark got down on his hands and knees before crawling through and arriving in the narrow ravine. Keeping close to the wall, he made his way down to the small lake that Nyara had shown him the night he had been unable to sleep. He walked carefully up to the water's edge and looked around, the sand shifting beneath his boots. It was quiet; the fairies having vanished since the last time Ark had been to Nyara's secret place, taking their eerily beautiful melody with them.  
"M-miss Nyara?" Ark ventured uncertainly. "A-are you here?" He got no reply. Plucking up some courage, he raised his voice. "I didn't mean to upset you, I'm sorry! I'd never do anything to like that intentionally, Miss Nyara! Please believe me!" Again there was no reply, save the gentle lapping of the small lake and the hum of insects out in the forest. Ark sighed and smoothed his unruly fringe back against his head before taking one last look at the area. He turned around and began walking towards the ravine, but a call from somewhere behind him made the boy stop.  
"Ark wait." The grey-haired boy halted suddenly and turned around, scanning the area for the owner of the familiar voice. He slowly looked up and saw Nyara sitting on one of the topmost branches of the tree she had climbed the first time the two of them had been to the lake together.  
"Miss Nyara!" Ark exclaimed. "I'm sorry about before! I didn't mean to upset you, honest! I-"  
"Nyara know," the Meera girl said in a small voice. "It just…" She trailed off and made an odd little sound.  
"It's just what?" Ark asked, concerned.  
"Ark no worry," she told him, leaping down out of the tree and landing in front of the boy. "It not his fault. Nyara was just…hoping for something else." She sat down on the soft sand and allowed her legs to sink into the water. Ark watched Nyara for a few moments before sitting down next to her.  
"I know it was something I said that made you upset…and there's absolutely no excuse for causing a lady grief," Ark said. "I'm sorry, Miss Nyara." Nyara smiled and patted Ark on the head.  
"Silly Ark," she grinned. "Ark no need say sorry." They simply sat there for a while, listening to the sounds of the forest. Nyara wigged her toes in the water, creating small ripples that spread across the surface of the lake.  
"Miss Nyara?" Ark said after some time. "What…were you hoping for?" Nyara's ears twitched and she looked down at her lap, waiting some time before answering.  
"Has Ark been thinking about what makes him happy?" Nyara asked. Ark blinked.  
"Erm…yes, I have," he told her sincerely. "Whenever I get the chance I sit down and try to figure out what you mean by it. The question seems simple enough…but the answer is a difficult one to find." He frowned and smoothed his fringe down and Nyara watched it sproing back up. She fought the urge to give it a good licking. Ark continued. "I shall not give up until I have an answer, though. You asked the question, and I shall give you an answer." Nyara nodded. "Why do you ask?"  
"Nyara…Nyara has been thinking about the question for a long time too…and then Nyara met a boy," she told him, keeping her eyes fixed on her lap. "Nyara met a boy who wasn't like other boys. He not care that Nyara small…he not even care that she a runt. He the nicest boy in the world…and so Nyara decide that he is what make Nyara happy." Nyara smiled happily and looked up at the sky through the gap in the trees. "And so Nyara want to wait for boy…to see how boy answer a question Nyara asked him some time ago. So Nyara no want to be Teebo's mate…because boy might answer Nyara's question with the answer Nyara want to hear." Ark frowned.  
"But…what if he doesn't give you the right answer?" he asked. "Won't…won't you be all alone?" Nyara kept smiling.  
"It worth the risk," Nyara told him. "If chance that Nyara and boy find happiness together even smaller than speck of sand…then Nyara risk spending life without a mate." She flicked a grain of sand at Ark and grinned. "Because that how amazing boy is." Ark looked thoughtful.  
"Well I certainly hope he realizes how lucky he is," he said sternly. "He had better come up with the correct answer." Nyara raised an eyebrow.  
"Is Ark going to beat up boy if he doesn't?" she asked amusedly. Ark gave a start and spluttered momentarily.  
"Th-that- I didn't mean it like that!" he said quickly. "I just…don't like the thought of you being all alone, Miss Nyara. Being alone is a horrible feeling…being alone is like being in the dark." Ark hugged his knees to his chest. "It's cold…very cold, being alone. I couldn't bear the thought of that happening to you…maybe that's why Miss Zeel is so angry all the time." Ark felt a sudden weight fall on him as Nyara draped herself over his shoulders. "But if you don't want to become Teebo's mate, then may the Goddesses assist you in finding happiness. I shall also assist you in any way I can." Nyara smiled and gave his cheek a big, wet lick.  
"Nyara hold Ark to that," she said. "And Ark no worry about being alone. Nyara keep you warm. Besides; Ark and Nyara will keep each other company, right? Nyara promise to not leave Ark if Ark promise to not leave Nyara."  
"O-of course," he stammered. The two of them flopped over backwards, Nyara dragging the both of them down with her weight. Nyara let out a gusty sigh through her nose, tickling Ark's ear as she kept her arm wound around his neck. She inhaled deeply, nuzzling her nose in his hair as she lay on her stomach, half on the ground and half on Ark.  
"Nyara like the smell of Ark," she sighed happily. "Ark smell like the grass and the wind and the ground. Nyara's favorite smell."  
"Miss Nyara?" Ark asked after a while. "Can I meet that boy you were talking about?" Nyara made an odd little sound in his hair.  
"Boy is also very slow." The conversation ended at that, with Nyara breathing in Ark's scent while Ark closed his eyes, enjoying the feeling of being so safe and warm.

"Well, well, well," Fura smirked. "Got beat up by three little girls, huh?"  
"They aren't girls…they're _monsters!_" Link exclaimed.  
"Keep still," Saria told the boy. After getting to know the rest of Nyara's family, the group returned to their residence to wait for Ark and Nyara to return. For Link it meant that he was able to recover from a very sound beating he had received from Nyara's three little sisters.  
"Monsters," Zelda snorted. "They're _adorable_. Especially with those big ears-"  
"And those eyes!" Florella cut in. "They're just so innocent!"  
"Innocent!?" Link spluttered. "Look at me!" He held out his arm and showed off the multitude of scratches and bite-marks received from the "innocent" little girls. Saria slapped it down as she was busy applying salve to all of his battle wounds.  
"Keep still," Saria told him again. "And they were just playing."  
"One of them punched me!"  
"It was just a little tap," Fura said, waving it off. "Besides; I think they like you. Uncle Link."  
"Ugh, no thank you," he shuddered, looking at a rather sizeable bruise on his leg- a memento of where one of the little terrors had balled her fist and thumped him as hard as she could, giggling and laughing as if she were playing normal little-girl games. "I don't think I'll survive another meeting with them." The girls shook their heads, unable to figure out why Link disliked such adorable little girls.  
"I wonder if Ark has found Nyara yet," Talen frowned, straightening some bent cutlery he had found in a cupboard. "Do you think it was a good idea to send him off without somebody to go with him? What if Zeel or worse- Gaul- shows up?"  
"Ark will be fine, I'm sure," Impa said. "He's surrounded by a village of born warriors. And if Gaul _did_ show up, then Link would deal with him."  
"With great difficulty," Link murmured. "Gaul is one of the toughest opponents I've ever come up against."  
"And I'm not in a hurry to have you face off with him again," Zelda frowned. "It's not that I don't believe you can beat him again…I'm just worried about you when you fight. You've been badly injured in the past- you even _died_ once. I'll never forgive you if you let that happen again, Linkie-pie-darling." Link saluted smartly, but immediately regretted doing so as his bruise gave a painful throb.  
"But you've beaten him once, so you can do it again if you have to," Fura grinned, winking at him. "And when this is all over and the threat of you being cut in half, blown up or smashed to pieces has passed…then you can wait a few years, settle down and spend some serious bedroom-time with a special someone." Zelda tutted and rolled her eyes while Link went red and spluttered an embarrassed exclamation.  
"Maybe _you_ could have ten children like Garr and Oora, Link," Saria said mildly. "Wouldn't _that_ be a lot of work."  
"I'm up for the challenge!" Fura declared, slapping Link on the back. "There'll be a lot of "this and that" under the blankets, but in the end-"  
"I think Saria meant raising them, Fura," Zelda groaned. "Not the actual conception work."  
"Oh," Fura frowned. "Still…it's a lot of "undercover" work, if you catch my drift."  
"_Fura!" _Link exclaimed. "Every time! You never let an opportunity pass, do you. And I don't want ten children!"  
"She's teasing you, Link," Impa chuckled. "Don't get so wound up by it."  
"I can't help it," he grumbled. "All this talk of bedrooms makes me nervous…especially when it's those two saying it!" Link pointed at the blonde and the redhead. Fura grinned and Zelda smiled. "It has a horrible…death sentence sound to it." Florella began chucking darkly and rubbing her hands together in the corner of the room.  
"I'll borrow Zeel's scythe and I'll wear a hooded cloak and you'll be at the altar in chains and then I'll say "I have come for you, Link" and you'll scream "Noooo!" and I'll start laughing as your fate is sealed with an irremovable ring like the one I gave Talen and then you'll be dragged off on your honeymoon and locked in the bedroom with either Fura or Zelda and then that will be it! Eaten alive! _Ahahahahahahahaaaaa!_" The Great Fairy looked almost maniacal as she stood there cackling and the others stared at her in silence. "Haha! Yes! _Doomed!_"  
"I think that all the sympathy in my body just refocused itself from me to Talen," Link said. Florella snapped her mouth shut and puffed her cheeks out irritably. "I'm going outside and away from all the horror."  
"I'm coming too. It's probably going to rain later, so I want to be able to go outside before it begins to pour," Talen exhaled. "Florella, that was…spooktacular." The two boys walked out the door, not quite sure what to make of the Great Fairy's amazingly terrifying display.  
"T-Talen!" she whimpered.  
"You're full of uniqueness, Florella," Impa chuckled. "Thought I'm not sure if it's good or, well…scary."  
"Oh poo," Florella sighed. "And what's he talking about? Rain…the sun's shining!"

Unfortunately for Link, his move outside caused him to run into Oora- not that meeting Nyara's mother was a bad thing. It was the fact that Miamm, Mii and Nanu were with her. The young Meeras instantly went on the prowl and latched themselves to various parts of Link's body and proceeded to beat the living daylights out of him. Oora looked on proudly while her daughters throttled, bit and scratched at the hapless boy. She didn't even bat an eyelid when Link began screaming "Get them off me, _get them off me!_" at the top of his lungs. Talen found it rather amusing, much to the consternation of the recipient of the little girls' playtime.  
"Miamm, Nanu and Mii will grow up big and healthy," Oora said proudly.  
"What was Nyara like when she was small?" Talen asked curiously. "At their ages?" Oora sighed.  
"When Nyara born, she not breathing," the Meera woman said. "Argor push on tiny baby Nyara's chest and start lungs again…Nyara nearly die. Nyara stay in bed lots as she grow because she always sick. When Nyara get strong enough to play outside, she always get hurt because other children too strong for her, it make Nyara very sad."  
"I see," Talen frowned, watching Link claw at the ground as the three little girls dragged him along by the Key straps. "It must have been hard for her."  
"Nyara spend a lot of time with grandfather. Argor play gentle with Nyara so she not get hurt…and Nyara was happy." Oora shook her head and smiled. "Because Nyara no have many friends, she say she leave village one day to find people that will stay with her and…perhaps a mate too. Somebody that not care that she small and weak."  
"Well," Talen laughed quietly. "I suppose she did half of that."  
"But Nyara still want to find own mate…she not want to be mate with Teebo," Oora sighed. She suddenly looked up and placed a half on top of Talen's head. "Maybe…maybe Talen is mate Nyara found! Talen small…but very strong; take good care of Nyara, yes? Talen perfect mate for Nyara!" Talen opened and closed his mouth in shock as Oora gazed at him hopefully.  
"M-me!?" he squeaked. "Oh! Nonononononono! It isn't me! I, uh…somebody else has staked their claim on me…so to speak." The words seemed to tumble out of his mouth. Oora's face fell and she sighed.  
"Oora was hoping…if Nyara found a good, strong mate…then she no have to be Teebo's and Nyara be happy," the Meera woman murmured. She looked over at Link as he dashed about while Miamm, Mii and Nanu chased him. "What about Link boy…he seem healthy and strong for a little person."  
"Erm…" Talen winced. "Link has to people out to shackle him…he'd probably have a nervous breakdown with three." Oora looked crestfallen.  
"Oora just want Nyara to be happy," she sighed. "That all."  
"I think you're worrying about it too much," Talen shrugged. "Nyara is stronger than you think. She's fought alongside me and the rest of us bravely." Oora looked at him.  
"Brother Ooroo tell me that you say Nyara became Bloodcat."  
"Well…yes," Talen blinked. "Ooroo is your brother?" It just dawned on Talen that there was a strong similarity between the names of Nyara's mother and that of the burly Meera that guarded the entrance to the village.  
"Nyara cannot be Bloodcat," Oora insisted vehemently. "There not been a Meera that turn into Bloodcat for generations. Only strongest of Meera can become Bloodcat." Talen frowned and shrugged.  
"Oh well," he sighed. "Perhaps we shall see then."

As Talen had predicted, the sky broke apart in the afternoon and poured down a torrential, tropical rain. Talen and Link had been lucky to return to the hut just before it started, but Ark and Nyara were yet to return from wherever they were.  
"I hope they're all right out there," Zelda said, looking out the window as the rain hammered down outside. "Poor Ark; he hates the water."  
"I'm sure he'll be fine. There's plenty of shelters out in the forest- just look at all the ruins," Saria assured her before turning to Link. "But _you_ are a hopeless case! How did all of this happen? I only just patched you up!"  
"Those little beasts did it!" Link protested. "They have it in for me, just like their sister!"  
"Now you're making up stories," the Kokiri girl tutted. "Those three little girls are simply adorable." Link almost started crying. A sudden flash of light from outside followed by a ground-shaking rumble made the girls jump.  
"Wow, it's _really_ bucketing down out there," Fura frowned. "Makes the rain in Hyrule look like somebody pouring water out of a cup. At least it's still warm and not all windy and foul."  
"It will pass soon enough," Impa shrugged, sharpening her long dagger absently. "The clouds will rain themselves out rather quickly. Look; some of the Meera are still going about their business outside." They peered out the window and were barely able to make out a number of the hospitable Meera wandering about in the rain.  
"Well you wouldn't fine me doing that," Florella shuddered.  
"The rain would probably flatten somebody as small as you, Florella," Talen chuckled. Florella nodded ruefully.  
"It'd give my wings a sound beating," she sighed. "Oh dear. Well, what shall we do to pass the time? Play a game?"  
"Would you like to play checkers, Florella?" Link asked with a smile. The Great Fairy turned and scowled at him.  
"I'm not playing with you."

Ark awoke as something wet dripped onto his forehead. He opened his eyes and stared up at the sky as big raindrops began to fall with increasing frequency. Rain.  
"Miss Nyara?" Ark asked quietly, shaking the girl gently as she snored with her arms still wrapped around his neck. She mumbled something and rolled onto her back. Several raindrops splashed onto her face and she woke with a start, pawing at her nose.  
"Zmmhuh?" she mumbled in surprise, sitting up and looking around.  
"It's starting to rain, Miss Nyara," Ark told her, looking up at the sky with a hint of dread in his face. Nyara looked up as well.  
"Rain good," she smiled. "Nyara like the rain…but Ark don't, so we go back to village." She stood up and took hold of Ark's arm, helping him to stand. Lighting flashed, thunder rumbled and then the clouds broke. The rain pounded down, coming through the canopy overhead and striking the ground. Nyara and Ark were soaked in an instant.  
"Oh well," Nyara shrugged. "We no have to hurry now. Already wet." Ark sighed and looked down at his dripping clothes. Nyara grinned and the two of them began walking back towards the village. Ark was grateful for the ravine and hollow log they had to pass through because they were sheltered from the rain, but all too soon they were back in the thick of it. Nyara, excited by the roaring sound of the falling water and misty appearance of the forest, began to dance one of her odd little dances as they made their way back. Ark watched her, glad to have something to take his mind off the torrential rain. He enjoyed watching Nyara sometimes; she was never a dull person to be around, and Ark especially liked it when she danced about or sang. Son enthralled by her performance was the boy that he accidentally hooked his foot underneath a root and toppled forwards with a surprised yelp. Luckily, Nyara was there to stop his fall and stand him back up again.  
"Silly Ark not watch where he going," Nyara laughed. Ark went slightly red. Another bolt of lighting flashed across the sky, illuminating the misty, tropical forest. Nyara flinched a little, but Ark didn't even bat an eyelid. The Meera girl shook herself, causing some of her fur and her hair to stick out at odd angles.  
"Nyara thought Ark no like storms," she frowned. Ark looked up at the sky, shielding his eyes from the rain.  
"I don't like the rain," he said as they walked. "But I don't mind the lightning. It surprises me sometimes…but other times it's almost comforting because I know it can't hurt me." Nyara nodded, but then she stopped suddenly, pricking her ears and sniffing at the air. Ark looked at her sharply.  
"Miss Nyara?" he asked. "What is it?" Nyara's head jerked in several directions before she narrowed her eyes.  
"Nyara smell something," she growled. "And Nyara has smelt it before."

Link was in the middle of looking through his hand as he played cards with Fura, Impa and Talen when his eyes went wide. He dropped his cards and clutched at his chest.  
"Link?" Fura asked in concern. "What is it?" Link groaned something and sank to his knees, clenching his teeth as pain assaulted him. He spat out a mouthful of blood onto the floor as Zelda gave a startled cry.  
"What's happening?" the Princess asked. "Link, what's wrong?" The boy's breathing came out in short, ragged gasps as his companions gathered around.  
"He…he's near!" Link choked out angrily.  
"Who? Who's near?" Talen asked, looking out the window.  
"Link, try to keep still!" Florella told him sharply as the boy coughed out more blood.  
"Him!" Link growled. "Gaul!"


	60. Down the Hatch

**Chapter 59 – Down the Hatch**

"G-Gaul!?" Zelda squeaked. "He's here!?" Link made a furious, strained sound and pounded his fist into the floor repeatedly.  
"Link, what's wrong?" Saria asked worriedly.  
"It's Gaul…he does something to him," Zelda explained. "Maybe…because they're alike in terms of power- I'm not sure."  
"It's not as bad as before," Link groaned, staggering to his feet with Fura's help. "If he doesn't get his hands on you or Zelda, then this is as bad as he can make it. We three have some kind of bond- don't ask me what it is or why we have it- and Gaul can use that bond to his advantage." Fura looked puzzled and was about to ask for a more thorough explanation when Florella interrupted them.  
"What if the Meera try to attack him? He'll tear them to pieces!" the Great Fairy exclaimed.  
"Which is why I have to find him first," Link grunted. He growled in pain once more and his friends watched in shock as the shadow-skin on his body seemed to spread in patches. It grew over one of his eyes, causing it to glow brightly, but it then receded as Link brought himself under control.  
"Ark and Nyara are out there," Impa frowned. "We need to find them as soon as possible."  
"And we also need to warn the Meera about Gaul," Talen said. "I'll get to it." Talen went for the door.  
"Wait for me, Talen!" Florella scurried after him. Fura, Zelda, and Impa turned their attention back to Link as he struggled to keep himself under control.  
"You have to keep calm," Zelda told the boy, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Take deep breaths."  
"Easier said than done," Link coughed, wiping a trail of blood from his mouth. "Gaul's very presence does this to me…it's hard to control."  
"But you _must_ control it," Zelda told him sternly. "If you don't, then Gaul will just beat you like he did last time. Stay in control." Link seemed to calm down, obeying Zelda's words. The fluctuating shadow over his body receded, leaving only the mark on his face and his dark arm.  
"Are you all right now?" Fura asked. Link nodded.  
"Yes, I think so," he told her. "The pain is still there…but it's not as intense." Fura turned to Zelda.  
"How did you do that?" she asked curiously.  
"Do what?" Fura gestured to Link.  
"Calm him down. He was coughing up blood and rolling around on the floor before," the Gerudo frowned. Zelda looked thoughtful for a few moments before Link spoke.  
"Sometimes…I have no choice but to do what she says," Link murmured. "I can hear her voice in my mind as well as hear her with my ears. I have to obey her when that happens, I can't help myself." Zelda nodded.  
"Surmise to say that it would work for you too, Fura," the blonde girl told the Gerudo. "But you first need to figure out how to reach Link's inner mind." Fura looked even more puzzled than when they first started.  
"Link, I order you to kiss me," Fura told him.  
"Go away."  
"It didn't work," Fura frowned. Zelda shook her head despairingly.  
"Impa, you stay here with Fura, Saria and Zelda," Link told the Sheikah woman. "If Gaul comes close, keep them hidden." Impa nodded. "Good. I'm going to find him."

Rain poured down all around Ark and Nyara as they ran back to the village. The water cascaded down of the broad-leafed plants and settled into large puddles on the ground. Thunder and lighting continued to echo across the sky amidst the dark grey storm clouds. Nyara had a firm grip on Ark's wrist, not daring to let him go after smelling something malevolent in the air. She would stop ever now and then, sniffing at the air and pricking her ears for the slightest of sounds, and then she would move on with Ark trailing after her.  
"Miss Nyara, what is it you ca-" Nyara cut Ark off by suddenly clamping her hand over his mouth. Quickly and quietly, she mover herself and Ark into a hollow at the base of a large tree and held him between the large, ropy roots.  
"Ark no talk," the Meera whispered quietly as she pressed herself against the boy, camouflaging him with her tawny-coloured body. "Something near. Ark need not make sound or it hear us." Ark nodded and Nyara slowly drew her hand away from his mouth, putting it instead around his shoulders to hug him close. They stayed there for some time as the rain washed down the trunk of the tree and worked its way between the roots, soaking them all the more. She ran her hand over his head repeatedly as if reassuring the boy and keeping herself calm at the same time. Being so close to the Meera girl, Ark could feel her heart beat rhythmically against his own chest. The sound of several twigs snapping in the distance reached Nyara's ears and she pricked them up, holding Ark ever harder to her. Ark felt her heartbeat quicken and his breath caught in his throat as he too heard something moving through the forest. The mist from the rain made the forest all the more threatening to Ark as he stared past Nyara with wide eyes. He couldn't see far through the misty veil of water droplets, but the faint edges of moving shapes ghosted in and out of visibility. There were suddenly creatures everywhere, lurking in the forest; waiting to strike. It was just like his dream; they were out there, they knew where he was. Ark's heart began racing- overtaking Nyara's and hammering on the inside of his chest. He didn't dare breathe, lest it attract the beasts in the mist to him. But suddenly the phantasms of the forest were gone, replaced by familiar, tawny-coloured warmth. Nyara, sensing Ark's panic, gently held the boy's head against her chest.  
"Shhh," she shushed quietly, holding the back of his head with her hand. "Be brave Ark." The grey-haired boy's breathing and heartbeat gradually slowed and he allowed Nyara to run her fingers slowly through his hair. Tentatively, he brought his arms up and encircled them around the girl's waist. Nyara nodded with a smile.  
"Good Ark," she murmured.  
"I'm scared," Ark whispered. "The water and whatever may be out there in the forest. But…it's not so bad if you're here." Nyara grinned lopsidedly and twitched her ears, flicking droplets of water about. "Then that prove that Nyara and Ark need to stay together for always," she told him quietly. She swiveled her ears again. "Thing gone now." Nyara moved away and allowed Ark to step free from the tree.  
"Ark okay?" she asked, looking him over.  
"Y-yes," Ark stammered, rather embarrassed at having been held so close to the girl in such a manner. He wiped his face with his sleeve to rid it of water as he looked at the Meera. She gazed right back and Ark decided then that perhaps a destiny that involved being bound to Nyara in one way or another was something of an island of comfort in the fearful sea surrounding him. And then they were off once more towards the village to warn the Meera of what was coming.

"Gaul!" Link called into the rain. "Show yourself! I know you're out here!" A flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder answered his demand, but Gaul did not. The village was deserted- Talen had obviously made short work of getting people out of the way, though the rain had obviously helped too. Link called out again, but still he received no reply. He would have sent Navi out to fly around the village to see if she could spot him, but for safety reasons he had made her stay with Saria. Besides; the rain would have swatted her straight out of the air.  
"Where are you, Gaul…" Link muttered quietly to himself. "Where are you hiding?" And then a voice spoke.  
"Pain." Link whirled around, drawing his sword as he did so. "Bearer…do you know that I had never known pain until I met you?" It was Gaul…but Link still could not see him.  
"Gaul!" the boy growled. "Show yourself!"  
"It's unique, pain is," Gaul continued, sounding much closer. Link whirled around and found him standing on the other side of the village square. "I felt much of it after our last meeting. The mark still remains- still causes me discomfort. Do you see?" Gaul held his arm out to reveal a long, wide scar running from his hand, all the way down his arm and under his clothing.  
"Too bad I didn't do a more complete job," Link muttered. "You'll pay for showing your face around here. I shall _not_ let you anywhere near the others!" Gaul looked away from his huge scar and focused his attention on Link rather lazily.  
"Oh, I'm not here for a fight, my dear boy," he laughed dryly. "I have done what I needed to do and there are other pressing matters that I must attend to. Rest assured, however; that I do dearly hope that we meet again in a glorious showdown." He chuckled quietly. "Perhaps then I can repay you for the interesting sensation of pain you bestowed upon me. Oh…and do please bring those two lovely ladies along if you could; I do need _some_ kind of prize for wiping you out of existence." Link saw red.  
"You'll pay in spades if you _ever_ come close to them," Link snarled murderously. "You shall not touch Fura or Zelda ever again." Gaul folded his arms across his chest and smirked amusedly.  
"All in good time, all in good time!" he chuckled. "But I can't leave here without at least leaving you with some amusement. Enjoy the entertainment my faithful servants have to offer." And then Gaul was gone, his voice echoing in the rain. Link narrowed his eyes and stared at the spot the dangerous man had been standing in. The rain continued to fall heavily all around, soaking Link through to his skin and matting his hair down against his forehead. Lightning arced through the dark grey clouds and the sky let out another growl of thunder. Link relaxed his stance slightly and peered around the village square.  
"That's it?" Link murmured out loud. But the last thing that Gaul had said bothered him- and his concern was not without good reason. Nyara came pelting into the square moments later with Ark stumbling along behind her.  
"Danger!" she squawked. "Something bad coming! Look out!" As soon as she said those words, there was the sound of splitting wood from above. Link snapped his head back to see a gigantic fist whistling down towards him. He vaulted back with a surprised yelp and the fist smashed into the ground, splitting the paving and kicking up turf. Seconds later, three more oversized fists came crashing down about the square, the last two of which aimed themselves at Nyara and Ark. The fists were connected to something back up in the trees via thick, metal cables.  
"Here they come!" Link called. Two large suits of armor fell from the canopy above and crunched into the ground, reeling in their respective hands. They were almost gorilla-like in appearance- two thick forearms and hands rivaling the size of their actual bodies that seemed to have minds of their own. They had stumpy little legs, but their small size didn't seem to hinder the suits' mobility in the slightest. No sooner had they landed when they aimed their fists at the three children and launched them like stones flung from catapults. Nyara tossed Ark up and caught his collar with her teeth before leaping onto the nearest tree and climbing straight up. One of the fists hammered into the wood just beneath her and then began to scramble after her and Ark using its fingers to climb. The other suit of armor was after Link; its two hands sailing towards him like meteors with their fingers outstretched. He rolled to the side and allowed the first to sail past where it smashed a statue into rubble. He barely had time to dodge the second, but when it landed off to his side, the hand hopped up onto its fingers and twirled around, lashing out its pointer finger and flicking Link across the square like a stone. He hit the ground and rolled some distance before grinding to a halt. He picked himself up as the armor reeled in its arms in the blink of an eye and came charging towards him. Link readied himself and fired off a burst of shadow magic. The attack struck the armor on the shoulder and threw it off balance, causing it to pitch forward onto the ground. It flailed about as it rolled, but managed to launch one of its gigantic fists at Link. The boy coiled the Key straps beneath himself and launched into the air as the fist smashed into the ground and created a rather large hole. Link came down again and swung his sword up above his head with a shout, but the armor flicked its shoulder around and sent the cable connecting its arm to its body whipping up into the air. Link yelped and twisted as he fell, barely managing to avoid it, but luckily he escaped unscathed and brought the sword down on his opponent's head with all his might. The blade struck the armor's small head with a loud clang and knocked it off its feet. Link quickly hopped away as its hand came scuttling back at top speed and threw itself at him at full force.  
"Where's Nyara and Ark?" he muttered to himself.

The Meera girl landed on the ground after leaping free from the tree, catching Ark in her arms a second later.  
"Ark okay?" she asked. Ark nodded, but then jabbed his finger over her shoulder.  
"Miss Nyara! Look out!" Nyara didn't bother turning to see what was coming- she instead dove to the side with Ark and narrowly avoided a solid pasting courtesy of one of the giant fists. The metallic appendage hopped up onto its fingers and scuttled around to face them before charging at full speed. Nyara dodged the hand again, but as it passed by its thumb flicked out and caught her a glancing blow across her stomach. She fell, taking Ark with her in an uncontrollable tumble that ended with the two of them in a heap.  
"Miss Nyara! Are you all right?" Ark asked, pulling himself out from underneath her and helping the Meera girl to her feet. She nodded and rubbed at her stomach briefly.  
"Monsters no fight fair," she growled. "They like three in one."  
"Miss Nyara! Above you!" Ark shouted. Nyara snapped her head up and saw the armor's other hand come flying down from above with its fingers spread. Ark dove and knocked Nyara out of the way moments before the hand struck the ground with terrific force. However; it quickly sprung onto its fingers and launched itself at the two children as they picked themselves up. It landed on Ark, who braced it against his back to stop it from hitting Nyara as she lay underneath him.  
"Ark!" she squeaked. The boy closed his eyes and gritted his teeth before there was the sound of a high-pitched electrical whine. A great bolt of blue electricity lashed out from his back, wreathed around the hand and caused it to leap away in a violent spasm, and since it was connected to the rest of the armor via the metal cable, the who monster was affected. It staggered about, flailing madly and sending the cables whipping about in all directions- one of which nearly knocked Ark and Nyara off their feet. Nyara gave a whoop of triumph as Ark yanked her up off the ground.  
"Miss Nyara, I'm slowing you down. The only reason I was able to hit that thing was because it was so close. I can't control my magic without my staff," Ark told her. "I will go and fetch the others to help us. You're much faster than I am, so you will be able to avoid it." Nyara nodded in agreement. "Be careful." And then he dashed away while the armor was still recovering.

Link was having some luck in his struggle against his strange, armored foe. He had succeeded in binding one of the hands' fingers together with the Key so it couldn't move around on its own, but that meant that he had to stay relatively close. The armor swung a series of devastating punches at him, but missed and instead bashed sizeable divets into the ground. The armor was also very tough and was virtually impervious to Link's sword. His shadow magic was perhaps all he could use against it, but even then the monster was remarkably resilient to his efforts. Link growled in frustration as the armor swung its bound arm around and sent the boy slamming into its back. He flailed with his sword and spun around so that he was flush against the monster's back.  
"Why can't you just die!?" he grunted, swinging the blade. It struck the armor's shoulder at the point at which the metal cable was connected. The armor quivered and then thrashed about even more violently than before and sent Link over its head and onto the ground. The boy coughed and looked up in time to see its free hand sail down and slam into him. The armor picked him up and held him within its massive fist, squeezing harder and harder until his shoulder popped out of joint. Link cried out in pain and struggled as had as he could, but the powerful fist continued to crush him. The boy unwound the Key from the other hand and attempted to use it to pry himself free. He was just about to black out when a shout caught both the attention of Link and the armor.  
"Let him go!" It was Fura. She stood a short distance away with scimitars in hand and a look of fury on her face. Talen and Ark were close behind with Navi perched on the latter's shoulder.  
"Link! Are you all right?" Fura shrieked.  
"Peachy," Link managed to gurgle before the armor promptly launched its fist along with Link at the newcomers. Fura and Ark dove out of the way, but Talen stood his ground and intercepted the projectile appendage. He was forced back by the impact, but held on tight and kept his feet solidly on the ground. With a grunt of effort, he wrenched the fingers apart and freed Link before hurling the fist back at the armor, striking it square in the chest and bowling it over backwards. Fura was at Link's side in seconds, checking him over to make sure he was all right.  
"What _are_ those things?" she asked. Link shook his head.  
"I don't know…Gaul sent them, and then he left," the boy groaned. Navi jingled excitedly above them.  
"They're called Titan Knuckles," she informed them. "Like Iron Knuckles, but they're faster and stronger. Each hand has its own consciousness and can operate individually from the main body. If you separate them, however; their strength decreases dramatically." Link sat up and shook his head to clear it.  
"The shoulders!" he exclaimed. "We have to go for the shoulders; _that's_ where they're vulnerable. Everything else is too solid."  
"What do you mean "we"?" Fura demanded. "You can't even use one of your arms."  
"Can't you pop it back in?" Link asked hopefully.  
"Well yes…but no way! Even then it would still be too painful to use properly!" she barked. "You're staying out of trouble." Link creased his brow.  
"Fura," he told her sternly. "There are six things we have to fight- counting the hands. We need everyone we can. Nyara's trying to fight alone right now. Do it." Fura went slightly red, but quickly grabbed his shoulder and wrenched it sharply. There was a loud crack and Link shouted in agony.  
"Augh! Did you have to be so rough about it?" Fura grinned at him.  
"How gentle can one be when you're pushing somebody's shoulder back into its socket?" she asked. Link stood up and moved his arm experimentally, but a sharp lance of pain made him stop. With a sigh, he used one of the Key straps to bind it flat against his side. Fortunately, he still had one of the straps free; giving him the equivalent of another arm- only without the fingers.  
"Talen, you go help Nyara. She looks like she's staring to tire," the blonde boy told his friend. "Fura, can you help me with this one?"  
"It'll be a pleasure, sweet-cheeks," she winked. Link made a face, but ignored her.  
"Ark, can you fight?" he asked the grey-haired boy. Ark looked apprehensive.  
"Well…I can't control my magic very well without my staff. If I'm close enough I can attack, but otherwise I may hit one of you," he sighed.  
"Play it safe then," Fura suggested. "If you see an opportunity to run in and let off a quick bolt of electricity, then take it. Just keep out of harm's way until then, okay?" Ark nodded.  
"All right," Link said. "Let's stop these things before they reduce the village to rubble."

Despite the fact that Nyara could far outmaneuver the Knuckle, she was beginning to tire. Its two hands had separated from the main body and were scuttling around after her, slapping their palms into the ground and flicking their fingers out. She had tried attacking several times, but even her rock-cutting claws couldn't dent the Knuckle's thick armor plating. She vaulted onto the trunk of a nearby tree and dashed straight up, but was forced to stop herself as one of the hands whistled overhead and splintered the top of the tree clean off. The other hand came scuttling straight up after her and she did the only thing she could do; jump. She twisted in the air as she fell so that she'd land, hopefully, in the least damaging position she could manage. But impact with the ground never came. Somebody had caught her.  
"B-brother!" she squeaked. Gurr looked at his little sister with an expression of relief. "What are you doing here?"  
"Gurr worried about little Nyara," he told her. "So were rest of family. Little Nyara is Gurr's little sister." Talen came running up to them.  
"Gurr! Nyara! Are you both all right?" Gurr nodded and put Nyara down. The Meera girl looked back to the edge of the village square and saw a good proportion of the Meera watching the fight along with Zelda, Florella, Saria, Impa and the rest of her family.  
"Talen strong- stronger than Gurr, but Gurr want to help Talen protect little Nyara," the big Meera mumbled. Talen looked at Gurr for a few moments before nodding.  
"Gurr, go for the shoulders and detach the cables. That will make it weaker, and then we can finish it off," the smith told him. Gurr turned to his sister and put a big hand on top of her head.  
"Nyara should find safe place. Go to little friend and look after each other," he told her, pointing over to where Ark stood.  
"Gurr be careful," Nyara ordered her brother before bounding off towards Ark. With Nyara out of harm's way, Gurr and Talen attacked.

The Titan Knuckle set its sights on Gurr and Talen and launched its two fists at them like arrows. Talen wound back his own fist and swung it with all his might, striking the Knuckle's dead on. The metallic hand spun off into the air with the force of the blow while Talen took the opportunity to run for the body. Gurr, on the other hand, vaulted over the incoming missile and pelted along the cable like a tightrope walker before springing into the air and coming down on the Titan's shoulder. He reached down and grabbed the cable in two places from the point at which it left the body and began to pull it apart. His muscles strained and he fought to keep his balance as the Titan Knuckle thrashed about madly. Then, with a roar of triumph, he severed the cable with a terrific shearing of metal. There was a horrible shriek from the Titan's hand and it writhed and twitched on the ground like a dying insect, but it remained very much alive.  
"Gurr! Go after it!" Talen barked, reaching the body and hammering his fist into it repeatedly. "It's weaker now! Hurry!" Gurr needed no further prompting. Talen watched him go before focusing his attention on the monster before him. The Titan Knuckle seemed to have realized that firing off its remaining arm was too risky, so it instead chose to swipe at Talen in the hopes of flattening him. But Talen would not go down. The Knuckle threw a punch and Talen caught it, leaning back as he did so. The Knuckle was left hanging in the air before Talen bunched his legs and leaped straight up, taking the armored monster with him. They slowed as they reached the peak of their ascent and Talen took the opportunity to smash his fists into the thing's head, severely denting it. Then they fell. But Talen wasn't finished. The ground below them buckled and a great stone spike burst up to meet them. The smith whipped the Titan Knuckle down and drove it onto the spike with incredible force, kicking up dirt and stone in all directions. The Knuckle quivered once, and then went limp with a metallic creak. Talen let out a heavy sigh and turned to see Gurr bend the wrist of the hand he was fighting back with all his might. There was a squeal of metal and it too drooped to the ground. Gurr looked up and grinned sheepishly as the Meera began to cheer. Talen could hear Florella shouting at the top of her little lungs and he waved at her as she jumped about and waved her arms. But a sudden noise behind the smith caught his attention and he pivoted on his heel and lunged out with a long stone spike from his arm into the Knuckle's other hand.  
"I forgot about you," he frowned as it too went limp. Something patted him on the head.  
"Talen good to fight with." It was Gurr. He stood over Talen with a grin on his face. "Maybe little people not as weak as Gurr first thought."

Fura rolled to the side and narrowly missed a devastating blow from one of the Titan's gigantic hands. It landed some distance behind her and hopped up onto its fingers, scuttling straight for her. She grinned and held her scimitars at the ready before engaging it in a fierce blade and finger fight. Fura swung her scimitars rapidly while the hand jabbed its fingers at her in an attempt at flicking her to the ground. Fura, however; had no such intention of being hit, for she had made a quick and quiet little promise to herself that if she managed to go through the battle without getting hit, then she'd steal a kiss from Link. Link himself didn't need to know because a thief doesn't tell somebody that she's going to steal from them, she reasoned. With a mighty swipe of her blades, she scissored off two of the hand's fingers. It reared back in pain and toppled over, unable to keep balance without its missing fingers. Fura slipped around behind it and deftly cut through the cable with a flash of her scimitars. The hand let out a squeal and dove for her, but Fura was ready. She twirled at it with a Gerudo Spin and neatly gouged through its wrist. The hand twitched, and then fell silent.  
"And that's one smooch for me!" the Gerudo girl laughed. But her victory fell short, for a kisser was not much without the kissee. Link appeared to be having trouble. He was standing with his sword braced against the Knuckle as it forced its hand down upon him. Link's footing suddenly gave way and the Titan launched its hand out with Link against the palm. They both crunched into the ground across the square, with Link letting out a grunt from the impact. The cable connecting the hand to the body went taut and that's when Fura struck. She slammed the hilts of her scimitars together and held the new weapon up into the air as it burst into searing hot flame. The Gerudo would back and then hurled it straight for the cable. The scimitars spin like a Catherine Wheel at the fair, shooting off a shower of sparks and dripping white-hot flame onto the ground. The superheated blades sliced through the cable like a hot knife through butter, causing it to snap back at the Knuckle with a loud twang. Fura's scimitars curved in the air and grazed across the remaining hand as it jerked reflexively away from Link, giving him time to get to his feet. Fura caught the flaming weapons as they cooled back to their normal state.  
"It's all yours, Linkie-do!" she shouted at the blonde boy. Link waved his thanks with the Key strap and readied his sword as the hand got its wits about it. They charged at one another, Link holding his blade out behind him in readiness for a sword-spin. However; when he unleashed the pent-up energy in his weapon, it was not a wave of fire that spread from the blade, but rather a tear of shadow. It shrieked along the ground at an angle, passing through the hand and traveling all the way to the Knuckle's body. Link landed and looked at the two monsters in astonishment. The Knuckle's hand had stumbled and fallen, rolling along the ground uncontrollably and bouncing into two pieces from a cut up its middle. Then the body, standing some distance away, swayed on its diminutive legs before one half of it slid diagonally down the other with a metallic grinding sound in a perfect, clean cut.  
"Ha-ha! Well done, my boy!" Fura laughed. "Two in one go, and with only one arm!" Link fell back on his behind as Nyara, Ark and Fura ran up to him.  
"Are you all right?" Ark asked, looking down at him. Link nodded breathlessly.  
"It's hard keeping balance with only one arm," he grunted, pushing himself upright with the Key. "I was nearly a stain on the ground for a moment there. Thank you for stepping in, Fura."  
"It was my pleasure," the Gerudo girl smiled rosily.  
"Where's Talen?" Link asked. "Is he all righ- ack! What are you doing!" Fura had grabbed the boy and leaned him far over backwards in a rather precarious position. She had then put her lips against the skin of his neck and began attacking it ruthlessly. She eventually pulled away with a loud popping sound, and Link felt like he had just been bitten by a march-fly.  
"There's the love-bite, and now for the coup-de-grace…pucker up!" Fura grinned. Link opened his mouth to protest rather vocally, but Fura moved in the wink of an eye and seared her lips against his.  
"Hey!" The indignant shout came from Zelda, Link could tell by the voice, and he flapped his arm madly in some kind of attempt at telling Fura she should let go before the Princess arrived and gave him an ear-bashing, or worse; requested a kiss as well. The Gerudo surprisingly complied, and Link was left leaning back at a rather harsh angle with nothing to hold him up but air. He was flat on his back in less than a second. As Link lay on the wet ground, he could hear a good deal of whistling and catcalls from the villagers. They obviously found it rather amusing.  
"Fura!" Link wailed, going extremely red. "In front of the whole village! Did you _have_ to?"  
"Haha! When you least expect it, the thief strikes! I'd be stupid to warn you of something like that- you'd just run away. Besides; it makes things a whole lot more interesting, am I right?"  
"No!" he denied vehemently. "Kissing is…icky!" Fura blinked and looked at him strangely.  
"Your lips are moving and sound is coming out, but I can't make sense of it," she frowned. "Maybe you need another ki-"  
"Well, well, well. What a _shameless_ little display _that_ was." Fura flinched and Link winced. Zelda stood behind the pair with one of her eyebrows raised.  
"Howdy, Princess," Fura smiled. "Just leaving my mark too." Zelda shook her head and took a close look at Link's neck where a second red mark was beginning to appear.  
"No fair," she pouted. "Yours is bigger." Zelda bit her lip thoughtfully and Link swatted her hand away and covered both marks with his palm.  
"Augh! The indignity!" he huffed, standing up.  
"Just let me even mine out…make it the same size as Fura's," Zelda said, reaching for his collar.  
"Ho-ho no!" Link said, backing away and waving his hands. "You stay back. I don't want any more unsightly marks on my neck, thank you very much. It's unfortunate that the Key doesn't cover more of it, you _vampires_." Fura stuck her teeth out from her top lip and hissed, bringing her hands up like claws.  
"Erm, excuse me," Ark said in a small voice. Fura halted her advance and turned her head to look at him. "The others are calling us."

Link, Fura, Zelda, Nyara and Ark headed across the square to where Talen and Gurr were being mobbed by the rest of the village. As they neared, Nyara's three little sisters shot out of the crowd and attached themselves to Link and began biting and scratching almost instantly, but when they noticed his injured arm they immediately stopped and began patting his head.  
"Ow," one of them said, shaking her head.  
"Ow, ow," said another.  
"Oh my _God!_ That's the most adorable thing I've seen in my life…_ever!_" Saria squealed, holding her hands to her cheeks. Link didn't seem to share her sentiment. The Meera swarmed about the arrivals, amazed that such little people could fight so ferociously. Fura lapped up the attention and stood there grinning away. Several people asked if Link was her mate, to which she gave the affirmative rather loudly and enthusiastically. Link was busy trying to pick off Nyara's little sisters, so he didn't hear that part. Nyara earned some praise from her family for being so brave in facing off against one of the Titans and she rode on her big brother Gurr's shoulders while a number of female admirers crowded around him. And whilst all of the commotion was happening in the heavy rain, Ark stood a little way back from the crowd with a small smile on his usually weighted face. He shook his head to rid it of some of the water pouring onto it from above and was somewhat puzzled when things still seemed shaky, even after he'd stopped. It was at that point he realized that it was the ground, and not him, that was moving.  
"Wh-what's going on?" he squawked, stumbling over backwards. The crowd of Meera grew silent and looked about in puzzlement.  
"L-look! The Knuckles…they're still going!" Zelda cried.

Pieces of bent and twisted metal shook and quivered, drawing together in a jumble of seemingly random parts until a pile of scrap had been formed. The ground began to shake and the stones from the paved pathways leading into the square rose from the earth and tumbled towards the pile of metal. It began to grow, clanking and knocking together until a towering monstrosity of steel and stone had been created. The new creature's form was strange to say the least. Composed of the ruined pieces of the destroyed Knuckles and the stone from the ground, it fitted loosely together, bound by magic more than any kind of joint. It had two, crude legs and a large body, but the most important feature was its gigantic, club-like arm. Similar in appearance to the detachable arms of the original Knuckles, the new monster's arm was held on by the combined four cables of the others. It was without a head and its other arm didn't seem to serve much of a purpose.  
"Everybody get away!" Impa roared. The crowd dispersed in an instant and the giant Knuckle fired its huge fist at the ground. Those standing nearby were knocked off their feet by the force of the impact, including Ark.  
"Ark run!" Nyara shouted at the top of her lungs. The boy didn't need anyone to tell him that as he scrambled to his feet and pelted away as fast as he could. The giant's hand hopped up and scuttled after him with a terrible clanking sound and Talen stepped dove in behind Ark to intercept it, but even Talen wouldn't match up to it's strength. Almost casually, it tucked its pointer finger behind its thumb before flicking it out with tremendous force. Talen was struck full in the chest and sent flying into the trunk of a tree, splitting it up the middle. He didn't move.  
"Talen!" Florella shrieked, running over to him. Ark continued to run, but the hand was on him before he got very far. It grabbed hold of him before reeling itself back to the body, whereupon it lifted him high into the air.  
"Miss Nyara!" he cried, almost out of reflex. Nyara went ballistic. She scrambled off Gurr's shoulders and ran at the giant with a horrible growling sound.  
"Nyara, no!" her father barked, running after her. He grabbed her by the back of her neck and yanked her back. "Too dangerous! Don't go near!" Nyara kicked and struggled to get free.  
"Let go! Nyara need to help Ark!" she snarled.  
"No!" Garr told her. "No matter what Nyara say, you not strong enough!"  
"Then Nyara become Bloodcat! Nyara rip monster to shreds!" Garr turned her around to face him.  
"But Nyara _isn't_ a Bloodcat!" he growled. Link landed on the ground nearby after being kicked solidly by the creature. Zelda and Fura raced to his side and carried him out of harm's way. "If they not beat it, then Nyara never will!" Those words infuriated the Meera girl, and with newfound strength she broke free of her father's grip.  
"Nyara _is_ Bloodcat!" she declared at the top of her lungs. "And Nyara show you! Nyara show you all!" She reared up and took in a deep breath. "Ghosts of Meera! Give Nyara power! Give Nyara power to tear apart anyone who dare to hurt Ark! Ghosts of Meera! Give Nyara power _NOW!_"

Wind began to howl through the trees, forcing people to shield their eyes from the driving rain. And then Nyara, standing apart from everyone, began to shift and change. Her expression became horribly feral, like that of a wild animal. She grew exponentially and the colour of the Bloodcat flowed into her body and stained her a deep, earthy red. Her hair flowed out in a cascade of gold and silver while her tail grew long and whip-like with its cruel barb at the tip. The transformation was over and Nyaragon stood where Nyara had previously, but this time she was at least twice her previous size. The Meera gaped at the Bloodcat, especially her father.  
"Bl-bluh-blood…" he mumbled dumbly, looking up at the huge figure his small daughter had become. She looked down at him with her piercing, yellow eyes and curled her lip back.  
"Now…Nyaragon show you just how strong she is," the Bloodcat growled. She turned back to the monster and kicked off the ground with incredible speed. She blurred in the air and landed on the trunk of a tree across the square before blurring again and appearing on another. She continued in that fashion until the monster, unable to keep up with her hyper-fast movement, put itself slightly off-balance. Nyaragon pounced. She shot straight at the monster's shoulder and slid down its arm in a terrific shower of sparks as she dug her claws into the metal.  
"M-miss Nyara!" Ark gasped as the Bloodcat raced towards him. She grabbed the fingers holding the boy and wrenched them apart, causing Ark to fall out of the bottom. But she wasn't about to let him become flattened on the ground. Nyaragon leaped after Ark and caught him in midair before crashing down onto the ground with considerable force. She drew Ark away from the safety of her chest and put him down on the ground.  
"Ark all right?" she asked. He nodded absently, staring in amazement at her increased size. But she was off again, charging around the monster and sending an onslaught of devastating wind-based attacks at it. However; even Nyaragon's power was as nothing before the behemoth of stone and metal, and she was forced to make a tactical retreat as her opponent fired its huge fist down at her. She vaulted backwards and landed in a crouched position, but the monster had already reeled in its arm and had launched it at Nyaragon again.  
"Miss Nyara! Look out!" Ark cried. Suddenly, the Key around Link's neck quivered and the various runes etched into its surface pulsed black. Link let out a startled oath as his companions switched their attention to the gold band around his neck. Nyaragon somersaulted back at the very last second and landed next Link. Then, with her eyes with an odd glaze over them, she reached down and picked him up by the waist.  
"H-hey! What are you doing!" he demanded. Nyaragon held him out in front of her for a moment before Link's size decreased to the shock of everyone present. But the greatest shock of all followed next. Nyaragon lifted him up to her mouth, opened wide, and popped him in as the significantly-smaller Link shouted in panic. She crunched down once, then twice before swallowing…and Link was gone.  
"She ate him!" Ark gasped.  
"N-Nyara! What are you doing!?" Zelda screeched. "Why did you go and have to _eat _Link!"


	61. Fate's Beginning

**Chapter 60 – Fate's Beginning**

They saw Nyaragon pick Link up. They saw her pop him in her mouth. They saw her crunch her teeth together. They saw Link's look of panic as the Bloodcat opened her mouth again. They saw her crunch her teeth together a second time, and then they saw that Link was gone. Fura exploded seconds after Zelda started shrieking.  
"Nyara! Y-you _ate _him! Spit him out now!" she shouted. "What are you th- uhh?" Nyaragon's forearms gradually changed colour until they were completely black, just like Link's arm. The metal and stone monstrosity in the square leveled its giant fist at the group and prepared to fire. As it did so, Nyaragon held her hands out and faced her palms at the threat before her. A ring of shadow energy formed before her outstretched hands and powerful gusts of white wind began to build up in the center of until it began to quiver with concentrated magic. From the very core of the wind, a small, black sphere began to emerge. Nyaragon let one hand fall to her side while the other raised itself with the energy ring and directed it towards the monster. The monstrosity fired its arm and the Bloodcat calmly tucked her fingers in on her palm until only her thumb and forefinger were left extended. Then, without showing any signs of concern, she cocked her hand up and the shadow ball exploded from the center of the ring. The wind roared and there was an almighty bang that echoed across the sky. Those standing nearby were thrown backwards off their feet and a great gouge was cut through the ground underneath the path of the black sphere. It tore along, seemingly bending the air behind it, until it met with the monster's fist. The sphere crashed through the fist's knuckles and ripped its way all along the length of the combined cables from within until it reached the shoulder of the mass of metal and rock. The shadow sphere hit the shoulder and then exploded in a thunderous detonation, ripping the beast to shreds. People on the ground were blown back even further as a tremendous shockwave of wind flattened the area, but then it began to draw in on itself, sucking the remains of the monster into a single point with dreadful intensity. The sound was horrible- a hideous wailing and screeching of wind that lasted for what seemed like minutes until, suddenly, it stopped.  
"Th-that was…holy Farore," Florella coughed from where she knelt with a senseless Talen. They stared at the remains of the towering monster; a tiny ball of super-compressed rock and metal. Nyaragon suddenly looked up from the remains and held her arms out expectantly towards the sky. The others followed her gaze and saw the black sphere fall down from the above before it suddenly quivered and expanded, revealing Link to be very much alive. He wailed loudly as he fell, but Nyaragon caught him safely. She held him out in front of her under his arms and looked him over.  
"All good," she nodded satisfactorily. Link blinked and looked down at himself and then back at the Bloodcat.  
"Y-you..a…_YOU ATE ME!_" Link shouted at the top of his lungs. "I _told_ you she had it in for me! I told all of you, but did you believe me!? _No!_ And look what happened! _AUGH!_" Nyaragon flattened her ears against her head and dropped him straight to the ground. He lay there trembling slightly as Fura and Zelda rushed over as fast as their legs could carry them. In no time at all he had been swept up and smothered in relieved kisses and bone-crushing hugs.  
"It was horrible…" he murmured dumbly, seemingly oblivious to the two girls. "That gaping maw…the teeth…and then it was just blackness…and then I was falling…I need something to eat." Nyaragon grinned apologetically at him before looking around for something. She found it on its knees, picking itself up after being blown over. The Bloodcat smiled and scooped Ark up in her arms. The boy gave a surprised squeak as he was suddenly lifted off the ground and held in front of Nyaragon's face. Now Ark was more or less used to the sight of Nyara as a Bloodcat, but when she was twice the size she had been the first time she had transformed, it made him just slightly nervous- especially since he had just witnessed her devour Link.  
"Ark hurt," she frowned.  
"P-pardon?" he stammered. He put his fingers to his forehead and felt some dampness there. He'd scored a rather nice cut across his head after hitting it when he fell over. "O-oh. Don't worry, Miss Nyara. I'm sure it will-" The Bloodcat stuck out her big, pink tongue and scraped it across his head, drenching his hair and wiping off the blood. Ark sighed and let her go about her business, but something seemed to catch her attention. Nyaragon perched Ark on her shoulder and turned to face the gobsmacked Meera as they stared up at her. None of them had gotten over their shock enough to speak, though Argor, Nyara's grandfather, stood at the back of the crowd with a pleased smirk on his face.  
"Nyaragon told you she not weak!" the Bloodcat declared. The crowd flinched. "Nyaragon Bloodcat! Nyaragon strongest of all Meera now!" She put her hands on her hips and grinned. "Who ever think that littlest Meera become Bloodcat, hmm?" The crowd was still too shocked to say anything. "Well!?"  
"N-Nyara…" a tentative voice stammered from the crowd.  
"Who is Bloodcat!" she grinned.  
"Nyara!" a few of the Meera chanted, more enthusiastically. The chant soon caught on until the entire village was shouting out her name. Nyaragon put her hands on her hips and nodded approvingly as her name echoed out into the rain swept forest.

The first thing on the agenda for the waterlogged party was to get into dry clothing. Since Talen had recovered quickly from his knock on the head, the boys were sent packing to their rooms with a bundle of clothes each while the girls went through the lengthy process of changing in the main hut. When the boys came back down, it became apparent that everyone had decided to simply throw on a tunic each, except Link, whose only tunic was soaking wet. The blonde boy was instead clad in some rather plain shorts and a simple brown shirt.  
"Everybody dry again?" Impa asked. "That rain wet me all the way through to my bones."  
"And thank the Goddesses that we're all still here after that ordeal," Saria whistled. "Especially Link the entrée."  
"I told you she wanted to eat me," he mumbled.  
"But you have to admit…it _was_ a rather incredible piece of magic there," Florella said. "Nyaragon essentially used ole Linkie-do as a weapon- a mighty powerful one at that. It makes me wonder what else he can do."  
"If it involves being ingested by anyone else, then I don't want to know about it," he shuddered.  
"There, there, petal," Fura cooed, embracing him lovingly. "Fura will make it all better." There was a muffled "Get off" from the general vicinity of the Gerudo's arms and she let go, shaking her head as she did so.  
"My arm is still sore, you know," Link tutted, rubbing his shoulder protectively. "You're so rough and grabby, Fura."  
"_Very _unladylike," Zelda murmured just loud enough for the Gerudo to hear.  
"Unladylike!? I'm the very picture of femininity! Right, Florella?" Fura demanded. Florella shifted uncomfortably.  
"Erm…you certainly have the bits and pieces of womanhood at you disposal…"  
"But?" Fura asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"You can be just a tad…" Florella groped for a word.  
"Boorish?" Zelda suggested lightly. Fura's eyes went wide in indignation, making Zelda laugh. "Oh Fura, don't take things so seriously! Everybody is different."  
"What do I do that's so unladylike?" the Gerudo demanded huffily.  
"I could write it down for you," Florella giggled. Fura glared at her. "There are one or two things you do that aren't particularly girlish, but who cares about that? I'm sure Link doesn't care, right?" Link looked up from the table.  
"Pardon? Sorry, I wasn't listening. I found a Slater on the floor and it's kinda fun to roll it around in a ball-"  
"Sweet Din, sorry I asked," the fairy sighed.  
"What's so unfeminine about me!" Fura demanded. "Speak!"  
"Well…" Zelda began uneasily. "You tend to hock if you have a frog in your throat, you burp, you sit around in just your underwear, you helped cook that poor little boy's pig back in Agora Town- which I still haven't forgotten, Link and Talen…ahem, you're rather rough, you eat with your hands, you're loud, you laugh at dirty jokes, you _tell_ dirty jokes, you're not afraid to be a little risqué, you're messy, and poor Link must feel like you're trying to suck his face right off the front of his head." Zelda blinked as Fura stared at her. "Just to name one or two." Fura frowned.  
"None of us care, Fura," Impa chuckled. "You'd be boring like Zelda otherwise."  
"Boring!?" Zelda exclaimed.  
"Heh, that's true," Fura smirked. "What do you think, Linkie-do?"  
"You seem to appreciate the fine art of throwing rocks at trees," he said with a shrug. "Unlike Zelda and Saria. You can spit further than Talen and I can too, so there's the challenge of trying to beat your world-record five-meter monster…and you really did cook that pig very well."  
"Oh…Link!" Saria groaned, wrinkling her nose up as she repaired a pair of socks. "Spitting? Did we _really_ need to hear that?"  
"You did ask," he snorted.  
"Well Zelda may be able to act the part of a lady…but she doesn't know how to show anything off," Fura smirked. "Though…she does leave a little to be desired in the bust department, so it'd be like entering a pumpkin contest without a pumpkin." Talen and Link cringed. Conversations or small arguments with Fura usually ended up in the body department before too long. It also happened to be one of the areas that Zelda felt slightly inadequate in, allowing Fura to have a slight edge.  
"You're almost a year and a half older than I am," Zelda sniffed primly, refusing to allow Fura's little dig to get the better of her. "You've had a head start. I'm sure that _I_ still have some growing to do. Right, Link?"  
"I'm staying out of this," the boy said, hiding behind a woven rush placemat.  
"Smart boy," Impa murmured.  
"That is a very good point, Zelda," Fura nodded. "But on the other hand…guess whose butt our favorite cretin had the urge to squeeze during the ball at Aurora?" There were several "ooh" sounds from around the room and a splutter from Link.  
"_Fura!"_ he hissed.  
"You grabbed her backside?" Zelda demanded. "During the ball?"  
"No! Don't believe the poison that flows from her lips!" Link declared. "She lies!"  
"Was there or was there not contact between your hand and my posterior?" Fura smirked. Link faltered.  
"Well…maybe I just _grazed_ it with my palm, but there was no squeezing involved!"  
"So you _did_ after all!" Zelda gasped.  
"No! Augh! Curse all of you overcomplicating devils!" Link was almost in tears.  
"Why didn't you grab mine too? You could have done it while we danced," Zelda pouted petulantly.  
"Talen…perhaps you should take Ark to see Nyara," Florella suggested with amusement. Ark was looking very red. "She can't fit in any of the houses except the chief's hut and I'm sure she would enjoy your company." Talen nodded and went for the door with the grey-haired boy.  
"Perhaps it was the outfit?" Fura shrugged. "Mine showed off a little more than yours did." Zelda, however; was determined to cut Fura down to size before she got carried away with herself. After all; what were friends for?  
"Fura, you can boast all you like about dimensions and backside-squeezing…" Zelda gave Link a sidelong glance. "…but I'll always have my little victory that I seem to have beaten you to." Zelda smiled rosily.  
"And what would that be, Zelda?" Fura asked politely. Link had a terribly bad feeling in the pit of his stomach and he sank even lower behind the placemat he held.  
"Linkie-do has seen the Princess of Hyrule…" Zelda paused for dramatic effect. _"…naked!"_ The impact of Zelda's words was instantaneous. Link ripped the placemat in half, Talen fumbled at the door and banged into it, Ark gave a small gasp and Saria dropped her sewing. All Impa managed was a raised eyebrow.  
"Oh dear," Florella chuckled quietly. "The trump card has been played."  
"Naked!?" Fura exclaimed. "When!? Zelda, have you turned into an exhibitionist!? And what do _you_ have to say for yourself, Link?"  
"No! I thought this was dead and buried! You just _had_ to bring it up again, didn't you, Zelda?" Link whimpered.  
"Ark, move if you want your soul spared!" Talen hissed, opening the door quickly and escaping with Ark.  
"About three years ago in the baths at Windhill," Zelda smiled. "Remember the female baths were being repaired? In I wandered to the male's section and whoops! Hello, Link."  
"Oh, the horror," Link groaned, burying his face in his hands.  
"What did you see!?" Fura demanded, still shocked.  
"Oh, everything," Zelda commented airily.  
"Well I'll be," Fura grunted, shaking her head.  
"It was an accident!" Link declared. "Nothing more! I looked for a second! Half a second!"  
"So," Impa murmured, standing over the boy. "You freely admit you took a look at her? You gazed upon the bare form of Zelda: Princess of Hyrule?" Link went white as a sheet as the imposing woman put her hands on her hips. His mouth moved, but nothing seemed to come out except for small, squeaking sounds.  
"Drank in her form with your wandering eyes?" Florella threw in, fluttering over his shoulder.  
"You're not helping!" Link shot at her. "You all pick on me!" Impa chuckled quietly to herself and moved away.  
"Naked, huh?" Fura frowned. She seemed to be thinking about something. Link looked at the Gerudo as she looked down at herself and then over at him several times.  
"What the- _no!_ Don't even think it!" Link gasped, waving his hands.  
"I wasn't-" Fura began. Link cut her off.  
"You _were!_ That look had "hmmm" written all over it! It's the scariest look you have in your arsenal!"  
"That's not fair! Zelda-"  
"My mind simply cannot comprehend why that may be, Fura," Link sighed, putting his fingers to his temples. "In the name of all that is holy, why do you want _me_ to see _you_ without your clothes on?" Fura went silent and shuffled her feet. A slow flush crept into her cheeks.  
"I don't know. It just feels…like something important," she mumbled. Link sighed and shook his head.  
"Believe me, Fura. It wasn't anything important," he told her. Zelda looked a little miffed at that.  
"Yes it was," Florella sung.  
"Florella…shouldn't you be off stealing candy from small children?" Link sniped irritably. She seemed to ignore him.  
"If it wasn't important…how come you can remember every single detail? Hmm?" the fairy smirked. Link faltered.  
"A little bit of memory burn, right? The image is scorched smack on the back of your brain, isn't it."  
"I really, _really_ hate you sometimes," Link murmured quietly. "This conversation is officially over. I'm going to see what Talen and Ark- the normals- are doing. I bid all of you creatures of darkness farewell." And with that he strode rather purposefully out of the hut and into the rain. The remaining members of the group watched him leave in amusement.  
"I think I'll treasure that," Florella smiled. Her look suddenly turned thoughtful. "But I stand by what I said- that even _was_ important. I don't know exactly why it is so, but it has something to do with the bond you share." The fairy looked at the Gerudo and winked. "Who knows, Fura…maybe there will be a little mishap somewhere down the road. For the sake of balance, I doubt the people upstairs would allow it otherwise."

Nyara's family still hadn't quite gotten over the shock of having the "weakest" member of the family turning out to be a legendary Bloodcat- a particularly big Bloodcat. Standing at full height, she was nearly twenty feet tall- the very reason why she was reduced to sitting cross-legged in her grandfather's hut. Nyaragon's entire family was there to have a rather large meal- the Bloodcat herself having the equivalent of an entire cow's worth of meat for her to eat. The Meera, of course; ate almost all of their meat raw, but a portion was quickly roasted over a spit when Talen and Ark turned up. As soon as the latter arrived, Nyaragon's hand swooped down and whisked him away from Talen's side. The smith barely had time to blink before it happened.  
"Did Ark see?" she asked eagerly. "Did Ark see Nyaragon fight?"  
"Y-yes, Miss Nyara," Ark stammered, still coming to grips with how big she was. He was placed on the spot at which her ankles crossed one another and given a steaming plate of meat.  
"Now Ark eat it all up," Nyaragon smiled. "Yum, yum!" Ark decided that if she tried to feed him at her current size, his health would probably be in serious jeopardy. And so, with as much enthusiasm as he could muster; Ark began to tear into his meal. Nyaragon nodded approvingly.  
"This is Ark," she told her family, who had not yet been introduced to Ark properly. "Ark not very good at eating, so Nyaragon have to feed him sometimes."  
"It's a pleasure to meet you," the boy nodded politely. Her family greeted him and Nyaragon pointed out who was who.  
"Ark very small," Eyara frowned, ripping into a shank of pink meat. "Smallest boy Eyara ever seen."  
"Ark even smaller before he meet Nyaragon," the Bloodcat said. "Nyaragon had to make him eat to put meat on bones. Ark not so skinny anymore." Ark didn't think he was all _that_ small.  
Link came wandering along soon after and nearly had a heart attack when he saw Nyaragon tearing into a great hunk of raw meat with her teeth- the memory of being eaten by her was still fresh in his mind. But the Bloodcat felt bad about what had happened and tried her best to assure Link that she wouldn't eat him again- he did taste delicious, though. So she reached out and picked him up, depositing him next to her at the low table with a friendly pat on the head. She then dropped a sizeable portion of the cooked meat in front of him.  
"Erm, thank you," Link said uncertainly. Nyaragon beamed and continued to devour her enormous slab of meat, confident that her amazing display of kindness had won him over. Link sighed and shook his head. There was a part of him that knew that it wasn't the Bloodcat's fault- the Key had triggered the event after all, but another part of him was still very much disgusted by the memory. Link looked up from his plate to see Mii, Nanu and Miamm watching him closely from across the table. They looked like they wanted to play some more- roughly as well. Link thought fast and held his shoulder gently.  
"Ow," he said. The three little girls looked at his arm with understanding.  
"Ow."  
"Ow."  
"Ow." The three of them parroted the word sympathetically and Link breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Your arm isn't sore," Talen whispered accusingly. "Florella fixed it up when we got back to the hut."  
"But _they_ don't know that," Link hissed back at his friend. "And you aren't the one that has to put up with those monstrosities. They have very sharp little teeth and I puncture easily."

By late afternoon the girls had joined the boys in the chief's hut to eat with Nyaragon's family. There was lots of talking, lots of laughing- mostly at Link's expense- and lots of eating- again, Link featuring heavily. The Bloodcat herself was in a rather good mood after stating that she was definitely _not_ going to become Teebo's mate since she had proved to the entire village that she was a mighty Bloodcat and, potentially, far stronger than any of them. Her parents didn't agree, but they didn't _disagree_ either, perhaps letting on that they were beginning to change their minds.  
"I suspect that Nyara could possibly become really very popular," Saria murmured to Impa. The Sheikah woman nodded.  
"A Bloodcat, from the looks of things, is legendary in the eyes of the Meera. Nyara's bloodline is perhaps the equality of Hylian nobility now," Impa agreed. She looked up at the ceiling thoughtfully. "I wonder if the Meera ever take non-Meera mates?" The Sheikah and the Kokiri girl glanced over at Ark as Nyaragon patted his head whilst he lay on her leg. Ark didn't seem to mind, in fact; he looked rather comfortable and drowsy with his head propped up on her bent knee. Across the table, Talen was being engaged in a series of arm-wrestles courtesy of Nyara's four brothers, but despite their best efforts they were continually beaten. Talen didn't mind the string of challenges at all, in fact; they gave him something to focus on while Florella nattered endlessly in his ear about how adorable she thought Nyara's little sisters were. Oora, Garr, Eyara, and the three little sqigglers were listening in bewilderment to Fura's description of her desert home. They couldn't quite imagine a place with virtually no trees and sand as far as the eye could see, and words such as "sandstorm" were a mystery to them as well. Zelda managed to engage Link in a rather pleasant conversation, so she steered clear of mentioning anything to do with the little altercation earlier that day, lest he suddenly become guarded like he always was. It reminded Zelda of when she had first met him for the second time- as odd as that sounded- after his defeat of Ganondorf. They used to sit out in the palace grounds and Zelda would get the odd little boy clad in green to tell her all about Kokiri Forest. He'd happily oblige, smiling away as he leaned back on his arms and told her about the Kokiri, Saria, and the Great Deku Tree. She would sit and watch him closely for any signs that he was feeling ill at ease around her, since Link was, after all; Zelda's first friend- one that she didn't care to scare off, leaving her in the castle with nobody to play with. Link had always been something of a serious boy, but he could always wear a smile as he played with Zelda in the hedges and in the trees. As he had grown, he'd become a little prickly around the edges with his sarcastic little remarks, but as Zelda sat there and watched him smile away and chatter on about how he missed the forest and all its little woody paths; she could tell that he really hadn't changed much at all. If Link wasn't thinking about his concerns- whether they be the safety of his companions or worse; girls, then he'd revert back to the little boy she had met in the courtyard. The Princess glanced over at Talen, who was still arm-wrestling Nyara's brothers. Talen was very much like Link in many ways, and the two of them were practically inseparable. They were both brave and very protective, but they also liked things to go by quietly. When called for, Talen could summon incredible strength, but rather than use it to become rich and powerful, Talen was much happier tinkering away in his smithy back home. He was a gentle soul and a quiet one as well, with a sensible streak in him a mile wide- it was no wonder Florella had gotten a taste of her own medicine when she had met him. Though the young smith never showed any signs of outward affection to the Great Fairy, Zelda was confident that he did in fact care for her far more than he let on. His frequent visits to Windhill were proof enough of that- he was never away from Florella for any great length of time. And then there was Ark. Zelda's gaze shifted to Nyaragon's leg, where the grey-haired boy had fallen asleep with the large animal girl stroking his head. With his cheek pressed up against her knee and his arms and legs hanging limply down either side of the Bloodcat's huge thigh, he really did look adorable. But then, that was Ark; adorable in his own way. Behind his unruly, gravity-defying hair and boyish looks, Ark had the soul of a saint. His manners were impeccable, he always put others before himself, and he had a quiet timidness to him that was oddly endearing. He had called Zelda "Lady Zelda" so many times that she had gotten used to it, and she suspected the others had as well. Ark- the newcomer to Talen and Link's boy duo- had been accepted readily, making them an unbreakable trio. He was the voice of reason that kept Talen and Link in check whenever they decided to misbehave, but he was also something of a mystery. He was always quiet, always thoughtful, and always looked slightly melancholy. His deep, green eyes had a weight to them that seemed to pierce the soul and sent a pang of sadness through Zelda whenever she looked at them. But Ark was one of them now- he always would be- and there was no way any of them would have it otherwise.

The pleasant evening drew to a close and, by the sounds of things; the rain was beginning to let up. Impa decided that it would be best for everyone to get to sleep so that they could rise early in order to search for the next Lock, which they all agreed would be a good idea. They all began to file out of Argor's hut, except for Nyaragon since she had to crawl out a set of double-doors on the side wall. In order to do that, she had to wake up the slumbering Ark and plop him down on the ground, but as he went to follow, Nyaragon's grandfather stopped him with a light hand on his shoulder. Ark turned around rather quickly and looked up at the elderly Meera.  
"C-can I do something for you, Sir?" he asked politely.  
"Argor need to speak with Ark briefly," he said, looking from Ark to Impa, who stood at the door. The Sheikah woman nodded.  
"I'll tell the others you'll be along shortly," she said, before leaving the hut and closing the door. Argor motioned for Ark to sit down at the table with him, which the boy did.  
"What is this about, Sir?" Ark asked curiously.  
"Argor have a favor to ask little Ark," the old man murmured. "It has to do with granddaughter Nyaragon. Will Ark help?"  
"Oh! Anything!" Ark said. "I'll do anything for Miss Nyara! What is it you need me to do?"  
"It not much," Argor said with a small smile. "Argor want Ark to go to Meera treasure tonight." Ark blinked. The Meera treasure?  
"B-but…what for?" the boy asked. Argor sighed.  
"When Nyara go, she see you in destiny," Argor told him. "It would give Argor much relief if Ark went as well to see if Nyara in Ark's destiny." Ark was puzzled.  
"But…"  
"Please," Argor implored him. "Argor never seen Nyara so happy with somebody before. Argor have to know if granddaughter will stay happy. Please." Ark couldn't say no, how could he? Argor said it was for Nyara, so, naturally, Ark agreed.  
"Good Ark," Argor smiled warmly. "Ark must go now, and Ark must go alone. Argor will show Ark the way."  
Ark stood at the entrance to a derelict old temple. It was very dark, but he gripped the strange, glowing ball Zeel had given him tightly in both hands so he could see around him. The temple's entrance had crumbled away partly, leaving it to look like a ragged may of some fearsome creature. Steeling himself, Ark crept slowly towards the entrance, telling himself over and over that it was for Nyara and that he _had _to do it for her sake. He made his way inside slowly, trying his hardest ignore the sounds of the jungle that echoed all around him. Argor had told him that it as a very short distance to the treasure itself, so that was of some comfort to him- he could quickly go to the treasure, see if Nyara was in his destiny, and then get back to the village and the safety of his bed. He padded softly down what appeared to be the only hall in the entire temple towards a set of thick, iron doors with two large pull-rings set in the middle. Ark grasped one of them and pulled with all his might. The door ground on its hinges, and opened slowly, but surely. The room beyond was rather an amazing sight to behold. Unlike the exterior of the temple, the room was entirely unspoiled by age. The chamber was circular with a shrine consisting of six gold Meera statues holding up a small, domed roof set in its middle. Torches burned merrily from iron rings set into the walls, casting dancing flickers of light onto the golden statues, making them seem alive. Ark cautiously stepped into the room and carefully pulled the door shut behind him, lest he disturb the room somehow. He looked around the chamber again before his eyes fell on the floor at the center of the ring of Meera statues. The treasure was there, waiting for him to use it, waiting to show him his destiny.


	62. Despair Of Ark

**Chapter 61 – Despair of Ark**

It was a blue disc; perfectly round and slightly curved like a lens. It reminded Ark of the Compass before it had changed into the small, blue sphere that he carried around with him. He made his way towards the shrine carved in the likeness of the Meera slowly; as if afraid he would disturb something in the beautiful chamber. Steeling himself, Ark stepped onto the blue circle and waited. Nothing happened for a few seconds, but Ark knew that something was not quite from the instant his foot touched the disc. The soft blue beneath him vanished, replaced instead by deep black interspersed with patches of red.  
"What the-" Ark's startled exclamation was cut short by a dark chuckle. And image began to appear before him slowly, bleeding up from the floor until it became almost solid. It was Gaul…or was it? Ark's legs refused to move, despite the overwhelming compulsion to run.  
"G-Gaul!" Ark squeaked. The image flickered slightly.  
"Welcome, Ark," it said in a chillingly smug voice. "Welcome…to the horrible truth. I won't bother telling you what I mean by that, it'll me much easier to show you instead. Now watch." The image of Gaul held out its hand and Ark's eyes went blank. Then, slowly, his face twisted into an expression of horror as countless images flashed before his eyes, filling his mind with half-forgotten memories and glimpses of what was to come. Then he heard a voice- a voice so chilling and cruel that it made Ark sink to his knees.  
"_If you stay with them, you will lose…everything."_ And Ark screamed. Horror. Sorrow. Despair.

"I wonder what Argor wants with Ark?" Link mused tiredly to himself. The party had returned to their tree and were all sitting around the table in the hut at its base.  
"It must be important," Nyaragon chirped, her face appearing at the window. "But Nyaragon want Ark to get to bed. It late and still raining."  
"Oh…Nyara?" Florella asked. "Where are you going to sleep?" The Bloodcat frowned, and then smiled.  
"There a place big enough for Bloodcat to sleep," she told them. "Made long time ago for Bloodcat. It not been used for while, but Nyaragon use it now."  
"That's good. It wouldn't be very nice sleeping outside even if the rain is stopping. The ground's all wet still," the Great Fairy said. Nyaragon grinned.  
"Mighty Bloodcat not afraid of no water," she snorted haughtily. Her cocky grin faded somewhat and she sniffed at the air outside.  
"What is it?" Impa asked curiously. Nyaragon looked a little uneasy.  
"Something not smell right in the wind," she frowned.  
"Is it _that?_" Link asked, pointing at Florella. The Great Fairy stuck her tongue out at him and flicked her hair over her shoulder.  
"Ha-ha, Link," she said dryly. "The only thing that's not right around here is you." The boy grinned at her before pulling several Eebie Grubs out of his pockets and placing them on the table.  
"Oh you're not!" Saria shuddered, wrinkling her nose up. "Those things are _horrible!_"  
"You don't want one?" Link asked, holding one under her nose. The Kokiri girl jerked away violently and shook her head.  
"When pigs fly!" she winced. Link pointed at Florella.  
"But they can-"  
"Don't you _dare!_" Florella growled. Suddenly, Zelda, who was fiddling with the band that held her ponytail in place, gasped and held her hands to her mouth.  
"A-Ark!" she quaked.  
"Ark?" Link asked, looking at her strangely along with the others. "What about him?"  
"I-I can see…he's…" she breathed. Her eyes suddenly widened in horror. "Link! Everyone! Hurry! Something horrible is happening to Ark!" Nyaragon was away in half a second. With a terrible roar, she pivoted on her heel and crunched off through the village towards Argor's hut with the others hot on her heels. There were flickers of light all around as the villagers opened their widows curiously to see what the noise was all about, only to see the huge Bloodcat tear past on a b-line for the chief's hut. She skidded to a halt outside and crouched down, before swiping the door open and sticking her head inside.  
"Grandfather!" she bellowed. "Grandfather!" Argor, who was sitting down at the table, tumbled back in surprise.  
"N-Nyara?" he stammered. "What wrong?"  
"Where Ark!?" she demanded, sticking her arm inside and grabbing her grandfather. "Where did Ark go!?"  
"M-Meera treasure!" Argor told her quickly. "He went to Meera treasure. Argor asked him to go for something!" Nyaragon put him down and pulled her head back outside.  
"Meera treasure!" she roared at the others. "Follow Nyaragon!"

The group arrived at the old temple housing the treasure in a matter of moments, and all of them agreed that there was something foul in the wind.  
"It's in here?" Link asked. Nyaragon nodded and crouched down to crawl inside, but she couldn't even fit her shoulders in. She howled in frustration before standing back up.  
"Go!" she exclaimed. "Ark inside! _GO!_" The others needed no further instructions and pelted off down the corridor as the Bloodcat peered in after them worriedly. Link and Talen were in the lead as the group ran towards a set of iron double-doors. The smith tore them open and gave a shout of alarm. Ark was kneeling down on a black and red disc with his head clutched tightly in his hands, while an image of a man hovered over him. The grey-haired boy appeared to be utterly helpless, begging the man to stop what he was doing.  
"Please…no more…I can't stand it," he whimpered. "They're everything to me…don't take them…don't…" Link's mind flared in rage.  
"Gaul!" Link roared.  
"Link! No!" Zelda screeched, but it was too late. Blinded by his anger, Link vaulted into the room with his sword drawn. The image of Gaul didn't even seem to notice him as it kept its attention entirely on Ark. As Link drew near, the chamber filled with red and black energy. It whipped out and seized Link, holding him up in the air like a doll. The energy flared and Link spread his arms and legs and threw his head back in a terribly cry as unimaginable pain wracked his body. His sword clattered uselessly to the ground, and he was suddenly hurled back onto the floor where he lay without moving.  
"Link!" Fura and Zelda screamed in unison, rushing over to him. When they got to his side, they saw the darkness in his arm and face shudder.  
"What's happening to him!?" Fura demanded. Link gasped and arched his back, his eyes going wide and vacant as the Key straps vanished and the gold band itself shook, and then unclipped, dropping from his neck and clanking to the floor. The shadow in Link's body drained away into nothing like ink coming out of parchment, and then the boy was still, his eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling.  
"_No!" _Zelda shrieked. She whirled around at the image of Gaul and tore several strands of silky, blonde hair from her head and held them between her thumb and forefinger. The hairs wound together and flared in a flash of brilliant, golden light, changing into a single, glowing arrow. She snatched up Link's bow and notched the arrow against the cord, drawing it back.  
"I will kill you!" she snarled with unusual ferocity. The Princess loosed the arrow, sending it streaking across the chamber. Its golden tip tore through Gaul's chest and thunked into the far wall where it stood there quivering. The image of Gaul began to flicker and dissolve as flecks of light began to spread through his body, but there was no sound from the man as he faded away.  
"W-what?" Zelda gasped. "It wasn't him!? A phantom!" A faint glow caught everyone's attention and they turned to the center of the room. The disc Ark knelt on changed back to a soft blue colour, and the grey-haired boy slumped onto the floor where he lay curled in a tight ball.  
"Ark!" The wail pierced the room as Nyara, back to her normal size and form, burst through the doors and ran to his side. But something utterly unbelievable happened. When Nyara knelt down beside Ark and went to pick him up, he swung his arm out and pushed her away.  
"No!" he told her in a choked voice. Nyara was stunned. Ark clenched himself into an even tighter ball. "Stay…stay away. Please."  
"Ark…what wrong? Tell Nyara…Nyara friend…" she said reassuringly.  
"I said stay away!" Ark said, more shrilly than before. The Meera girl moved towards him again, but there was buzz of electricity and a small bolt of static arced off the boy and fizzled up Nyara's chest, jolting her back and onto her bottom. The room stood still as everyone looked at the pair in utter disbelief. Ark, realizing what he had done, slowly uncurled and stared at the stunned girl in horror. His eyes were red-rimmed, and the look of pure self-loathing over what he had just done was evident on his tear-stained face.  
"What…what is wrong with Ark?" Nyara breathed. "Did…did Nyara do something wrong?" Ark looked at her hopelessly as he shuffled back against the wall. He hung his head as more tears began to well up.  
"P-please forgive me, Miss Nyara," he whispered. "But…I can't…I…" Ark broke down crying, streams of hopeless sobs choking out of his mouth. Nyara rushed over and enveloped him in a tight hug, his big tears dribbling down her front. But then a sudden scream from Saria pierced the quiet of the chamber.  
"Link! He's…he's…"  
"He's what!?" Fura demanded.  
"His heart's stopped!" the Kokiri girl cried. Fura's fingers raced to Link's neck. She felt nothing.  
"Move!" They looked up and saw Impa standing above them.  
"Impa!" Zelda squeaked. "Link! He's…he's dea-"  
"No he isn't! Not again! Now get out of the way if you want him to survive!" The girls and Talen scuttled back. Impa knelt over the downed boy and ripped his tunic clean in half. The Sheikah woman then held her hands over his chest and began pushing down on it repeatedly. Zelda and Saria couldn't bear to watch as Link's blank stare looked past them to the ceiling. He shook with each pump from Impa, gasps of breath escaping from his mouth. Impa continued to push down on his chest, her face twisted into a grim expression of concentration.  
"Come on, come _on!_" Impa panted. She worked for what seemed like an eternity, her powerful arms moving up and down in a rhythmic, almost hypnotic, motion until, like life itself flowing into the chamber, Link inhaled deeply. The girls, including Florella, had already been reduced to tears, but as that breath of life flowed into Link's lungs, they flowed freely.  
"He's alive…he's alive…" Saria sobbed. Impa sighed in relief and wiped her brow with the back of her hand, but something still seemed off. It suddenly hit her: Link still wasn't moving. She had at least expected him to sit up, but he remained sprawled on his back with his eyes staring blankly up at her. Zelda moved in and smoothed his tussled hair back.  
"Impa…why isn't he moving?" she asked in a quavering voice. Impa had no answer. Florella took Zelda's place and held her hand up to the blonde boy's head. She held it there for a long time while the other waited breathlessly. Finally, she stood up with a somber expression.  
"Link?" Talen asked his friend in a small voice. "S-stop joking around…come on, at least blink your eyes…" The smith shook him, but all Link did was rock back and forth.  
"Talen," Florella said softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I don't think he's going to wake up."

The party was in a very sad state as they sat around the bed in which they had placed Link in the hut at the base of their tree. Only Ark and Nyara weren't there, the former having collapsed into a state of sobbing from which he couldn't be brought out of. Instead, the two of them sat across the room with Ark seated limply in Nyara's lap. He had struggled in a vain attempt at breaking away from her beforehand, but the Meera girl had refused to let him go, and so he had simply slumped in her arms as she crooned soothingly in his ear, imploring him to tell her what happened to him in the chamber. However; try as they might, nobody could get Ark to reveal what had happened. He wasn't injured, and Florella had made sure that there was no magical enchantment affecting him, so his odd behavior was a mystery.  
"Please, Ark," Florella implored to the boy. "Tell us what happened."  
"It's nothing. I'm all right," he mumbled quietly, never taking his eyes off the floor.  
"You can't tell us that it's nothing, because we _know_ it isn't nothing," the Great Fairy told him. She tried moving into his line of sight, but Ark kept moving his head so that he couldn't look at her. In fact; ever since they had left the ruins, Ark had refused to look at anybody.  
"Ark, why won't you look at us?" Saria asked. "If you're feeling guilty about what happened to Link, then don't be. It wasn't your fault at all, and nobody thinks that it is."  
"Saria's right," Florella told him. "Come on, Ark. We're all part of a family, so tell us what happened." She reached out her hand and placed it on Ark's shoulder as a sign of comfort, but Ark flinched away horribly. He began to tremble, and then he began to sob quietly. Nyara rocked back and forth with him, crooning soft words of comfort into his ear, but the tears wouldn't stop dribbling down his cheeks. Something _had_ happened to him; that was for certain, and Florella knew it had greatly affected poor Ark, for the overwhelming sadness pooling from the boy was nearly too much for the Great Fairy to bear. But through the sadness, there was a deeply apologetic look to Ark as he watched Florella sit herself wearily next to Talen, and unbeknownst to anyone but himself, he had come to a heart-wrenching decision.  
"Do you…know what's wrong with him?" Zelda asked quietly as she sat at Link's bedside with Fura. The redhead sat with the Key in her hands, running her fingers over the indented runes whilst staring down at Link. Florella sighed and rubbed her temples.  
"In a manner of speaking, yes," she told the Princess truthfully. "He's alive, but…Gaul's curse- that phantom- has sealed off his mind. So now…he's just alive- nothing more."  
"Will he be all right?" Fura asked heavily, wiping her eyes. "He'll wake up eventually, won't he?"  
"I don't know, Fura," Florella said quietly. "Not even I know how to break the seal that Gaul has imposed upon him. For now we'll just have to take solace in the fact that he's safe. If Impa hadn't been there to start his heart again…"  
"Oh please don't," Zelda shuddered. "I can't bear to think that. We lost him once, and nearly losing him a second time is almost too much to bear." Fura suddenly reached out and closed Link's eyelids with her fingertips.  
"I can't stop crying…seeing his eyes like that without anything behind them," she sniffed.  
"He'll be all right," Saria said, smiling as best she could. "Link's like a…cockroach!" The others looked at her strangely.  
"A cockroach?" Talen asked.  
"You know…no matter how many times you try to kill them; they just keep surviving and coming back."  
"And if he takes too long in waking up, then you can just boss him awake," Fura chuckled quietly. "Oh dear, I suppose we look a right state all sitting around here sniffling and crying."  
"You do indeed," Impa told them. "And you'll all feel better after a good night's sleep. Come on, off to bed."  
"But…! I don't want to leave him here like this," Zelda said quickly as her nursemaid began bustling her over to her bed. "Just lying there…"  
"Me neither," Fura agreed. "I think I'll just sit here."  
"You need to sleep," Impa told them both pointedly. "Do you think Link would want you getting bags under your eyes?"  
"Link wouldn't care," Zelda told her guardian. Fura nodded in agreement. Impa looked at the two girls for a few moments before putting a finger to her forehead.  
"I can see that you two are going to be stubborn about this," she sighed. "All right then. I suppose it's time for a compromise."

Impa's compromise allowed Fura and Zelda to get some sleep, whilst simultaneously allowing them to stay by Link. They did this by simply curling up on either side of him under the blanket. Since the Meera were big people, their beds were of considerable size, so having three children slumbering together on the one bed was of no problem. The only drawback Zelda could see was that she would have to put up with Fura's snoring…that and she'd probably snuggle up so close to the comatose Link that there'd be a big patch of drool on his shoulder in the morning. Zelda chuckled quietly to herself. On the few occasions that Link and Fura had gone to sleep in close proximity to each other, the former had usually always woken up with a saliva trail leading from somewhere on his clothing to the corner of Fura's mouth. There'd always be a grunt of disgust from the boy, followed by the careful act of rolling Fura away so she wouldn't wake up and give him an exuberant good morning, ruining any chance he'd have at a sleep-in. The Princess then sighed, because Link wouldn't be waking up in the morning to Fura's escaped dribble. He wouldn't be waking up at all. He was just a body without a mind. Zelda fought back a tingling behind her eyes that threatened to grow to tears, and she clutched at Link's arm, drawing herself as close as possible to him. He was still warm- she had half-expected him to be somewhat cold. She wedged her cold toes in under his legs, almost expecting him to jerk away and complain about how freezing they were. But he didn't.  
"We'll get you back," Zelda murmured. "And then you can moan and complain all you like."

Ark lay trembling in his bed as the words spoken to him earlier repeated themselves over and over in his mind. _"If you stay with them, you will lose…everything."_ Ark could only think of one meaning behind those words: his companions would die if he continued to journey with them. What else could it be? His mind kept flashing back to the nightmares he had where he could see them all dead around him, and it chilled his blood. He couldn't do that to them…he couldn't do that to Nyara. What kind of person would he be if he did? But his companions were everything to him, especially the Meera girl. The thought of leaving her was like ice spreading through his chest, but the thought of her dead was even worse. Ark mind was more made up than ever. He would do everything he could to keep them all safe; he had to go. And he would not be coming back.  
Ark crept out of bed as quietly as possible, for Nyara had refused to leave him along that night. She had curled up along the edge of his bed, which was lucky in a way since he could climb out without disturbing her. Ark pulled on his boots, collected up his cloak, placed the Compass on top of the blankent, and tiptoed to the door. He climbed out as carefully as possible, descending the tree silently so as not to wake any of his companions. Ark _couldn't_ let them find out he was leaving, or else they would probably try to stop him. After what seemed like an eternity, Ark reached the ground. The loamy forest floor cushioned his footfalls, allowing him to move silently. He turned his head and looked at the tree mournfully. The only friends he had slept peacefully inside, unaware of his desertion.  
"Please forgive me," he whispered, before turning oh his heel and running as fast as he could.  
Ark didn't know where was running to, nor did he care. All that mattered was putting as much distance between himself and his friends as possible. Branches lashed at his face and roots snatched at his feet, threatening to hurl him to the ground, but Ark kept running. He couldn't afford to stop. What if, in delaying, they were all struck down? He'd never be able to live with himself, however; already he could never look any of them in the eye ever again. Not after what had happened at the temple, and certainly not after he had told Nyara that he'd stay with her forever. Ark's foot caught on another knobbly root, snapping his attention back to reality. He had been running for an interminable amount of time, leaving the Meera village far behind, and Ark hoped that it would be enough to keep them all safe. But, suddenly, there came the sound of footfalls behind him.  
"Ark!" The boy froze. It was Nyara's voice. "Ark! Ark stop!" She came bursting through the undergrowth as Ark turned around, leaping at him, and knocking him to the ground. She pinned him there, holding his arms down as he fought valiantly against her.  
"Ark stop! Where is Ark going!?" she demanded.  
"No! Miss Nyara, you have to let me go!" he begged her. "You don't understand! I don't want to go…but I don't have a choice…"  
"Then…Ark really is leaving?" she asked. "Ark is leaving Nyara? When will Ark come back?"  
"I won't be coming back, Miss Nyara," he told her. Nyara's eyes went very wide.  
"N-never!? But Ark promised! Ark promised he would stay with Nyara! Ark promised to swim with Nyara in river!" she cried. "Ark can't go!"  
"I…I have to," he said quietly. "You'll die if I don't." Nyara blinked as she looked down at him.  
"Die…? Nyara does not understand…"  
"I don't either," Ark told her. "But I know that all of you are in great danger if I stay any longer. Now please, let me up, Miss Nyara." She stared at him a while longer, before shaking her head vigorously.  
"No!" she declared. "Nyara will not let Ark go!" She lay on top of him them, wrapping her arms around his own so he couldn't move. "Nyara is bigger and stronger than Ark. Nyara can _make_ Ark stay." He voice was thick with emotion, and her eyes were beginning to blur with tears. Ark made to protest, but Nyara began to lick his face furiously with her long, rough tongue. She licked her cheeks, nose, his eyes, and even his mouth.  
"I'm sorry, Miss Nyara," Ark said in an equally thick voice. She looked at him with her tongue hanging out, before there was a violent surge of electricity from the boy. Nyara was thrown off of Ark and onto the ground some distance away. Ark got to his feet and looked over at the Meera girl.  
"Please forgive me, Miss Nyara," he said quietly. "But…I have to go."

By the time Nyara had gotten to her feet, Ark was gone. She ran on all-fours in the direction he had gone, bounding over thick roots and slashing through small branches and leaves with her sharp claws. But, suddenly, a body of water barred her path, and she stood before the river. Ark was nowhere in sight, and Nyara could no longer detect his scent. She let out a small, distressed sound and paced up and down the bank for a few moments before a sob escaped her throat.  
"Ark!" she cried out. "Please come back! Nyara want Ark to stay!" She received no reply. Ark had gone. The Meera girl began crying at that point, sinking to her knees and covering her face with her hands before letting a long, sorrowful wail into the night.  
"_Don't leave me!"  
_Nyara's heartbreaking cry was like a knife twisting slowly through Ark's chest. He felt horrible, more horrible than he ever had before…but he knew it was the only possible path he could have chosen. At least he didn't have to worry about where he was to go- the answer had more or less planted itself in his path when he had fled from Nyara. He had run headlong into somebody he hadn't expected to see at all in the middle of the jungle; Zeel. She had been just as surprised as he was, but seized her opportunity and Ark as well. With one hand clamped over his mouth, and the other around his waist, she shot over to the other side of the river and ducked down behind the trunk of a massive tree. She sat against its base with Ark held firmly in her lap so he wouldn't call out to the animal girl, but little did she know that Ark had no intention of doing so.  
"Found you at last," she hissed. "It took me a while. I didn't expect you all to jump ship before it reached port." Ark didn't move or try to resist. Zeel's triumphant smile faded altogether when she felt something warm drip onto her hand. She drew it away from Ark's mouth slowly and turned him around.  
"Hey…why aren't you resisting me?" she asked curiously. Ark didn't respond- he merely sat with his head bowed. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be trying to run away?" Ark shook his head as Zeel got to her knees.  
"Miss Zeel…please take me away," Ark said in a voice so quiet, Zeel had to make sure she wasn't hearing things.  
"What!?" she exclaimed. "You _want_ me to take you?" Ark nodded mutely. "Why?"  
"B-because the oth-others will d-die i-if I stay w-with them," he sobbed for the umpteenth time that night. He just couldn't stop crying. It was as if a floodgate of sorrow had been opened up, washing away all the happiness Ark ever had. The corrupted Meera treasure had also resurrected shreds of memories in his head, bringing doubt to many things about his past.  
"You…you're crying…" Zeel noted curiously. It was then that Ark flung himself at Zeel, clutching at her clothing and letting a fresh wave of tears flow out.  
"P-please, Miss Z-Zeel!" he begged. "You _h-have_ to t-take me away! B-bite me, k-kill me…I-I don't care! Just h-help me!" Zeel nearly threw him off of her, but she stopped herself. Never before had somebody asked- no- _begged_ her to help them in a manner that Ark just had. He was completely at her mercy- he didn't even care what she did to him. She briefly considered giving into her primal urges and draining him completely then and there, but she decided against it. Zeel didn't know why she did what she did next, but she put a hand on the back of his head and held it there.  
"All right," she said quietly, and almost numbly. "I will help you, Ark."


	63. Sick With Sorrow

**Chapter 62 – Sick with Sorrow**

Nyara staggered back to the Meera village just as the sun began to peek over the horizon, casting a bright, yellow glow across the misty jungle. Birds sang and fluttered out over the sea of green like schools of fish in the sea, but to the Meera girl it was all lost. Her legs felt weak, her stomach seemed extremely volatile, but most of all her eyes would not stop shedding tears. They streamed down her face, dribbling down to the point of her chin and dripping onto her chest like concentrated beads of sadness. Ark was gone once again, but this time he hadn't been taken against his will, he had run away and left her. Ark had left her all alone, because if Nyara had no Ark; Nyara had nothing. She slumped down on the ground and let out a choked sob, her hands clutching at the dead leaves and decomposing twigs that littered the forest floor. She felt so _empty_, so sad, and so…sick. Nyara's stomach heaved and she threw up, coughing and choking up all her bile and the food she had eaten the previous night. It was the worst feeling in the world; _nothing_ could even come close to describing it. With what little strength she had, Nyara crawled to the base of the very tree she had been in with Ark only hours ago, and sat with her back against it.  
Florella's eyes snapped open almost the second Nyara touched the tree. She gasped at the overwhelming pain and anguish, and she vaulted out of bed before fluttering out of her room. It took her all of about two seconds to zero in on the source of so much sadness. She had at first thought it to be Ark, but to her surprise she saw Nyara crumpled at the base of the tree.  
"Nyara! Oh, Nyara, what's wrong?" Florella asked, landing next to her. The Meera girl threw her arms around the fairy girl, nearly brining her to the ground.  
"H-h-he gone!" she wailed hopelessly. "G-g-gone!"  
"Gone?" Florella asked.  
"A-Ark! H-h-he l-l-leave N-Nyara! A-Ark run a-away!" She broke into a full-fledged crying-session at that point, soaking Florella's nightie with her hot tears. At the sound of so much noise, Impa and Zelda came running out of the hut.  
"What in the world is going on?" Impa asked, her hair hanging messily about her face without it being held back in its usual manner.  
"It's Ark," Florella sighed, rocking Nyara back and forth. "I think…he ran away."

It took some time for Nyara to sob and choke out what had happened to the rest of the group, but by the end of it all they had gotten a fairly good idea of things.  
"But…why?" Saria murmured. "Why would he run away? I don't understand. It's not like Ark."  
"It's all Gaul's fault," Talen said, biting his lip and clenching his fist around the remains of the Titan Knuckles which he had carried around with him since the battle. The metallic sphere cracked and bent horribly out of shape. Florella flinched slightly. "He did this to Link, and now he's done something to Ark." Florella's little hand clasped around his wrist and he let go of the crushed metal sphere, allowing it to fall to the floor with a dull thud.  
"It's all right, Talen," she told him. "Things will work out."  
"But he _is_ right, you know," Fura sighed. "We've been dealt a pretty bad blow by our enemies. Link's completely unresponsive, and Ark's gone. Hold onto Talen, Florella, you don't want him going as well." The fairy nodded.  
"I don't plan to," she said. "And what have you tried with Link? He hasn't reacted to anything at all?" Fura shook her head sadly.  
"Nothing," she sighed. "I even got his hand and stuck it down my top-" Zelda coughed, interrupting the Gerudo.  
"As Fura was _saying_," she said, glaring at the redhead. "Link seems to be completely cut off from any outside stimulation. I don't know if he can hear us, yet is unable to react on it, or whether his mind has been completely shut off." A thought suddenly occurred to the Princess. "Wait…if Ark's gone, then how do we find the Locks?" Nyara, who was sniveling and sniffing away in Impa's lap, lifted her head.  
"A-Ark l-l-left Compass b-b-behind…N-Nyara w-wake up and f-find it," she choked out. Impa's brow relaxed.  
"Oh Nyara," she sighed, rubbing her hand in big circles on the Meera girl's back. "From the sounds of things he didn't want to leave you- he didn't want to leave any of us. Perhaps he thought that by running away, we'd all live. You _did_ say that Ark told you we'd all die if he stayed with us."  
"But why would something Gaul- or an image of Gaul- would say make him run off? It makes no sense, who would believe a man like that?" Saria frowned, shaking her head. She suddenly winced along with the rest of the room as Nyara heaved and threw up. Luckily, Impa managed to stick her head out the window in time.  
"Oh dear," Zelda almost whimpered, her eyes going moist. "She must feel _terrible_ about Ark."  
"I nearly threw up when Link died at Windhill," Fura murmured solemnly. "It was the worst feeling I have ever, _ever_ felt. It's indescribable, simply indescribable." Zelda nodded in agreement.  
"I know; I felt it too. I could barely keep anything down…but it's almost worse for Nyara in a way," the Princess sighed. "Ark left her; he ran away. Even if he did have some reasoning behind it, it still feels like being abandoned."  
"Shouldn't we try to find him?" Talen said suddenly. "Shouldn't we go and bring Ark back?" Impa shook her head.  
"Where would we begin? Nyara couldn't even follow him by scent, and it's been hours since his flight," the Sheikah woman sighed. "No, I think we have to let Ark make his own decision at this point. Can he bear to be away from Nyara for so long? While that may be easy to answer, there's also the problem of what he was told at the Meera treasure. Will Ark ignore the warning to stay away from us? Or will he wander alone as his price for keeping us safe. All I know is that he's trying to do the right thing."  
"But that's another problem. Ark would never _dream_ of putting himself before another," Florella said morosely. "I'm afraid that he may choose to stay away for fear of our safety." Talen nodded.  
"I think you're right," the smith agreed. "Poor Ark…from all the times I've talked with him, I get the feeling that we're all he has. Ark doesn't have a family waiting for him back home, there's only Aarden and us…specifically Nyara." The group stayed silent for a while, mulling over what had just been said by its members. Fura was the first to speak again.  
"What about Zeel?" she asked. "I'm sure this would be the perfect opportunity for her to come out of the woodwork and snatch him up."  
"Maybe that's a good thing right now," Impa said. The others looked at her in alarm. "Ark is all alone out there, and it's dangerous. At least at Zeel's manor he's locked up safe and away from harm. Zeel won't hurt him, she's promised that. And I feel that Zeel's role in Ark's life has yet to play itself out. She's important." The animal girl let out another heartbroken sob.  
"N-Nyara never s-see Ark again!" she cried. "Why A-Ark run a-away? Ark n-n-no like N-Nyara any-anymore!"  
"Oh Nyara, that simply isn't true," Impa breathed, hugging her tight. "You _will_ see Ark again. You mean too much to him for that not to happen. Have faith that the Goddesses will see fit that you two are brought back together again."

Ark was beginning to get heavy. Zeel grumbled something to herself, peeved over the fact that she was forced to land for rest. She was even more peeved that, again, the Great Fairy that hung around with the others and Ark had put another binding spell on him, forcing her to cover a considerable distance to weaken it. The black-haired girl descended into the trees below, brushing through the canopy and landing in a grassy glade surrounded by knotted old trees. She released Ark from where she had him held tight against her front, and he simply sat against one of the trees without so much as a word. She had half-expected him to run away at the first chance he got, but he didn't. He was definitely acting strangely, as if he no longer cared about what happened to himself. Zeel regarded him for a few moments through narrowed eyes, slightly disappointed in a way that she wouldn't be able to experience the thrill of chasing after him, but instead resigned herself to searching around for something to eat. Zeel was beginning to feel hungry, and when she got hungry, she became somewhat weaker. A brief search of the surrounding area turned up naught but a few fruits that would hardly fill her up, but she ate them anyway and sat down near Ark…just in case he decided to make a run for it, providing her with some entertainment. He did not, and Zeel almost became uneasy with his strange, silent, and sorrowful demeanor. She turned to look at him several times, as if trying to determine the cause of his melancholy appearance, but all it served to do was make her stomach growl. The fruit had been less filling than she had thought, and Zeel's eyes wandered down to Ark's exposed neck. He was sitting with his head bowed, his eyes half-closed. She could hear his heart beating, smell his blood coursing through his veins, and practically taste his delicious energy pulsing throughout his being. Finally, her stomach getting the better of her, Zeel approached Ark with a determined glint in her eye.  
"I am hungry," she told him abruptly. Once again she as prepared for him to react like he had in the past, but instead of cringing away in fear of her pointed teeth; he merely glanced up at her. Zeel looked into his eyes and saw in their depths an unfathomable sadness, but no sooner had their eyes met when Ark swiveled them back to the ground. That irked Zeel somewhat; she didn't like to be ignored.  
"You…are?" he asked. His tone was somewhat dead.  
"I am. Without more strength I cannot move on. I need to feed." He didn't try to stop her in the slightest as she advanced, and Zeel had to admit that it took some of the excitement out of hounding him for his sweet, sweet energy. Zeel also had to admit that she had developed something of a craving for Ark's energy; it was sweet like a ripe peach, not at all tasting like the bland energies of countless other foes she had drained until they were nothing more than husks. Still; she couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth. If Ark wasn't going to defend himself and try to fend her off, then it was a free meal for Zeel. Perhaps due to some predatory instinct, Zeel pinned Ark against the tree so he couldn't move, her arms keeping her prey's at his side while she snaked her hand up and tilted his head. She breathed in deeply, trying to work herself into some kind of frenzy; a common ritual before she drained anything. Zeel could hear his blood coursing along more clearly now, and the heat radiating from his neck bathed her face like a pair of invisible hands. She opened her mouth wide, allowing her incisors to poke out past her top and bottom lips before driving forwards and locking her jaw over his skin. Ark's skin was very soft and smooth, and it punctured quite nicely, causing him to flinch slightly and give a small yelp. Zeel almost smiled, but instead vacuumed her lips against his neck and began to devour his energy greedily. It tasted even better than she had remembered, and she began gulping his energy down with increasing fervor, crushing him slowly with her grip. She flicked her tongue out against his skin, savoring the warmth taste, and she could feel Ark start to shake as he gradually grew weaker and weaker. Now _this_ is how it was supposed to be, Zeel thought; Ark scared and Zeel in control, holding his life in her hands. She closed her eyes and unhooked her jaw from his neck, but kept a firm seal on his skin with her lips. Zeel gave an animalistic growl from behind her teeth, and then bit into Ark's neck harder and with increased ferocity, an almost feral air surrounding the girl. Zeel began to tense and relax her jaw repeatedly, drawing out as much of Ark's power as possible for her to consume. However; through it all, Ark said not a word, and it was only when he began to slump in her grip did Zeel finally release her hold. The black-haired girl pulled away with a small popping sound and several heavy gasps. Zeel's strength returned instantaneously and her senses buzzed, her body filled with her victim's energy. Ark, however; could barely keep his head up, and his neck felt sore from where Zeel had bitten him so hard.  
"It's…almost hard…to stop…" Zeel panted heavily. She waited until her breath returned before continuing. "But why didn't you resist? I want to know." Her eyes suddenly narrowed. "This isn't some kind of trick, is it?" Ark shook his head weakly.  
"I…don't have…anything…left…" he panted. "The others…probably hate me…for what I have…done, and Aarden…" Ark trailed off and closed his eyes. "What would…the point be? At least…you…can get…your strength back. That may be…all I am…good for anymore…" The way he said it seemed so utterly devoid of hope, like he had simply lost all belief in himself. Zeel felt a twinge of something unfamiliar inside her when she heard his words. She had felt it the previous night as well. Was it sympathy? Did she feel pity for Ark as he sat beside her, his heart crushed with guilt and sadness? Zeel shook her head to rid if of such ridiculous thoughts. Ark was nothing more to her than a means of getting what she wanted…but then again, was he really? He had told her that he knew her, that she was more than just a person that she knew _of_…and perhaps she felt the same as well. Zeel had never really known a single person for any length of time like she had known Ark, after all; she practically killed everyone she met because they were mostly the target of somebody else she had been paid to dispose of. But Ark…he had saved her life, preventing her from taking his and forcing her to keep him locked away at her home. She would always be in contact with him, and for the time that they had known each other so far, Zeel had known for the first time in her life what it was like to know another person, not as an adversary, but as something else. Zeel didn't know what that "something else" was, but she _did_ know that the burning hatred she felt for Ark that had boiled away inside her for so long suddenly cooled after their altercation in the kitchen at her home. But at that moment, Zeel didn't want to think about it.  
"We're going," she said. Zeel picked up Ark rather casually and took off, holding him in a powerful grip against her front. She was going to have to travel a fair bit further if she hoped to break the Great Fairy's binding spell.

Argor was beside himself with guilt when he arrived at the door of the guest-tree. Nyara didn't blame him for what happened, in fact; nobody did, but the old Meera still felt entirely responsible.  
"It is an unforgivable thing for Argor to make beloved granddaughter Nyara so sad," he said mournfully. "And a great shame upon Argor as well for causing the mate of Link so much sadness too." Argor reached out and took Fura's hands in his own when he said that. The others looked at him curiously and Zelda puffed her cheeks out at Fura.  
"Link's mate!" she scoffed. Fura at least had the decency to look a little sheepish.  
"Well everyone thought I was his mate, who was I to say no?" she asked innocently. Zelda rolled her eyes.  
"Whether or not Link and Fura have romped around the bedroom is unimportant," Florella said. "Argor, it is _not_ your fault. How could you have known? Gaul is a very tricky opponent, and you were only looking out for Nyara."  
"I certainly hope Fura is _not_ romping around the bedroom with Link," Zelda huffed indignantly. "How inappropriate."  
"I agree with you wholeheartedly, Zelda," Fura nodded, looking rather indignant. Zelda raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised at the Gerudo's reaction. "I haven't had time to get some rope and manacles together. A night with a smoldering Gerudo beauty just wouldn't be the same without them."  
"And there it is," Saria groaned. "A conversation with Fura isn't complete without the lewd remark thrown in for good measure."  
"That way they're never boring," the Gerudo smiled rosily, sitting herself down on Link's bed. "And it keeps Linkie-do on his toes, right sweet-cheeks?" She looked at the comatose boy and patted his leg through the blanket. "Yes, of course I'm right."

Nyara kept the Compass close by at all times. It smelled of Ark, and Nyara wanted to keep that smell firmly etched in her senses so that, soon, she could search him out and be with him again. She had just about cried out all of her tears, since no more seemed to come. She still felt sad, but she was beginning to accept the fact that Ark hadn't run away to abandon her, he had run away to save her, and for that she wanted to find him even more. She sat in his room, or more accurately, lay in his room amongst his blankets so that she could be surrounded by his scent. It was comforting, and almost like he was there, but she missed being able to lick his face whenever it took her fancy. And so Nyara told herself then that, after she brought Ark back, she would keep him by her side forever, because Ark was the thing Nyara had found that made her most happy. In fact, she felt that with all her heart, she-  
"Nyara!" The voice cut through Nyara's thoughts, bringing her back to reality. The Meera girl rolled over and padded onto the floor. She looked out of the door to see Saria standing at the base of the tree. "Nyara! Your family is here to see you! Come down!" Nyara didn't reply. She didn't trust herself to speak, lest her voice come out dry, choked and cracked from all the crying she had done. And so she simply complied with Saria's request, climbing down from the tree and keeping her thoughts for another time.  
Nyara's mother, father, and siblings were puzzled as to why she was so upset. Argor had merely summoned them there under the pretense that Nyara needed lots of attention and coddling. Oora swept up her daughter and murmured words of comfort to her while the rest of her family swarmed around. Meera families were obviously very tight-knit, and it was obvious that- despite her runt-status- Nyara was very much a central figure in the family. Oora eventually put her daughter down after Nyara had sobbed out the events surrounding the previous night with fresh tears. Nyara had thought that she'd cried all she could, but going back over Ark's running away brought on a new wave of the salty beads of water. Oora studied her daughter for a moment with an expression of pity, and then resignation. She turned to her mate, Garr, and looked at him steadily. Garr blinked, shook his head slightly, but under a frostier gaze from Oora, he sighed and nodded, agreeing with her on some unspoken issue.  
"Eyara go walk with Nyara," Oora told her tallest daughter. "Sisters look after sisters." Eyara put an arm around Nyara's puffy shoulders and led her out of the hut.  
"Poor Nyara," Oora sighed. She sat down at the table while Garr headed off with Gurr, Rooga, Chak, and Boe. Mii, Miamm, and Nanu had managed to sniff Link out, and had scuttled up onto his bed at the back of the hut, but to their dismay, he wouldn't wake up from his sleep. They looked over at Florella with a questioning look on their little faces, and the Great Fairy picked them up off the bed.  
"Not today, girls," she sighed, straightening the blanket. "Link's…sick." They cocked their heads to the side.  
"Ow?" Miamm asked. Florella nodded.  
"Yes, ow," she repeated. Their little Meera faces drooped and their bottom lips quivered. They may have been young, but they knew what it meant when somebody wasn't waking up.  
"Big ow?" Nanu asked.  
"Oh! Nonononono!" Florella said quickly. "He isn't dead! No! He's just sleeping…and we need to find a way to wake him up, understand?" The little girls' looked relieved, but still forlorn. "Don't be sad, girls. Link will be fine in no time at all. And when he wakes up he can play with you all day long!" _That_ brightened their little faces considerably, and they hopped back up onto the bed. They began to pat Link's head with their little hand, to which Florella breathed a sigh of relief and headed back to the table to speak with Oora about Ark and Nyara.

"Does Nyara like this Ark person?" Eyara asked her smaller sister curiously. The two siblings had wandered out of the village and into a quiet spot in the ruins. The place in which they walked appeared to be the courtyard of an ancient, domed building that had long since succumbed to the advances of the jungle's trees, creepers, and mosses. Nyara nodded in response to Eyara's question.  
"Ark is Nyara's favorite person in the world," she mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. "Even though Ark run away…Nyara still like Ark more than anybody. Ark is kind and gentle, but he also very brave. He always try to do right thing, even if Ark have to suffer." Nyara sniffed, and then sighed. "Nyara don't want Ark to suffer. Nyara want to look after Ark…so Nyara is going to find Ark and keep him with Nyara forever." Eyara looked at her sister. Unlike herself, Nyara had never really taken a shine to the boys in the village, most likely because none of them had never really taken a shine to her. Of course; the boy's didn't dislike her…they just viewed Nyara as weak and, well, as a runt. Eyara had always been a little upset about that, herself being rather popular with the boys. But Nyara had proven that size didn't matter by transforming into a powerful Bloodcat- a fact that Eyara was still unclear on. How was Nyara able to do it? It was written that only the strongest Meera could ever hope to become a Bloodcat, and here was Nyara, the smallest in the village; able to become a beast of legend.  
"Does Nyara like Ark enough to be his mate?" Eyara asked. Nyara stopped suddenly and looked at the ground. Did she? Did she really adore Ark so much that she would become his mate?  
"Nyara doesn't know," she whispered. "All Nyara knows is that she wants to stay with Ark all the time. Nyara doesn't know if Ark feels the same because he so shy…but Nyara want to find out." Eyara regarded her sister for a few moments before nodding.  
"Then Nyara must find Ark and bring him back so she can find out," the taller Meera said. "If Ark is a good a person as Nyara say…then Eyara will help Nyara and Ark however she can." Nyara blinked, and then impulsively embraced her taller sibling. Eyara sighed and patted Nyara on the back. "Don't cry, Nyara. You need be strong to find Ark…and convince others that Teebo will not be your mate." Nyara looked up at her sister's face.  
"Nyara _won't_ be Teebo's mate!" she declared fiercely.  
"Family of Teebo may try to keep Nyara to mate arrangement because Nyara is Bloodcat, and Bloodcat have high-status," Eyara frowned. "But Eyara will help Nyara in any way she can, and Eyara will make brothers and sisters agree too."

Zeel bore holes into Ark with her eyes as the boy lay curled in a tight ball amidst the roots of a knotted old tree. The black-haired girl had found a place to rest, having flown for a rather lengthy amount of time. Her stopover also meant that she could wait for the demon-girl, as having her help would make it easier to break the Great Fairy's binding imposed on Ark. The boy himself had passed out not long after she had set out from the clearing. Zeel wasn't surprised; he was probably exhausted from having his energy drained. Upon landing, Zeel had carefully put him amongst the roots to hide him in case one of his companions turned up while she was off finding water to drink. Her main concern was the cat. When she grew all big and red, her speed was utterly incredible, and she didn't even want to _think_ about the blonde boy Link. Zeel could feel the demon half residing in his body, and she knew it was powerful after witnessing him defeat Gravan back at Windhill. Zeel shook her head. They didn't even know which direction she had gone in- how could any of them catch up? The girl chuckled to herself and wandered back to where she had left Ark. He was still there, lying at the base of the tree. He was also still asleep, but Zeel hadn't really expected him to move even if he was awake.  
"What, I wonder, happened to you…?" Zeel murmured curiously to herself, squatting down in front of Ark. She stared at him for some time, as if trying to get an answer simply by studying his appearance, but all she was able to determine was that he looked very drawn. Zeel craned her head forward and examined the rather savage bite-mark on his neck. There were four punctures there, two from her upper incisors, and two from the lower ones. Even in Ark's weakened state, they had already started to heal, but it still looked rather painful. Zeel reached out and gingerly touched her finger to the wound, receiving a flinch from Ark in response, telling her that it obviously _was_ causing the boy a good deal of pain. A feeling of something resembling guilt welled up inside the girl. If she had gone further, she probably would have killed him, but Ark's energy was so…_delicious!_ It was warm, vitalizing, and very, very sweet. It was almost like drinking nectar, but Zeel was so used to letting her instincts take over that it was very hard to stop herself. It was like a Wolfos stopping itself from sinking its fangs into a deer's neck, dragging it down and biting, biting into its soft neck and-  
"Ho-hoo! About to have a snack, are you?" Zeel whirled around at the sound of the voice, and found the demon-girl floating nonchalantly in the air behind her.  
"Oh, it's you," Zeel snorted. "And no, I wasn't about to have a snack. I already have." The demon-girl dropped onto the ground with a jingle of bells.  
"Huhm, no wonder he's sleeping," she grunted, walking over. "Holy jeez! You really went to town on his neck, didn't you." Zeel glared at the girl. "Oh well, he heals fast, right? And I'm surprised you got him so fast…how'd you do it?" Zeel looked back at Ark with an unreadable expression.  
"He wanted me to take him," she said. "It was almost like he'd just…given up on everything. You could almost smell the despair."  
"You almost sound sorry for him," the demon smirked. Zeel turned her head sharply and glared at the green-skinned girl. "Hey, hey, easy!" The demon held her hand up. "You know that isn't such a bad thing, Zeel. Perhaps pity will stop your from going overboard like you obviously nearly did before. Don't indulge yourself too zealously, or you may find you'll end up doing something you really don't want to. The dead don't get better, Zeel, and you promised not to kill him." The demon-girl said the last part slowly, letting the words stick to her tongue.  
"Enough," Zeel said curtly. "Now that you're here, we can hurry up and get him back to the manor. He won't be trying to escape this time."  
"And perhaps I'll have somebody that's better at a conversation than you," the demon-girl nodded. Zeel gave her an unreadable look. "What? Hey, I may be a demon, but that doesn't mean I like spending all my time with nobody to talk to but you." She looked down at the sleeping Ark and narrowed her eyes. "I'm curious about a lot of things, Zeel, and I want to know more about Ark…maybe he'll tell me why he's so eager to let you get your claws on him?" Zeel looked at the demon-girl in disgust, before striding past her.  
"If you're so eager to get to know him, _you_ carry him," she scowled. The green-skinned girl watched Zeel walk away, and then stuck her tongue out at her before stooping down to pick up Ark. As she stood up with the boy in her arms, she noticed the streaks of dried tears on his face.  
"Ark," she murmured, walking after Zeel. "Why so sad?"


	64. Familiar Faces

**Chapter 63 – Familiar Faces**

Ark wasn't even surprised when he awoke to find himself back in his dark room at Zeel's manor. In fact; he didn't even care. He felt weak, but the wound on his neck had almost healed despite his lack of energy, though Ark didn't care about those either. Lightning streaked across the sky outside his window, illuminating the room with a burst of light. Ark was all alone in that room and the thought of being like that for the rest of his days brought a chill to him, despite being covered in warm blankets. He sat up slowly and swung his legs out of bed, setting himself down on the floor gingerly since he was still feeling slightly out of sorts after being weakened by Zeel. The grey-haired boy didn't feel like just lying down and doing nothing; it allowed his mind to think about what had happened at the Meera treasure- something he definitely _didn't_ want to remember. The best thing to do was keep his mind occupied with something else, and Ark could think of no better place than Zeel's library. With all of those books, how could he not keep his mind occupied? Ark opened the door of his room and stepped out, closing it behind him and walking slowly down the hall. He noted idly that the wall Link had hurled Zeel and the demon-girl into the last time he was at the manor had been repaired. Oddly enough, the manor felt like a place where Ark could finally rest after all the troubles and fighting he had gone through with the others, it felt almost like a home. But then Ark remembered what he had seen when the phantom of Gaul had broken into his mind and shown him all of those horrible images. He no longer had a home, a place in the world where he could go back to. Indeed, in his current state, Ark believed was that Zeel's manor was perhaps the closest thing he had to a home.  
With the aid of a lantern and the light of the fireplace, Ark was able to sit quite comfortably in the recesses of the vast library and read. It was all he could do to keep his mind busy, for if he grew idle, then his thoughts drifted back to the things he had been shown at the Meera treasure, and worse; the companions he had abandoned. He didn't care what he read, just so long as it kept him occupied, and the bigger the book, the better. Ark was unaware how much time passed in that book-bound room, but it must have been some time, for the creaking of the door announced that somebody was approaching.  
"So this is where you've gone." It was Zeel. She stood by one of the tall bookshelves with a solemn look on her face, a look that did not look out of place on the girl. In fact; Ark believed her entire library of expressions centered around either "angry" or "serious". He had seen her smile, but Zeel's smiles were not real. They were cruel smiles, smiles of grudging satisfaction and smugness. Ark glanced up at her slowly, but was unable to meet her gaze. He didn't feel he could look at anyone anymore, not after abandoning those that had stuck by him, and certainly not after making Nyara cry. To Ark, that was an unforgivable crime.  
"Hello, Miss Zeel," he said quietly. "I hope you do not mind me using your library. I need something to keep my thoughts away from other subjects at the moment." Ark's voice was somewhat monotone. Zeel merely watched him go back to reading.  
"You shouldn't be moving about just yet. You are still weak," she told him after a length of silence. Ark gripped the book more tightly.  
"You don't need to concern yourself with me, Miss Zeel," Ark said. "I just want to sit here and read." Zeel narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to Ark. She reached out and pressed her palm against his forehead. Ark immediately jerked away, as if being burned by her touch.  
"I'm not going to hurt you, I'm just checking your temperature," she frowned. "You have a chill."  
"I'm just a little cold," Ark told her, keeping his eyes firmly rooted in the book. Zeel scowled and snatched it from his hands. The boy flinched and looked into his lap.  
"Look at me," Zeel told him. "I don't like being ignored." When he didn't look at her, Zeel grabbed his chin and forced his head up until he was. "Go back to your room and stay there until you are back to full strength. You can come back here and read after that."  
"Ahh, leave the boy alone," a voice interrupted. Zeel's head immediately snapped up, and a look of disgust appeared on her face.  
"Oh, it's _you_," she grunted. "What do you want?" The demon-girl dropped down from the ceiling with a small, acrobatic flourish.  
"I just came to say hello," the girl said innocently. "Don't get your knickers in a twist, Zeel." Zeel's right eye twitched, causing the demon-girl to smirk at her.  
"Well then leave," Zeel told her. "You're not needed."  
"And you are?" The demon scoffed "It doesn't look like Ark wants to go back to his room. Just let him be, it's not like he's moving around in here, he's just sitting down. Besides; he's in front of the fire, so he's not going to get cold." Zeel stared at the girl and then shifted her gaze to Ark, who was still sitting with his chin in her hand. She let his head drop.  
"I'm not leaving him here with _you_," she scowled. The demon-girl snorted and folded her arms across her chest.  
"What, worried that I'll try to have a quick snack on his energy? Give me some more credit, Zeel. I know he's weak, I won't try it while he's in this state," the green-skinned girl told the black-haired girl. "And what's this? You're worried about Ark's well-being? Why, I thought you hated him, Zeel." The sound of Zeel's teeth grinding together grated through the air.  
"Rrgh! I don't hate-" Zeel stopped herself and narrowed her eyes before tossing Ark's book into his lap. "All right, fine. Stay here with him if you like. I have more important things to do." Zeel turned on her heel and marched away, but then she stopped, and turned back to Ark. She slowly leaned down until her face was but a few inches from his.  
"Watch yourself," she told him, and then she left. Silence permeated the room for several moments, before the demon-girl finally spoke up.  
"Well I thought she'd _never_ leave!" she laughed. "Zeel's a real stick-in-the-mud, don't you agree?" Ark didn't reply, and instead kept his attention rooted in his book. The demon-girl looked at him curiously, her large ears twitching. Ark's behavior puzzled her. He no longer seemed to care about anything, specifically, anything that happened to him. That was made evident enough by his indifference to Zeel's feasting on his neck. The demon sat down in the air across from Ark with her legs crossed while the boy tried not to look at her.  
"Hey…what's the matter with you?" she asked, craning her head forwards. Ark remained silent, and turned the page of his book. "Come on; tell me what's gotten into you." Still, he didn't reply, and the demon-girl frowned. "Something happened…didn't it." Ark tensed, and gripped the book with shaky hands.  
"I am…all right," Ark told the girl. "And you don't need to stay here, Miss. There are probably a lot more things you could be doing than sitting in here."  
"Nope," the girl said casually, leaning back. "There's nothing for me to do around here at the moment. I'll just wait around until you're ready to talk." And so they sat in silence, with Ark reading his book, and the demon-girl watching Ark. Neither of them spoke, but Ark could feel the strange girl's eyes boring into him. He fidgeted uncomfortably and turned the page, but to his surprise, he found his hand shaking uncontrollably. Ark dropped the book, causing the girl to sit up in surprise. She watched as Ark held his hand up in front of his face and stared at it with a blank expression.  
"Miss…what is your…favorite colour?" Ark asked her eventually. The girl blinked.  
"Favorite colour?" she repeated. "Well…my favorite colour is red, just like my eyes…why?" Ark looked from his hand to the girl.  
"And…your favorite smell, favorite food, favorite number, and all of those things…you know all of those things too?" he asked, his voice cracking in some places. The girl nodded.  
"Of course, why wouldn't I?" she said. Ark smiled sadly.  
"Then…why can't I remember any of mine?" he asked. The demon-girl stared at him as he looked down at his hands. "My favorite colour, food, smell, all of it…there's nothing there. It's all a blank." Several large tears dribbled down his cheeks and splashed onto his palms.  
And so Ark told the demon-girl about what had happened. He told her about the Meera treasure, Gaul's phantom, what had happened to Link, and what would happen to his companions if he stayed with them.  
"And he showed me…my home…Agria Village…Aarden is gone," Ark murmured. "He's dead. Gaul had the house burned down in the night…Aarden was inside, and he couldn't get out. Gaul told me that's the same fate that would await the others, so now…I have nothing. My friends meant everything to me…but they'll die if I'm with them…there's nothing left." He looked up at the demon-girl with his big, green eyes. "And my memories…what's happening to them? All the little things…birthdays, playing, and…just going to sleep every night…I can't remember them. Why? Why can't I remember?" The demon-girl said nothing. What could she say? Ark had lost it all, and it seemed unfair- even to a demon- that somebody like him should suffer such a fate. Neither herself, nor Zeel knew why their "employer" wanted Ark out of the picture so badly, and that in itself seemed strange. What harm could Ark do to anybody? He wasn't a fighter; he was no harm to anybody, so why did they want him dead?  
"And the voices…" Ark breathed, continuing. "I could hear them talking about something…saying that it was a failure…that the archetype was useless." He curled into a ball and hid his face in his hands. "And then there was pain…horrible pain. What's happening to me? Mother…father…I-" Ark stopped suddenly and looked up, his eyes wide with horror. The green-skinned girl sitting across from him looked slightly alarmed.  
"What is it?" she asked.  
"Mother and Father…their names…" Ark choked. "I…don't know them!"

Florella sighed and rubbed at her temples, a good indicator that she wasn't having much luck with whatever task she was attempting to complete. At Florella's sigh, Fura and Zelda sighed also, flopping down onto Link's mattress like a couple of ragdolls. The wind rustled through the trees outside, and the sounds of the Meera children playing echoed into the hut; a stark contrast to the gloomy air surrounding the people inside.  
"No luck again?" the Gerudo groaned.  
"Oh no," Zelda pouted. "You can't reach _anything_ at all, Florella?" The Great Fairy shook her head and leaned back on the bed with her arms propping her up.  
"There's nothing. Absolutely nothing," the fairy said. "I'm nearly at my wit's end trying to find a way to reach him."  
"It's true that we're in a right mess," Impa murmured, folding her arms across her chest. "Zelda, there's nothing you can do?" The Princess sat up and ran her delicate fingers through her hair.  
"I spent a good deal of time last night trying to reach Link's mind like I did when he faced off with Gaul on that frozen lake…but Link cannot answer my call," she said.  
"Ugh," Fura grunted, rolling over. "If we give him several days, maybe he'll wake up because of hunger. It's not like Link to go very long without a meal." Florella hopped off the bed and went over to a small basin filled with water. She splashed a little on her face, and then ran her fingers through her long, dark-purple hair.  
"I need a rest," she groaned. "Talen, will you sit outside with me?" The smith looked up from his seat in the corner, where he was busy mending one of Link's boots. He looked down at his work, and then back to Florella, deciding that Link wouldn't really be needing it in a hurry.  
"All right," he said, putting the boot down with its twin. "I can mend it later."

Florella puttered along while Talen walked steadily behind her. Neither of them had any exact location in mind, so they were content to simply wander until they found a suitable place to sit down. Soon enough, they did. On the fringe of the village they happened upon a crumbled fountain that still had water bubbling up into it from the ground underneath. Florella thought that it was absolutely delightful, and whipped off her small sandals and dipped her dainty little feet in the water. The fairy girl was wholly preoccupied with splashing her toes about for some time while Talen sat nearby, content to just sit and watch her go about her business. Looking at her as she was, it seemed hard to believe that Florella was truly several-thousand years old, after all; she barely acted like she was twelve most of the time.  
"Ugh, this is frustrating me to no end," the girl groaned suddenly. Talen blinked.  
"What is?" he asked dumbly.  
"All this hoo-ha with Link," she said. "I'm trying my hardest…but I just can't reach him. It's like trying to break through a wall with your bare hands." She looked at Talen after saying that. "Although that analogy is probably lost on you, Talen." The boy smiled wryly.  
"Things will work themselves out, Florella," he told her. "They always do. Link will wake up, Ark will come back, and we'll all be one big dysfunctional family again." Florella smiled and nodded, feeling slightly better about things after hearing Talen's words of support. The smith was so earnest and trustworthy, how could things _not_ work out now?  
"You know something, Talen?" Florella smiled. "I-" The Great Fairy stopped suddenly, a wary expression washing over her face. Talen looked at her curiously.  
"What is it, Florella?" he asked. "Is something wro-"  
"Shhh!" she hissed, bringing a finger to her lips. "Can you feel it? Something's amiss here." Her little antennae were twitching madly, zipping around in all directions until, suddenly; they twanged forwards as if magnetized. A breeze wafted through the forest, stirring up a flurry of leaves and drawing a series of protesting creaks from the boughs of the trees above them.  
"Yes…" Talen frowned. "There's something here…" He stood up and looked around cautiously, but the only things that seemed to be moving were the Meera pottering around their village. From somewhere in the jungle came a faint distant sound, like a voice carried on the breeze. It seemed familiar, haunting and…lost. The Meera that were going about their business in the background suddenly stopped what they were doing and looked about, their highly sensitive ears picking up the sound far better than Florella or Talen could.  
"We should go back to the others," Florella said warily. "I don't like this. Perhaps Gaul is back to-" Florella didn't have time to speaking. A pitch-black shape vaguely resembling a person came streaking out of the trees. It darted about almost faster than anyone's eyes could follow, flying just above the ground in a seemingly erratic manner. As it flew about, an arm was lowered and dark, claw-like fingers stretched out and pierced the ground, tearing up the turf in its wake.  
"Wh-what the heck _is_ that thing!?" Florella squeaked, clinging to Talen's arm. "And what's it doing?"  
"I don't know," Talen said. "But it doesn't appear to be harming anybody…it's just moving about like it doesn't know what to do." A group of Meera scattered as the dark creature headed straight towards them, continuing its gouging of the ground. When it reached the spot on which they had been standing, it turned sharply and continued on in another direction. The creature continued on in that manner for some time until, suddenly; it shot straight up in the air, and then plunged into the ground, vanishing in a wave of shadow. The stunned Florella and Talen stared at the spot at which it had disappeared in silence, as did the Meera. Nobody moved until Talen broke the silence.  
"Well, that sure was interesting," Talen frowned, peeling Florella off his arm. "Whatever it was." The Meera began to go about their business once more, neither hearing nor smelling anything out of the ordinary.  
"I'll say," Florella breathed in relief. "I thought for sure it was some minion of Gaul's. I wonder what it was?" Talen shook his head.  
"All it did was fly in, tear up the ground, and then disappear. Look at all the churned earth, it's like it was trying to plough a paddock. We really _should_ head back to the other now and tell them what we saw." But Florella was looking down at the gouges in the earth with interest. She scuttled about, her antennae vibrating in excitement.  
"It's…not just random scratchings," she frowned. "It's writing!"  
"Writing?" Talen blinked. "What does it say?" Florella looked around.  
"I can't see it all from here…just give me a few seconds…" The Great Fairy's wings whirred to life and she drifted up into the hair. Higher and higher she went until she was hovering near the canopy of the forest. And there, from her vantage point, she could see everything. The creature had drawn a crude picture of the Triforce into the ground, but there was also something else…  
"What does it say?" Talen called up. Florella shook her head in amazement.  
"Help us!" she shouted. "It wanted our help! Talen, it's Link!"

"Y-you're positive!?" Saria demanded. "_Really_ positive!?"  
"I saw it! It had the Triforce and it said "help us" as clear as day!" Florella babbled. "Link's mind isn't sealed away; it's not even in his body anymore! It's his demon half!" The others looked at her in confusion.  
"Demon half? What's that got to do with things?" Fura asked. Florella sprung over to Link and lifted his arm up.  
"Look, his skin is back to normal, see? The demon in him must have been banished by Gaul's curse, but it also banished his mind! Link and his demon side must be trapped somewhere. They need our help!" The room was abuzz with excitement as the girls chittered and chattered to each other, eager to have Link up and about once again. However; Impa took it upon herself to put a dampener on the mood.  
"I hate to be the bringer of bad news…but we don't know where they are," the tall woman frowned. "We have to find them first." That seemed to burst everyone's bubble.  
"Impa's right," Talen agreed. "I guess we could start looking at the place where Florella and I saw that dark figure before…" Florella shook her head.  
"I doubt that would give us any help, Talen," she said. "What we saw must have been a projection, or else why didn't it stay around? That was why it was moving so fast, it had to work quickly before its projection faded." Zelda nodded in agreement.  
"Though it must have been quite strong to actually to dig up the ground like that. Projections are usually nothing more than an image," the Princess said. Fura pounded her fist down on the table.  
"Well we need to start looking somewhere," she told everyone brusquely. "I can't survive without my butt-grabbing supply for much longer!"  
"Fura, please," Talen groaned. The others chuckled lightly. Zelda cleared her throat gently to get everybody's attention.  
"I think it would be a good idea to go to the Meera treasure first," she suggested. "After all, that's where Link was separated from his body; perhaps he and the demon are there."  
"Ah! Zelda, you're a genius!" Florella exclaimed. "Everyone, we're off to see Argor, and then we're going to the Meera treasure. Link'll be back before we know it." Then, the second Florella finished speaking; there came the sounds of a flurry of excitement from outside. They could hear the Meera calling out to each other with eagerness evident in their voices, and then came the stomping of feet as they all headed towards something.  
"What in the world…?" Impa frowned, peering out the door. The others went past her into the outdoors and looked around for the source of all the excitement, finding that a brightly-decorated wagon had rolled into the village. It was tethered to a black horse of considerable size, its wooden exterior touched with rich, earthy colours of red, brown, and ochre. The roof was a rich blue, whilst the wheels deep green and flecked with trodden leaves and clods of dirt.  
"Well what do you know?" Fura whistled. "Performers."  
"And not just any performers," Florella said, standing on her tiptoes and squinting her eyes at several figures who had just emerged from the wagon. There were six performers in all, but standing amongst them were three familiar-looking ladies. It was the women who had dressed as the Goddesses in the parade at Windhill.

_The archetype is useless!…don't destroy it…some use perhaps…get it out of my sight…dispose of it…you can't get anything right!…we don't have the Key! it won't open!…have to make do…you will die, traitorous old man!…DESTROY IT!  
_Ark's eyes few open and he sat up with a start. Sweat had beaded on his brow like raindrops, plastering some of his hair down.  
"What…? Dream…just a dream…" he panted, sinking himself back down into the chair he sat in. Ark was still in the library. The fire popped and crackled merrily away in the hearth, radiating its welcome warmth onto the boy. The book he had been reading lay upturned on the floor from where it had slipped off the arm of the chair, spread open to the last page he had turned to. Ark bent down and picked it up, making sure none of the pages were dog-eared before closing it carefully. Finally, he let out a shuddering sigh of relief, wiping his forehead with his sleeve.  
"Did you have a nightmare?" The question sounded incredulous. Ark jumped slightly at the voice, and lightning cracked the dark sky outside, illuminating the room for a brief instant. The demon-girl still sat across from him, a speculative look on her face. In the flickering firelight, she _did_ look rather imposing, her demonic features half-hidden in the dark. Her eyes tightened slightly as she searched his face. He'd cried himself to sleep several hours prior to his sudden awakening, and she had just sat there, unsure of what to do. She'd never seen a person cry before, so the experience was entirely new to her. After Ark's sniffling had subsided, she had approached and peered closely at the tears that had beaded on his cheeks, even reaching out with a tentative finger to collect one of the droplets of salty liquid.  
"O-oh," Ark mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sorry I disturbed you…" The demon-girl blinked. Why was he apologizing? The girl shook that question aside and squinted at the boy.  
"You don't look too good," she pointed out. "Are you hungry?" The thought of food did nothing for Ark, and he shook his head slowly.  
"No thank you…I don't feel like eating." Silence again.  
"You really should eat," the green-skinned girl frowned. "It will help you get your strength back."  
"No thank you," Ark repeated. The girl frowned; she obviously wasn't going to get him eating. She sat there for some time, watching him. Ark piqued her curiosity for a number of reasons, especially now that he seemed so upset.  
"Do you think I look hideous?" she asked out of the blue. Ark flinched visibly upon hearing her question, and he looked over, yet refused to make eye contact.  
"N-no…" he said slowly. "Why do…why do you ask?" The girl shrugged.  
"Other people do. I think it's the skin and the ears," she said in a rather flippant manner. Ark was almost gobsmacked. He had to admit that her appearance was unusual, especially considering the green skin and large, pointed ears…but her face was actually very pretty. In fact; her unusual features only seemed to compliment her appearance. "Zeel has a thing against me…it's actually kinda funny…"  
"Miss Zeel…isn't the easiest person to get along with," Ark murmured quietly, silently afraid that the ill-tempered girl was somehow listening in on the conversation.  
"Hah! That's an understatement if ever I heard one," the demon-girl laughed. "Zeel always seems to have a stick up her backside about something…usually me…but them's the breaks, I suppose." Silence again. The fire popped, sending up a small plume of sparks into the chimney. The girl sat and watched Ark as he tried to keep his eyes open. His lids would droop, his head would nod, and then he'd sit bolt-upright, as if afraid of falling asleep.  
"Why don't you go to bed?" the silver-haired girl asked. "Wouldn't that be more comfortable?" Ark shook his head.  
"I don't want to sleep," he murmured tiredly. "I'll dream then…and then the nightmares come…they can't stop them now…whoever they are…"  
"What are the nightmares about?" the girl asked. "Maybe talking about them will help." Ark swiveled his sad, green eyes over to the demon.  
"Miss…why are you being so nice to me?" he asked. The girl blinked and leaned back in the air.  
"Because you're nice to me," she told him. "Nobody is ever nice to me. Besides, you're good company in this otherwise lonely place, so I have just as much reason to keep you here as Zeel. But whereas she wants you here for her reward, I simply crave some company." Again, silence. "Do you resent us for bringing you here?"  
"No." Ark's reply was surprisingly fast. "The others are probably better off without me at the moment…I don't even know what's happening to me at the moment." Ark sighed bitterly and looked down at his hands. "What kind of person forgets his parents' names?" The girl had no reply to his question, and so they sat in silence for a while longer, listening to the fire and the occasional rumble of thunder.  
"You really should eat, you know."


	65. Link's Awakening

**Chapter 64 – Link's Awakening**

"We can talk to them later," Zelda said, tugging on Impa's arm. "We need to get to the Meera treasure!" Impa looked down at her charge.  
"Pardon? Oh! Yes, of course," the Sheikah woman coughed. "Come on, all of you. We can say hello after we've come back." The group moved on from the gathering Meera and headed for Argor's hut. A quick explanation to the old man gave them access to the temple containing the treasure. Argor was, after all; still feeling extremely guilty about what had happened. He led the to the temple's entrance and past the big Meera guards that protected it, before taking them inside. The inner-chamber awaited them at the end of the long corridor. Argor pushed open the heavy doors and allowed them all to enter before closing it behind him with a dull clang.  
"All right," Florella announced, wringing her hands. "I don't know what we're looking for, but…just call out if you see anything unusual."

"Why aren't you eating?" Ark jumped for the umpteenth time since arriving at the manor and whirled around. Zeel stood between the many bookcases with her arms folded across her chest, a flat expression on her face. The demon-girl had left some time earlier, stating that she had something important to do, leaving Ark to himself.  
"M-miss Zeel," Ark breathed. "You startled me." It seemed that both Zeel and the demon-girl enjoyed popping up out of nowhere.  
"Why aren't you eating?" Zeel asked again. Ark glanced down at the pile of books beside his chair.  
"I've been reading…and I'm not very hungry at the moment," he murmured.  
"You're a poor liar," Zeel scoffed. "You _are_ hungry." She walked swiftly towards him and poked his stomach with her finger, eliciting a long and loud growl from it. Ark squeaked in embarrassment and clutched at his belly with his hands. Zeel smirked as Ark squirmed under her gaze. It was amusing to see how her abrupt manner made the boy uncomfortable.  
"You just don't want to eat because you're feeling sorry for yourself," Zeel told him, clattering a plate of meat down on a small stool. Ark looked up at her sharply. Was she right? "The demon told me what happened to you…and even I can't say that I'd wish that upon any soul. But you just have to suck it up, Ark. You made your choice to leave them, you weighed up what you wanted against what was best for them, and if you made the right choice in your mind, then you have to stick with it." Ark stared at her with his mouth hanging slightly open.  
"Are you trying…to make me feel better?" Ark asked incredulously. "I'm sorry for asking, but…it doesn't seem like you, that's all." Zeel almost gave a start, but restrained herself.  
"I suppose I am," she shrugged. "Like it or not, as you know me, I know you too, and that means I cannot bring myself to watch your starve to death." They stared at each other for the longest of moments before Zeel broke the silence. "Now eat the food and get your strength back, or else I will hold you down and stuff it down your throat myself."

Since the inner-chamber of the temple was so small, it didn't take very long to search from top to bottom. However; the search appeared ultimately fruitless, as nobody could find hide nor hair of the demon _or_ Link.  
"Oh dear," Florella sighed, rubbing her temples. "I thought for sure that Zelda was right about them being here."  
"Well it was a good idea to look here anyway," Impa frowned. "Don't worry, we know Link isn't helpless, I'm sure another clue will present itse-" A sharp whistle cut Impa off, and the group turned to face Talen, who was kneeling over the treasure itself.  
"Sorry to interrupt," Talen apologized. "But I think this may be something." There was a mad scramble from Fura and Zelda in particular, and everyone in the room was suddenly crowded around the glowing blue disc in the center of the gold Meera statues. A startled oath escaped Florella's lips and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head.  
"Oh my God! It's…I can't believe I'm staring right at it!" There were similar gasps from those around her. Beneath the surface of the blue disk was a perfect, completely unflawed golden triangle. It spun lazily, its shining surface reflecting the blue light of the treasure up at the people gathered above.  
"It's…the Triforce of Courage! In the flesh…erm, in the gold!" Florella squeaked.  
"It must have come out of Link when he was hit by the corruption in the treasure…but why does he still have the mark on his hand if he doesn't have his part of the Triforce?" Talen frowned. Zelda snapped her fingers.  
"Link and the demon must be inside it! Why else would the mark stay on his hand? Link is still its owner!" Zelda exclaimed, looking down at her own mark. The group stared down at the rotating Triforce piece for a little while longer, that is, until Talen brought up the subject of how they were going to get it out of the Meera treasure. There was a moment of embarrassed silence before the golden mark on the back of Zelda's hand flashed once, causing the Triforce of Courage beneath her to do the same. It slowly began to rise, passing through the surface of the Meera treasure and forcing the people gathered around it to jump back.  
"It's…bigger than I thought it would be," Saria admitted. The Triforce of Courage was at least half as tall as Talen, and about six inches thick. Fura looked at Zelda and squinted.  
"And you sit one of those in your body _how?_" she asked curiously. Zelda gave her a flat look, but then scratched the side of her face.  
"I do have to agree with Saria, though…it is rather big," she smiled.  
"Talen will have to carry it back to Link," Florella said, walking up and peering into one of its large, flat sides as it hung in the air above the treasure. "He's the only one strong enough to carry a lump of gold that bi-" The Triforce piece suddenly dropped onto the ground with a loud clang, causing everyone to jump, and then, before anyone could react; it toppled over slowly and knocked Florella to the ground, pinning her beneath it.  
"Yeeeee! Get it off meeeeeee! It's heavy!" she wailed, struggling pathetically. Talen quickly lifted it off of her, and then, realizing what he was holding; nearly dropped it onto the floor. Florella scrambled to her feet and dusted herself off.  
"Owww," she moaned. "Well I guess that proves that Link is inside it." She looked accusingly at the golden triangle Talen was holding.  
"Erm…" the smith said uncertainly. "Should I…be holding this?" Zelda looked at him strangely.  
"Why?"  
"Well…it's a part of the Goddesses isn't it? I mean…doesn't that make it something of a holy relic?" he asked, shifting it in his arms.  
"The holiest," Zelda agreed. "But I wouldn't worry about touching it, Talen. The Goddesses won't suddenly smite you down for getting your fingerprints all over their work." Talen looked shocked.  
"I'm not, am I?" he gasped, looking for smudges on the flawless surface.  
"A joke, Talen," Florella sighed. "You know, to put you at ease? Ah well, let's get back to our sleeping friend and see if we can't get this back into him. If we're lucky we can make him eat it."

Talen followed everyone out of the temple and tried to look inconspicuous as he crossed the village to their hut. Well, as inconspicuous as a person could be holding a large, solid gold triangle could be. The Meera surround the recently-arrived wagon had dissipated somewhat, meaning that a good number of them were free to stare at the great, big, shiny object that made its way awkwardly across the village square. Finally, they arrived at the hut and quickly zipped inside. Impa closed the door and turned back to the others.  
"Right," she said in a business-like manner. "What now?"  
"Erm…Talen, put it down on the foot of the bed, will you?" Florella asked the smith. Talen obeyed, placing the Triforce piece down on the blanket at Link's feet as carefully as it could.  
"Argor hear of Golden Triangle, but Argor never think he live to see it," the old man murmured, his eyes locked on the Triforce piece. There was suddenly a knock at the door. Impa whirled around and opened it a crack, and then all the way after seeing that it was Nyara. The Meera girl entered looking decidedly drawn, but better than she was looking beforehand.  
"Hello Nyara, how do you feel?" Florella asked.  
"Better," Nyara sniffed, rubbing her nose. She toddled over to her grandfather and wrapped her arms around his waist, receiving a hug from the old man in return. She looked down at the Triforce piece on Link's bed and blinked. "What that?"  
"That," Fura said proudly. "Is hopefully what will wake Link up." Nyara's eyes brightened slightly and her tail swished.  
"That good," she said. "Little sisters all mopey without Link to pick on."  
"And won't he be glad to see them again when he wakes up," Zelda snorted. Florella rubbed her hands together.  
"All right," she said in a very business-like manner. "Let's get started."

Zeel wouldn't stop staring at Ark until he had finished the plate of steaming meat she had given him. However; the instant Ark swallowed his firth mouthful, his hunger became almost too much to bear, and he wolfed the rest down. Zeel smirked, as if to say "I told you so" and took the empty plate from him.  
"Do you want more?" she asked, her tone firm, but not cold.  
"No, thank you," he told her, shaking his head. "I'm not a big eater." Zeel nodded and sat herself down on the hearth of the fire. She began shaking her head, a self-mocking expression on her face.  
"I can remember when I used to want you dead," she said. Ark looked over at her sharply, the vivid memories of her terrifying pursuit through the dead forest catching in his mind. "And here I am feeding you. Who would have thought?"  
"Miss Zeel…can I ask you a question this time?" Ark queried timidly. Zeel looked at him with her frosty, purple eyes.  
"I suppose," she shrugged.  
"Do you hate me?" Zeel blinked. She hadn't been expecting that, and she wasn't the type of person who would lie. What reason did she have to?  
"No, not anymore," she said calmly. "I've never had to hate somebody as long as you, so maybe I just couldn't keep it up." Zeel fixed her gaze on a window set in the wall, remembering when she had told herself that things would be different when Ark knew the truth about her…but maybe he didn't have to know. Things could stay unchanged that way. "Besides; if you're going to be here for the rest of your life, then perhaps I should at least try to get along with you." Ark looked past her and into the fire. The images of his dead companions, the death of Aarden; the only person he could call family, the distress he had caused Nyara, and the loss of memories that seemed very important to him still weighed heavily on his mind and caused him an incredible amount of grief. However; Zeel's obvious effort to be civil to him was a small gesture, yet one that meant a lot to Ark, who was feeling very alone in the world at that point.

Try as she might, Florella simply could not get Link's body to absorb the Triforce of Courage. She tried incantations, spells, and all manner of enchantments from her vast mental library of magic, but none of them seemed to work. In the end, she spat the dummy, blamed Link for all of it, and stormed out of the hut to sit and think. Talen dutifully followed to keep her company, as well as to calm the fairy down should her frustration get the better of her.  
"For somebody who's several-thousand years old, she sure doesn't act like it," Saria sighed. "But she's trying hard, and we can't ask for any more than that."  
"I wonder how long we're going to have a big, golden triangle sitting in here?" Impa frowned thoughtfully, glancing at the foot of Link's bed. "It seems strange that we have a piece of perhaps the most powerful relic in creation just lying about." Fura snorted and pointed at Zelda, who was stretched out next to Link.  
"You mean _two_ pieces just lying there," she said. Zelda lifted her head.  
"Leave me alone, I'm tired," she murmured defensively. "Florella's tried using me to bind Link to the Triforce piece again, and it took a lot out of me." Fura rolled her eyes and sat down at the table.  
"Shouldn't he just be able to touch it?" Saria asked. "I mean…isn't that how the legend goes? You touch the Triforce and your wishes are granted, or you keep the piece you most believe in and the other two are scattered?" Zelda nodded and rolled onto her stomach.  
"Yes, but…Link isn't really there. His body is, but nothing else," she frowned, flicking a lock of golden hair out of her eyes. "The Triforce of Courage is still bound to him spiritually, but we'll either have to draw his presence out of the piece and put it in his body first, and _then_ get him to touch it…or we merge it all in at once. It's hard to say which way is best, or if there will be any risks involved, but either way will work."  
"Let's just hope Florella finds out how to get it done," Impa sighed, sitting herself down next to Fura. "I suppose there's only one thing we can do until Florella comes up with a breakthrough." The Sheikah woman hooked her foot around the strap of her pack and dragged it over to the table.  
"What can we do?" Zelda asked. Impa fished around in her pack for a few moments before drawing her hand out and holding up a small, rectangular case.  
"Play cards, of course."

Florella stomped about with her face as black as a thundercloud and her long, dark-purple hair flowing out behind her.  
"Rrgh! So close, _so close!_" she grumbled. "Why won't anything work!?"  
"Are you all right, Florella?" Talen asked from just outside the doorway of the hut. Florella whirled around, her expression softening upon seeing that it was Talen.  
"Oh, Talen," she said, composing herself. "It's just frustrating. We're so close to waking him up, but the last part isn't working. I don't know how to get the Triforce of Courage back in him."  
"And you're getting so worked up? At least we've found him, right?" Talen told her, walking over slowly. He stopped in front of the Great Fairy. "Why don't we go for a walk? You'll be able to think much clearer when you're not all flustered." Florella was about to say that she was fine, when Talen held her around the waist and lifted her into the air.  
"Oop!" she squeaked, blushing lightly as his hand accidentally grazed her hip. He deposited her on his shoulders and headed off towards the village square.  
"We'll say hello to those ladies from Windhill. They seemed very nice, and I'm sure they'll remember you," the smith said pleasantly. "I can't carry you like this too often anymore. You're growing up too fast."  
"You can still carry me, Talen," Florella said, looking down at him. "You can lift boulders, so I don't see why you should have any trouble lifting me."  
"It's the principle of it all," Talen told her. "It was more fun when you were shorter."  
"I don't think I'm going to be very tall when I grow up," the fairy frowned. "It's almost depressing when I look at all these tall and graceful women like Impa." She reached up and tugged lightly on her bobbing antennae. "And these don't help matters either. Florella the short bug-woman." Talen laughed at that. Grumbling and rambling was one of the things that Florella did best.  
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Florella," Talen told the girl. "Taller isn't necessarily better. I bet Impa was a bit of a gangly thing when she was growing up."  
"Hoo, don't let Impa hear you say that," Florella laughed. "She wouldn't take too kindly to it."  
"I don't plan to," Talen said, shaking his head. "I'd hate to get on her bad side."  
"You're scared of her, aren't you," the fairy giggled. Talen let go of Florella's ankles, and she toppled backwards off his shoulders with a squeak, but at the last second, he grabbed her feet and stopped her fall.  
"Pardon?" he asked her calmly.  
"Yeek! Nothing! Lift me back up!" Florella squawked. Talen obliged, and she sat back upon his shoulders and held onto his head so she wouldn't fall again. "That was mean, Talen."  
"Sorry," the smith laughed quietly.

As Talen had neared the decorated wagon, the red-haired woman from the parade emerged. She was fixing a long and dangerous-looking hair pin into her flaming red hair, when she suddenly noticed the Great Fairy of Spring perched atop Talen's shoulders as the pair approached. Recognition slowly dawned on her face, drawing out a wide grin.  
"Bless my lucky stars! Great Fairy Florella and her husband to be!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing so far from Windhill? And here, of all places!" The red-haired woman turned and opened the door to the wagon. "Everybody! You won't believe who's here!" The green and blue-haired women emerged, followed by three men. One was dressed as a jester, his face covered in white paint and coloured shapes, but it was still easy to tell that he was quite young. A three-pronged hat tipped with bells was also perched atop his head. The second was a tall, fierce-looking man with a thick mane of raven hair, broad shoulders, and frosty, blue eyes. Lastly, there was the shortest of the trio; a young man with a mass of unruly cyan hair atop his round face. He had large, light-blue eyes and an endearingly innocent look about him.  
"Oh! The Great Fairy of Spring and her fiancée," the blue-haired woman whistled in surprise. "What a coincidence seeing you here. How have you been since our last meeting?"  
"Hello ladies…and gentlemen," Florella smiled girlishly. "It's nice to see you again." There was a pause, during which Florella squeezed her legs together to get Talen's attention. "Talen, don't just stand there! Say hello."  
"Sorry," the smith apologized. "Hello." Florella blinked, sighed, and looked down at the boy.  
"Do a better job than that."  
"Haha, it's all right…Talen was it?" the green-haired woman laughed. "You're probably wondering who our fine male counterparts are. This is Erran…" She pointed to the cyan-haired young man. "Fien…" The tall, black-haired man. "…and Zen." The young man dressed as the jester bowed.  
"Watch Zen if you have any girls about. He has a distasteful, lecherous streak in him." Zen looked hurt.  
"My lady, I'm offended," he frowned.  
"No you're not, Zen," the blue-haired woman sighed. "Oh! And you probably don't know our names…at least I don't think we introduced ourselves properly when we last met…" She looked questioningly at Talen and Florella.  
"I don't think so," Florella said, shaking her head.  
"Oh dear! Many apologies, Great Fairy!" The redhead gasped. She then placed her hand upon her chest. "I am Deia."  
"Neju," the blue-haired woman said, doing the same.  
"And I am Fiera. Fien is my dear, sweet brother," the emerald-topped woman smiled, inclining her head towards the tall, dark man. "He may look big and mean, but he's a teddy bear." Florella and Talen noticed Fien cringe at his sister's words, and Erran and Zen snicker quietly to themselves.  
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you," Florella nodded courteously. "Especially Mister Teddy Bear." Fien frowned at the little girl whilst his traveling companions burst out laughing. In one, swift movement, he smacked Zen and Erran on the backs of their heads, shutting them up.  
"Where are the rest of your friends?" Neju asked curiously. "I am eager to see how they are."  
"Oh! They're all back at the tree we're staying in…as odd as that sounds," Florella chuckled.  
"Not at all," Deia smiled. "We come to this village every year to perform because as far as audiences go, the Meera are among the best. So hospitable and friendly."  
"Ahh," Florella said. "So _that's_ why they were all crowding around here before. You're going to perform again this year?"  
"Why else would we be here little lady?" Zen grinned. He stepped forward and reached for Florella's hand, but Deia slapped it away.  
"Zen, bad," she told him firmly.  
"But I was just-"  
"No," the redhead scolded him. "And I don't want a repeat of your little bath-peeping exercise from last year wither." Zen looked crushed, and he swept backwards dramatically with a hand held to his forehead.  
"Why don't you just castrate me while you're at it?" he moaned pathetically. "My one, simple pleasure taken away like a-"  
"Oh be quiet," Erran told the jester. "Since when does what any of the ladies say stop you?" Zen shrugged.  
"Never." The three women looked towards the sky imploringly, before shaking their heads simultaneously and looking at Florella and Talen.  
"Please take us to see the others. We've been trapped in that wagon with him the whole way here," Deia pleaded. Florella laughed and nodded. Neju told the three males to stay behind to finish unpacking, much to their consternation, but it was a much better fate than going against their female companions.  
"All right, follow us," she told them. Her tone suddenly took on a slightly more serious note. "But please forgive us if things are a little subdued. A lot has happened."

As Florella and Talen led the three women back to the tree, Florella sent the smith on ahead to tell the others of their approach, and also to let them know to hide the Triforce piece. It wasn't that Florella thought that the women would actually do anything, but it was probably not a good idea to flaunt it around. They arrived just as Talen finished pushing the big, golden triangle underneath the bed, and greeted everybody with a good deal of enthusiasm. Even Nyara, in her state of misery, could not keep a smile down. It was then that the ladies noticed Link lying motionless on his bed. Not wanting to go into a great deal of detail, Impa simply told the women that the boy was in some kind of coma and wouldn't wake up. The three women, shocked by the news, expressed their heartfelt sympathies to everyone, Fura and Zelda in particular. Impa continued to explain that Florella was currently trying to awaken Link, but with limited success. It was then that the three performers exchanged curious glances.  
"Perhaps we could be of some help…" Neju frowned thoughtfully. Florella blinked.  
"Pardon?" she asked, confused. She wasn't sure how three simple performers could make much headway in the act of waking Link in place of her small degree of progress.  
"Don't let out looks deceive you," Deia smiles mysteriously. "Between the three of us there are quite a number years of experience with magic. Would you permit us to help the lad?"  
"Heaven forbid me to stand in the way, but…" Florella glanced across at Fura and Zelda, both of whom had extremely hopeful looks on their faces. "…you should know that it isn't an ordinary sleep. Here, sit down and I'll explain exactly what's wrong with him."  
After her explanation, Florella asked Talen to get the Triforce of Courage out from underneath the bed. The smith did so dutifully, grunting with effort to haul the extraordinarily heavy gold triangle out into view. He set it down on the foot of Link's bed and the three women stared at it. They stared at it some more, and then some more after that, and then finally, Fiera pointed to the relic.  
"Is this some kind of joke?" she asked curiously. "That isn't really a part of the Triforce."  
"Yes," Zelda told her. "It is. Link holds- or held- courage. I hold wisdom." The Princess held up her hand and allowed the women to see the golden mark. Realization that they weren't lying hit the woman and they shot onto their knees and said something of a quick prayer.  
"By the Goddesses," Deia hissed. "It really _is_ a part of the Triforce! Unbelievable!"  
"And you say that a part of the boy is trapped inside?" Neju breathed. Impa nodded. "Simply astonishing. I never would have guessed that a boy like him would carry a part of the Triforce…there must be more to him than we could ever know."  
"So…can you help him?" Saria asked hopefully. "He's probably starving away as he lies there…he hasn't eaten since last night…" Fiera patted the Kokiri comfortingly on the shoulder.  
"Don't worry, child. We may be able to do something after all," the green-haired woman smiled. "And I wouldn't worry about starvation; a person can survive without eating for much larger periods of time." The woman's assurance didn't do much to sate the girl, and she shook her head.  
"But Link's always hungry," she mumbled. "He can barely go a day without eating something…"  
"Then you shall have to feed him until he bursts after he wakes," Deia told the girl with a smile. "Now let us get ready to bring the young lad back…"

By late afternoon the preparations were ready. Link's bed had been moved so that there was even floor space around it, allowing a large image of the Triforce to be drawn around it using rough sticks of powdery chalk. The Triforce of Courage was then placed in its corresponding place in the chalk drawing by Talen, the only one strong enough to lift it. The three women had also instructed Saria, Zelda, and Fura to go outside and collect as many small pebbles as they could, a task which they dutifully completed. Their individual bounties were piled together into a single heap, and then spread out along the chalk lines. Nyara and Argor gathered roots and leaves from the forest, the two Meera being the ones that knew the plants of the village and its surroundings better than anybody. Upon their return, Neju set to grinding and mixing them together with a mortar and pestle to create an incredibly strong-smelling paste, which was then heated by Fura. Whilst everything else was going on, Fiera and Florella sat together and ran over the incantation together so that the Great Fairy would be able to assist the three women with her powerful magic. At last, when all the preparations were made, Deia, Fiera, Neju, and Florella set to work.  
"Zelda, Fura…stand in separate triangles," Florella told the two girls, herding them into place in a business-like manner. "The two of you have some kind of bond with Link, so your presence will act as something of a magnet to him." The two girls glanced at each other and nodded in understanding. Although their outwards appearances didn't show it, both girls were positively bursting at the seams with excitement at the prospect of finally being able to wake Link up. While Florella and the three women began the final preparations, Fura rolled her head nervously, her long, flaming hair swishing against the fabric of her outfit like a cascade of living fire. The Gerudo looked over at those not needed for the casting of the spell as they stood by the door. Saria gave a reassuring wave as Navi and Chat settled on the small girl's shoulders to watch. Talen was busy fidgeting with his knuckles, an act which clearly showed his nervousness. Fura frowned. Talen, being rather a quiet boy, had not let on just how shaken he had been at Link's close scrape with death, but Fura could tell that it had frightened him more than anything had before. Link and Talen were like brothers, and if one lost the other, then they would be crushed.  
"Is everybody ready?" Deia asked suddenly. Fura snapped her attention back to the three women and Florella, each of whom had positioned themselves at a particular point of the chalk Triforce. Florella herself stood on Link's bed with her back to the boy. And then it began.  
Deia, Fiera, Neju, and Florella began to chant in low, subdued tones, their voices mixing together softly, gently. They began to weave their arms in a series of movements so graceful, that the four women appeared to be dancing. The melodic voices, elegant gestures, and the sheer gravity of it all utterly captivated the attention of those that were watching, particularly Talen, who had his eyes firmly locked on Florella. Suddenly, their voices burst into song, a soaring chord that swelled up into a magnificent crescendo matched only by the best singers of the world. It was an utterly incredible experience. The intermingled voices of Florella, Neju, Deia, and Fiera had such a soul to them that Saria's eyes dampened with tears. Talen's mouth hung open in disbelief; he had no idea that Florella was capable of something so utterly incredible, but it didn't end there. The song swelled once more, and the three women at the tips of the Triforce image began to sway and sing out the words of a song in an unknown language. It filled the air, bathing everyone's ears in sound, and Florella, standing on the bed, held her hands out imploringly towards the Triforce of Courage, her stunning voice never faltering. The golden triangle began to glow and pulse, filling the air with an invisible force that reached out to all those present. It seemed to feather over them, testing and probing as if searching for some kind of familiarity, and it seemed to find it with Fura and Zelda. The two girls were bathed in soft, golden light, and then those tiny specks of red and white light that danced across Link's dark skin whenever they were close began to spill out into the air. They flurried about like an indoor snowstorm, passing through objects and people, and mingling with one-another until, suddenly, they began to coalesce around the Triforce of Courage. Its golden surface darkened, with black energy pooling and pulsating like a living being. Then, with obvious effort, a dark form began to pull itself from the golden triangle. Arms came first, and then the head, with the torso being hoisted out as pitch-black hands braced themselves against the floor. It pulled its legs free and stood slowly, the surface of its dark form exuding tiny, shadowy particles that bonded with those of red and white coming from Zelda and Fura. It opened its eyes, revealing a shade of brilliant red and brilliant blue.  
"Link's demon-half…" Zelda whispered. "But where is…" As if on cue, the shadow-demon blinked, and turned to regard the Princess and the Gerudo for a few moments. Then, almost tenderly, it bent down and reached back into the Triforce of Courage, drawing its hand out a moment later with a small, palm-sized sphere of light.  
"That's it!" Fura hissed. "That's Link…it's him…!" The demon shifted its gaze to those standing near the door, prompting them to hold their breath. It then looked at the three women standing around it, and finally, at Florella. The song soared, the light intensified, and the Great Fairy of Spring stepped aside and gestured gently to Link's sleeping body. The demon looked at Link, his other half, and shot into the air, its body morphing into a black sphere of the same size as Link's essence. The two spheres of light and dark twisted together, and then corkscrewed down into Link's chest. The boy heaved, and the billions of particles or red, white, and black gravitated in after the twin spheres. The Triforce of Courage flared incandescently, nearly blinding the occupants of the hut, and then it broke apart into countless shards of golden light that spiraled up and melted into Link's body along with tiny particles. The room returned to normal and the four singers suddenly peaked their song, holding it on a trembling note before fading beautifully. It was done.  
"Is that…it?" Talen asked, taking a cautionary step forward. Florella, obviously tired from her efforts, nodded wearily.  
"That should do it, Talen. We just have to wait for-" An excited squeak from Zelda brought everyone's attention to Link. His arm began to darken, as if ink was being poured in under his skin. It spread up the side of his neck, into his ear, and across his cheek just as it had all that time ago at the town of Agora.  
"Now," Deia said. "The bowl with that paste…let him smell it." Fiera picked up the mortar and pestle, bringing it over to Link's bedside. She sat down and held the paste under the boy's nose, allowing him to breathe in its fumes. The result was instantaneous. Link convulsed and his eyes flew open. He coughed violently and jerked uptight into a sitting position, his face a mixture of panic and uncertainty. Ragged breathing escaped his throat, followed by a croak of something that resembled relief. Zelda and Fura were on him in seconds. They sobbed out relief, cocooned him in their warm embraces, and smothered him in kisses of joy. And Link, exhausted, slightly afraid, and yet relieved, could only sit and put his weary arms around them.


	66. The Other Half

**Chapter 65 – The Other Half**

Link was awake, and all was right with the world. Well, such was the case for Fura and Zelda. As the dumbstruck Link sat there between them, they smothered him with affection, their relief pouring out like water from a burst dam.  
"Oh Link!" Zelda cried. "You had us so _worried!_ You had _me_ worried!" Link uttered out a croaky apology. Fura, similarly, was babbling out how pleased she was, crushing his head against her. Normally, Link would have been fighting to break free, but under the circumstances, Fura's warm, tan skin was perhaps the nicest-feeling thing in the world.  
"I'm sorry," the boy croaked.  
"You'd better be!" Saria bellowed, stomping up to the bed with chat and Navi in tow. Link's guardian fairy fluttered excitedly around his head, jingling like a set of tiny bells. "How could you have been so reckless!? Do you have any idea how worried you made us all? You almost _died!_" Link looked shocked.  
"I…did?" he mumbled. "…sorry."  
"You don't remember?" Talen asked, walking up to the bedside. "Your heart stopped, and…we thought you were dead. Impa started it again, so…you're lucky to be alive. It's good to have you back." Talen grinned and patted his friend clumsily on the shoulder as Link shifted his gaze to Impa.  
"Impa saved me?" he asked, sounding very dazed. "I'm sorry…I'm feeling a little bit foggy right now…"  
"Understandable," Fiera chuckled, dusting her hands together. "You've been through quite an ordeal, young lad, but all is well." Link looked up and peered groggily at the three women. He blinked, squinting harder at them.  
"I know you…" he mumbled. Deia smiled almost haughtily, pleased that he still recognized them. "You're…those nosy women from the parade…" Deia's smile was replaced with a look of indignity.  
"Well I never," she grumbled. "Nosy indeed…" The redhead's two companions had a small chuckle at her expense before turning their attention to Fura and Zelda, both of whom were still attached to the groggy Link like a pair of limpets.  
"He seems to be doing fine, so we shall take our leave. The procedure seems to have taken its toll on us as well," Neju said, indicating to the visibly drained Florella. "Please, come by to say hello later on, after we have rested."  
"Make sure you give the young lad plenty of sustenance," Fiera told Florella. "As much as you probably don't like stuffing him with sweets, it's probably the best thing right now. Sugar will keep his energy up." The three women turned to leave, stopping momentarily by the door as they were thanked profusely by Saria, Talen, Impa, Nyara, and Argor. The three women, being performers, positively beamed in their praise, but assured everyone that their efforts were no trouble at all. Right before they left, Link managed to clear his throat sufficiently to speak to them.  
"Ah…thank you," he said, his voice croaking only slightly. "Is there…any way I can repay you? You saved me after all…" The last bit was delivered rather quietly. The three women stopped and looked at him curiously. Then, rather absently, Deia flipped her hand at him dismissively.  
"Get married and have lots of children," she told him, before pointing at the two girls beside him. "Preferably with one of them." Link went red. Fura and Zelda smiled rosily and patted the hapless boy on the head as the women left. Florella yawned loudly and sat down heavily at the table.  
"Well thank the Goddesses that _that's_ over with," she groaned wearily. "I was beginning to think you'd _never_ wake up. Those ladies really were a big help…though I am curious as to how they knew about such a complex and ancient spell. Oh well, I suppose I can just ask them later, right now I feel like a nap."  
"What about Link?" Saria asked. "Should we…?" Florella blinked.  
"Oh! He's quite all right, Saria…right, Link?" the Great Fairy asked the boy. He nodded tiredly. "All we need to do is feed him. You hear that, Link? All the food you want." Link seemed to perk up upon hearing that, but a sudden thought brought a look of concern across his tired face.  
"H-hey…where's Ark?"

Zeel nearly kicked the door of her rather lavish bedroom open. Her large, purple scythe ghosted into her hands, leaving a faint film of violet smoke around its shaft, and then she was off, charging down the hallway in her nightgown. She had woken only moments before to the sound of somebody screaming, and since the owner of the voice was clearly a boy, she leaped to the obvious conclusion that something was decidedly wrong with Ark. Zeel arrived at his door within moments and thrust it open violently, and her eyes, being used to the dark, scanned the room quickly. There was nothing there; no monster, no enemy, nothing. It was then that Zeel noticed Ark tossing and turning in his bed as a flash of incandescent lightning illuminated the room. He was having another nightmare. The abrupt girl lowered her weapon and frowned; she had almost been looking forward to being able to slice and dice something apart. Quietly, she stepped up beside the bed and looked down at Ark. His teeth were clenched and he was thrashing about like something had a hold of him, and he was uttering words of nonsense- something about an archetype and destroying it. Nonsense aside, it was clearly causing him a great deal of distress, and so Zeel reached out and rapped her knuckles sharply on his forehead. Ark's eyes snapped open and he cried out in terror. A high-pitched electrical whine filled the room as Ark, in his panic, began drawing in electricity to attack whatever it was that had been tormenting him in his sleep. Zeel swore and leaped back, but at the last second, Ark seemed to take in his surroundings and, more specifically; Zeel. The unearthly blue glow of raw electricity that had been shining from the depths of the boy's throat subsided, and he lay there panting. Zeel relaxed, breathing a sigh of relief before wandering back to Ark's bedside.  
"What was all _that_ about?" she grumbled irritably. Ark had woken her up, and Zeel liked her sleep. Ark's eyes slowly swiveled over and he slowly traced up her body to her face. Upon seeing her slightly annoyed expression, he gasped and sat up with a start.  
"M-miss Zeel!" he squeaked in terror. "What…what are you doing here?"  
"You woke me up," she grunted. Ark's horror only increased upon hearing that. His mouth began opening and closing, but no babbled apology came out. Zeel held her hand up and halted his attempts at forming coherent speech. "I'm annoyed, but not angry."  
"I'm sorry," Ark murmured finally, lowering his eyes. "I shouldn't have gone to sleep."  
"What are you talking about?" she demanded. "You're apologizing for _sleeping?_"  
"Whenever I sleep…I have nightmares," he told her. "They've been coming steadily now…whoever stopped them before isn't doing so any more for one reason or another…" The boy sighed. "That's why I was trying to read so much in the library…it helped me stay awake, but then…"  
"I know, I forced you to sleep," Zeel grunted, making it sound like some kind of grudging admittance. "But you were falling apart at the seams. Nobody can last too long without sleep, and you needed it badly." She narrowed her eyes. "You _still_ need it badly." Ark looked up at her sharply with a terrified look plastered on his face.  
"N-no! I can't! The nightmares will come back again!" he squeaked. His tone then took on an almost defiant note. "You can't make me." One of Zeel's eyebrows shot up, and she smirked.  
"Oh no? As I recall, I've managed to put you to sleep several times in the past," she told him, drawing the corner of her mouth back to display one of her sharp teeth. Ark almost flinched back. "If you don't lie down and start snoozing, then _I_ start biting. I'm actually rather hungry."  
"Then go get a snack from the kitchens," a voice snorted. Zeel whirled around to see the demon-girl standing in the doorway.  
"What do _you_ want," Zeel grunted frostily.  
"I heard all the screaming and decided to see what was wrong. I'm guessing Ark saw you in your current state and couldn't hide his horror," the girl chuckled. Zeel's eye twitched and she stared at the demon before her. True, Zeel didn't look her best when she was tired and had just woken. Her hair, free from its usual three-quilled style, hung messily down to cover her ears and neck in a thick, black mass. Dark circles were present under her eyes, and she was squinting slightly.  
"At least I don't look like some kind of _beast_," Zeel snarled, drawing herself up. The demon held her palms out to ward Zeel away.  
"Hey, hey, calm down," she said. "Jeez, you've got a bad temper. Lighten up." The girl looked past Zeel and over to Ark, who was looking down at his lap. "So…what's wrong with you? Nightmares again?" Ark nodded and fidgeted uncomfortably. Having both girls in the room with him was somewhat unnerving. The demon-girl was something of an enigma; Ark was not entirely sure of her motives, or even who she was. He didn't even know her name, and Zeel…Zeel's temper seemed volatile at even the best of times, however; she _was_ making an effort to be civil to him, but he couldn't forget that she used to want him dead more than anything. It was clear that Zeel disliked the demon-girl extremely, and the demon herself, from the looks of things, didn't take Zeel all that seriously. It was strange that the black-haired girl hadn't ripped the other to shreds already, and it made Ark wonder what their relationship really was.  
"I wouldn't worry about them," the demon-girl snorted. "They're just dreams. Dreams can't hurt you."  
"I know…" Ark murmured. "It's just…I'm not used to them." Now _that_ was something of curiosity to both Zeel and the girl.  
"What?" Zeel grunted. "You're not used to dreams? What kind of a thing to say is that?"  
"I know it sounds strange, but…I can't remember ever having a dream before I began traveling with…" Ark winced as he thought of the companions he had left. "…with the others."  
"Something else you've forgotten?" the demon-girl queried. "Like the other little things?" Ark shook his head and absently rubbed at one of his temples.  
"No…no, I've always known that I've never had a dream before then…it isn't something that I've forgotten." He shook his head and swung his legs out of bed. "I'm sorry, but I just can't go to sleep again." Ark padded across the room in bare-feet. He got to the door before Zeel suddenly realized that he was leaving.  
"You're not going anywhere," she snapped, whipping out her scythe. Its tip caught the back of his clothing, and she lifted him effortlessly into the air. He made a surprised squeaking sound as his feet left the floor, and then he was lifted over his bed. "You're staying here, in bed, until _I_ say you've had enough rest. _Then_ you can spend all the time you like in the library." Her cold, violet eyes were as hard as little agates.  
"Aren't you being too strict?" the demon asked with a smirk. "I mean, why do you care if he gets overtired? Or is this some kind of belated punishment for seeing your womanly bosom in all its naked glory?" Zeel flinched violently, her grip on the scythe faltering, sending Ark bouncing down onto the bed and then the floor in an unceremonious heap. She looked down at the boy as he looked up at her, his boyish face turning a bright shade of scarlet to contrast the whites of his very wide eyes. Zeel whirled around to face the chortling demon, her usual snow-white complexion making her look even angrier than she already was.  
"How _dare_ you say that!" Zeel screeched. She was incensed, utterly furious at the agitating demon that stood grinning before her.  
"What?" the demon asked innocently. "Was it the naked remark, or the fact that my other question caught you off-guar-" She didn't have time to finish. Zeel wound her hand back to deliver a powerful slap, but her palm merely swished through a plume of dark smoke as the demon vanished before her.  
"Insufferable creature," Zeel spat in frustration. "All she does is agitate me." The visibly-riled girl turned back to Ark with a swish of fabric as he picked himself up off the floor. She finished the job for him, grabbing the collar of his clothing and lifting him up to an uncomfortably close distance.  
"M- I-I d-didn't mean to…! Before…your room that time…!" Ark babbled incoherently, terrified of what Zeel was going to do to him upon being reminded of their surprise encounter. Her steely eyes narrowed into thin slits, and he could barely see the vivid purple of her irises beneath their thick lashes scanning his face. These were the moments that made him so uneasy around Zeel, moments that seemed to have no definite outcome. Ark could never tell if she was going to explode in his face, or let him off with a quiet grumble. However; this time there was a third outcome. There was a burst of smoke from behind the girl, and from out of it shot a green-tinted hand. It cupped the back of Zeel's head, forcefully shoving it forwards, and then, before either Zeel or Ark knew what was happening, their lips mashed together roughly.  
Ark's mind raced. Hundreds of thoughts screamed about inside his head, crashing headlong into each other as they tried to make sense of what was going on. Something soft and delightfully warm was covering pressed against his lips, that in itself was strange since there wasn't rally anything he could think of that one would put on or over one's mouth…except maybe a hand when sneezing, but this was entirely different. Ark blinked. Zeel's face came into focus. She was staring back at him with wide eyes that were filled to the brim with shock and surprise. Strange that she was so close…even stranger than he could feel warm gusts of air from her nostrils against his face. The gears in Ark's brain began to turn more smoothly as the flurry of thoughts that had suddenly invaded his mind began to sort themselves out. He realized then that his own eyes were very wide…he also noticed that it appeared to be Zeel's lips, of all things, that were warming his own. Now _that_ was certainly unexpected. Ark blinked. Reality caught up and smacked him fair in the face. He was kissing Zeel…Zeel was kissing him. A sudden, uncontrollable impulse to pull away and run as fast as his legs could carry him invaded Ark's brain, blotting out all other thoughts, but he couldn't. Something was holding him there, and that something was the demon-girl. She stood beside the pair, holding them together by the backs of their heads with all of her strength.  
"Woo-hoo!" the demon whooped. She looked positively beside herself. "Go on, Zeel…add a little _spice!_" She punctuated the end of her sentence by twisting her hand roughly, digging the side of her palm into a specific point on the black-haired girl's neck. Zeel made a strangled noise and her tongue popped out, invading the interior of Ark's mouth. It brushed against his own, briefly, and then began to thrash about as she fought determinedly to pull it back into her own mouth. And then, as quickly and as unexpectedly as it had begun, Ark and Zeel were apart once more. They stared at each other, shell-shocked over what had just transpired. Zeel looked like a surprised little girl, in fact; it was perhaps the most girlish Ark had ever seen her. Her usual grim expression was gone, replaced by one of wide-eyed shock, add to that the fact that her cheeks had gone bright red and her tongue was still hanging out, and she looked like a completely different person. But it didn't last for long. Her tongue sucked back into her mouth like a frog catching a fly and her teeth clenched together. She rounded on the demon-girl with an intense burning in her eyes. Zeel was not impressed.  
"_What the HELL was THAT!?"_ she roared at the top of her lungs, clenching her fists so tightly that what little colour was in the drained away.  
"I believe it's called kissi-"  
"_I KNOW what it's called!" _Zeel bellowed, cutting the demon-girl off. _"Where do you get the audacity to do something like that!?"_ She was utterly beside herself with rage.  
"Zeel and Ark, sitting in a tree, _K-I-S-S-I-N-_ ack!" The demon-girl's little chant was cut short, literally, by Zeel's scythe. The black-haired girl had swung the weapon at full-force, prompting the demon to vanish in yet another puff of smoke. Zeel stood there, her chest heaving with deep breaths brought on by her fury. Ark backed up, afraid that she'd whirl around and take her anger out on him. Unfortunately, the sound of his movement attracted Zeel's attention, and she snapped her head around and gazed at him with her burning, violet eyes. She advanced and Ark gulped audibly, his hands shaking nervously as he tapped his fingers together. She came right up to the Ark and grabbed him by his collar, pushing him forcefully- but not roughly- against the wall. Her eyes held a dreadful intensity to them as she stared directly into Ark's own. The grey-haired boy could barely breathe he was so scared of what she may do to him, but Zeel surprised him.  
"Tell _no-one_ of this…do you hear me?" she hissed. Ark nodded quickly, his heart beating so fast and so hard that he thought it would burst from his chest. "Make sure you don't." She stared at him a while longer, her eyes darting about his face, and then, quickly, she turned and strode out of the room, reaching up to her mouth as she exited. It was some time after that when Ark let out an explosive breath and slid down the wall. He had expected Zeel to go completely ballistic and shear him neatly in two, but she had instead gone off at the demon before leaving him, surprisingly, in one piece. And still, after what had just happened, Ark could simply not believe that he had shared his first kiss, as forced as it was, with the most unlikely person in the universe; Zeel. Ark _definitely_ didn't feel like sleeping after that.

"Come on now," Florella said, holding out a mug of her strange, pink liquid. "It'll help get your strength back, so drink it all u-" Link snatched it out of her hand and drained it in one gulp, setting the mug back into her still-open palm after he had finished.  
"Sorry," he murmured. "I'm just starving at the moment…" The euphoria surrounding Link's waking had since died down, and now the task of allowing the boys strength to return lay before everyone. Not that it was a particularly difficult task; all they had to do was feed him so that his body would burn up the food for energy, and burn it up it did. Throughout the afternoon, Link had devoured an astronomical amount of food, most of it being- to Saria's chagrin- rather sugary. In fact; Link snatched up and glugged down a bottle of syrup made from the Pelopp Trees like it was a glass of water. Zelda nearly wretched at the sight of it and she quickly relieved him of the bottle, though he had already finished it and was looking around for more. Everyone else made sure to keep such things out of arm's reach from that point on. Saria also set herself the task of cleaning up the chalk Triforce on the floor, as well as sweeping up the pebbles. Several others offered to help, including Talen, but Saria would hear none of it, bustling them out of the way as she cleaned. Fura made the quiet remark that Saria was at her happiest when either telling people what to do, telling people off, or cleaning something or someone. The Kokiri girl casually swept Fura across the face with the broom for that, coating her tan features in a chalky-white film.  
"If you're going to be useless, then get off the floor while I'm sweeping it and make sure Link doesn't eat something he shouldn't." As the Kokiri girl nodded her head at Link, her eyes flashed, catching Link as he lifted something up to his mouth. "Ack! No, no, no!" Her cry failed to garner Link's attention. She dropped her broom and rushed over to his bedside, wringing a small, pink object out of his hand. "Link, this is soap! You'll get sick if you eat it." Link blinked at her, his deep, blue eyes looking at the Kokiri girl pathetically.  
"But it smells nice…" he murmured. Saria held the soap under his nose.  
"But it's not for eating, Link," Saria groaned. He stared at her, causing Saria's shoulders to droop. "You're still quite out of it, aren't you?" the Kokiri sighed. Link was quiet, and he seemed to be thinking over what he was about to say.  
"Is Ark really gone?" he asked eventually. Saria's dismay over Link's attempted soap-eating evaporated, and she looked at her friend with pity. The guilt over the assault on Ark's mind had risen to the back of Link's dark-blue eyes, and so Saria sat herself down on the side of the boy's bed. She smoothed her tunic over her legs in a motherly fashion and pursed her lips. She nodded silently, causing Link to sigh.  
"I'm feeling all foggy right now," he mumbled. "And I couldn't really believe it when you told me before…but he really did run away…" Link blinked and squinted down into his lap. "How is…how is Nyara?" He looked up to Saria for her response.  
"She is a whole lot better than she was at dawn," the Kokiri frowned. "But under the brave face, she's utterly heartbroken." Link nodded absently.  
"Why Ark?" he asked after a short pause. "Aside from him being the one to give me the Key…why is the enemy so determined to put him out of the picture? It isn't fair…Ark's too good to have all of this happen to him."  
"I know," Saria sighed, shaking her head. "I know, but what's done is done. Ark believed that what he did was the right thing to do…and we cannot find fault with him. It's Gaul…Gaul and whoever commands him. All of this ties back to them." Link frowned and nodded in agreement. Saria then smiled warmly at him, breaking them out of their gloomy moods. "But just concentrate on getting some rest right now. You need to be at your strongest if you're to carry out Ark's wishes, right?"  
"Arks wishes?" Link murmured as Saria gently pushed him down and bundled his blanket up under his chin.  
"He left the compass behind, so you must use it to find the remainder of the Locks, and then you can defeat Gaul and his master and close the Eternal Ark for good," Saria told him. "And then Ark can come back to Nyara and the two of them can become mates, Florella and Talen can get married, and then you can live out a life of wedded bliss with the passionate Fire-Witch, or the Princess of Hyrule." Link was half-asleep by the time Saria finished talking. He twitched involuntarily at that last part and rolled over.  
"I don't wanna get married," he mumbled.  
"Whatever you say," Saria said dismissively, already sweeping the floor again.

Ark was unsure as to which room he had wandered into, but his encounter with Zeel had left him feeling quite frazzled and absent, and he had simply wandered throughout the manor without any particular destination in mind. Upon a closer inspection of his gloomy surroundings, Ark was ale to determine that he was inside some kind of conservatory. A host of strange-looking creepers that seemed to thrive in the darkness spilled out from the ceiling, cascading down the walls in waterfalls of living green. Rather than there being a hard floor underfoot, Ark discovered a soft carpet of moss and grass. Aside from the creepers, there was also a whole host of other flora, ranging from small potplants, vines, and what appeared to be a fully-grown tree that obviously began somewhere outside and grew up the side of the manor and through a specially-cut hole in the wall. Its branches spilled out across the upper-portion of the room, doing a good job of obscuring the ceiling from view. As if that weren't enough; the ceiling itself had been painted- that or enchanted- to look like a starry night sky complete with a faint dusting of cloud that actually _moved_ in an invisible breeze, as well as a bright, full-moon. As Ark wandered slowly through the gloom, the discovery of a set of garden tools and implements confirmed that somebody did indeed cultivate and tend to the indoor garden. The only question was who? Zeel certainly didn't seem the type to enjoy growing flowers, so perhaps it was the demon-girl? Ark gave an involuntary start as his thoughts drifted to the black-haired girl and her apparent accomplice. Why had the demon done what she did? Perhaps she was just trying to be irksome, but the greater question was why didn't Zeel explode at Ark for kissing her? Granted, Ark hadn't done it intentionally- the demon had essentially mashed their heads together- but he had expected Zeel to at least be a _little_ furious with him. Instead, she had simply warned him to not tell anybody before striding away. Ark sighed and sat down against a great, knotted branch that grew through the wall. Zeel; neither friend nor enemy, she nearly defied all manner of definition. She was driven, determined, and unwilling to give up no matter what, but she had a strong sense of honor, if that's what it could be called. She was also very beautiful…in an untouchable kind of way. Slender, sleek, and with a slight hint of muscle, Zeel carried with her a kind of fluid grace that oddly befitted her icy exterior. Her skin was milky-white, an alabaster contrast to the mane of inky-black raven that sat atop her head. And then there was her eyes; a piercing shade of violet that almost seemed to hold their own eerie glow. They made Ark freeze whenever she gave him one of her cold stares, but as of late the cruelty that used to reside within them had vanished, replaced with something that perhaps resembled an intense curiosity. Zeel was changing, and so was Ark…but the grey-haired boy did not know if his change was for the better. The boy sighed and ran his fingers through the grass beneath him, allowing the soft blades to tickle his palms. Something tickled Ark's ear and he snapped his eyes open quickly to see what it was. Only a leaf. Ark sighed again. For one, hopeful instant he had though it was Nyara…but he had left her behind. Bitterly, his thoughts traveled back to the Meera girl that had been his constant- and very welcome- traveling companion. Though it had at best been about a day since he had left, Ark missed her greatly, and it was only in being apart from her did he really begin to see what he had left behind. She was always happy around him, her face hardly every showing anything except a smile, added to that she held a kind of exotic, animalistic beauty. Nyara wasn't an animal, Nyara wasn't primitive, and Nyara definitely wasn't stupid…she may not have known much of the world outside her village, but she could be quite the philosopher sometimes. Nyara was beyond kind to Ark; she looked after him, protected him, and made sure that he was never lonely…and then Ark had repaid all of that by hurting her and then running away. And then a terrible thought occurred to Ark…what if his memory degraded to such an extent that he began to forget about her? The pretty face, the coarse, jagged hair that curled around to frame her face…it would vanish from Ark's mind, and _then_ everything he held dear would truly be gone. Ark almost cried out in despair; he wanted so desperately to see Nyara again…but to do so would put her life in jeopardy, and _that_ would be an even worse crime than leaving her. All Ark could do was stay put.  
"Is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life?" he murmured quietly to himself. He wasn't expecting an answer, but he got one all the same.  
"Perhaps, but then, maybe it doesn't." Ark looked up sharply to see the demon-girl sitting in the upper-branches of the tree.  
"M-miss!" Ark squeaked.  
"I see you've found _my_ room," she said, looking about. "What do you think?" Ark blinked.  
"Y-your room? Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude!" he gasped, standing up quickly. Her eyes twinkled with amusement.  
"It doesn't matter, I don't mind," she laughed. "Calm down, Ark." The girl dropped down and landed on a lower branch with the skill of an acrobat. "So…feeling mopey? I would have thought your little lip-lock with Zeel would cheer you up…but then you aren't like most other boys, are you?" Ark watched her carefully as she climbed down through the branches. He was soon looking at a grinning face, green-tinted skin, and coarse, silver hair tied into three pigtails that emerged from either side of her head and just above the nape of her neck.  
"Feeling lonely?" she asked. Ark nodded slowly. "I thought so. I'm afraid it gets like that here. You can't count on Zeel for company, but like I said; perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if you found some companionship in me." Ark blinked.  
"Th-thank you for your kindness…Miss," Ark stammered. He was grateful to have a smiling face to look at…and she almost reminded him of Nyara with her large, animal-like ears. The girl grinned even wider and sat down, slapping her hand on the grass beside her for Ark to do the same. He gratefully accepted her invitation for some company. The girl plucked a blade of grass from the floor and twirled it in her fingers before popping it into her mouth. She chewed the end of it for a while, making the rest of it shake and dance about her lips.  
"It's lonely for me too…being what I am," the demon-girl said after a while. All traces of her usual mischief were gone. "Demons aren't liked a whole lot by people…especially if they _look_ like demons." Ark watched her without saying anything. She twitched her ears for emphasis. "The green skin doesn't help things either. Sometimes I envy Zeel's looks."  
"Truthfully…" Ark began, looking out across the jungle of plants that filled the room. "All I see is a person." He blushed suddenly as the girl looked at him. "And…at least you're not short like I am." She laughed at that.  
"Hah, there needs to be more people like you in the world, Ark," she chuckled.  
"Miss…? How _did_ you and Zeel end up here together anyway?" Ark asked curiously. "If you don't mind my asking. It seems strange that you and her are here when Zeel doesn't seem to like de-" He cut off suddenly, afraid he may insult her.  
"It wasn't always like this," the demon-girl frowned. "Things were much different once." Ark looked across at her.  
"Did you have a falling out?" The demon winced, but laughed.  
"Mmm, I suppose you could call it that. A _big_ falling out." The girl lay back on the grass and swiveled her eyes over to Ark.  
"Sorry about the kiss-thing with Zeel…I get carried away sometimes," she apologized.  
"It's all right," Ark assured her. "Miss Zeel didn't get angry…so that's something I suppose." Silence descended upon the room, and Ark gazed up at the fake moon in the fake sky.  
"What's on your mind?" the demon-girl asked. Ark kept his eyes on the moon.  
"I was…I was wondering why I'm here…" he murmured. "I know I ran away, but…I want to know why I ever met Miss Zeel and you in the first place. What importance do I hold to her?" Ark sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry. It isn't my place to ask such things." The girl looked at him from her place on the grass. She pursed her lips and sat up slowly.  
"If you want…I can tell you," the girl told him. Ark looked at her sharply. He didn't want her to tell him if he wasn't supposed to know, but before he could protest she had already begun.  
"It was some time ago…many years now," she started. "There was a girl called Zeel who made her living by performing tasks that others would pay her for- quite handsomely I might add."  
"That sounds like what she does now," Ark frowned. The demon nodded.  
"Anyway, despite her wealth, Zeel was very lonely…but try as she might; nobody seemed to want to have much to do with her. You see…Zeel was a demon." Ark's eyes went wide.  
"Miss Zeel's a demon!?" he gasped. The girl held her hand up.  
"I said _was_. She isn't anymore," she said. "In any case, fed up with being on her own, Zeel researched a powerful spell that would rid her of her demon-ness forever. She succeeded…to an extent, and all in her that was demon was cast out into a separate entity…but it came with a price." The demon-girl sighed and looped her arm around her knee. "All of Zeel's happiness went with that which she cast out from herself, leaving only hate, anger, and bitterness behind. However; that wasn't all, because there was also another price she had to pay…Zeel's life is ebbing away, and soon she will die. That is, unless she finds a way to save herself…and that's where _you_ came into the equation." Ark was utterly gobsmacked. So Zeel _did_ need him for something important.  
"Now wonder it wasn't money or jewels!" Ark exclaimed. "Zeel's reward for eliminating me was her life!" Ark suddenly felt very guilty, for with each time he defied Zeel and escaped…he was denying her a future. The demon-girl nodded.  
"Bingo," she said. "_That's_ why Zeel is so determined to catch you…for when she had nearly given up hope of trying to find a way of staying alive; she was approached by the very person who wants you gone. Fuelled by the thought that she could keep on living, she hunted you down mercilessly with the intent to kill you…but I'm afraid she didn't count on the way you treated her." Ark was stunned. Zeel had essentially done it all out of loneliness. _That_ was why she hated demons so much…because she had been one herself. Ark was about to say something when a sudden thought occurred to him.  
"W-wait a second!" he exclaimed. "If the demon in Zeel was cast into a separate entity…then…" He looked at the demon-girl with wide eyes. The similarities were clear to him now, like somebody had just pointed them out to him. The nose, the eyes- bar the colour- and the mouth…they were so alike in so many ways.  
"So you figured it out, hmm?" The demon-girl stood up and faced him with a wry smile. "The other half. Her happiness, joy, and hope…I am Zeel."


	67. Discord

**Chapter 66 – Discord**

Link woke very early the next morning, just as the first rays of morning sun filtered in through the forest canopy and shone through the windows of the small hut. He hadn't slept much that night, for his coma-like state the day before had left him reluctant to close his eyes, and nightmares also seemed to find him. His bed had also been decidedly uncomfortable right in the middle, so he was forced to sleep on the edge. Fura and Zelda had both slept elsewhere, satisfied that he was no longer in danger, but Navi had been left on watch should anything happen. Unfortunately, the fairy had fallen asleep rather early, rendering her rather useless as a watchman.  
Link sighed and rolled back into the middle of the bed, immediately regretting doing so as the uncomfortable lump that had plagued him the previous night made its return. He shifted about, grinding his teeth together in frustration and the lump of knotted sheet- or whatever it was- refused to flatten itself out.  
"What are you doing?" somebody yawned from the other side of the room. Link looked up sharply, surprised by the question. Saria was there, sitting up in her own bed with her leafy-green hair unruly and unkempt.  
"This bed's uncomfortable," Link murmured. "I'm trying to make it un-uncomfortable. Sorry for waking you." Saria blinked and then swung her legs out of her blanket.  
"I was hoping to get up early anyway," the forest girl told him. "There's breakfast to be making." Link's stomach growled at the mention of the word. Saria smirked at him as she walked up to a small, water-filled basin and splashed her face. The comb came out next, and in a matter of moments her hair was back to its usual neatness.  
"There," she smiled satisfactorily. "Now…would you like something sweet?" Link's stomach growled again.  
Since he was feeling much better, Link was allowed up and about and even outside, but only so long as he didn't do anything too strenuous. And so, after giving up on trying to destroy the lump in the bed and eating a hearty breakfast consisting of a strange, bread-like substance covered in syrup, Link went for a wander outside with Fura and Zelda. Grateful to feel the warm sun and cool breeze, Link and his two companions ambled their way along the old stone paths of the village. Along the way they saw Oora, Gar, and their three smallest children, all of whom were extremely happy to see him up an about again. After being set upon by the three little Meera, the boy beat a hasty retreat with Fura and Zelda in tow.  
"…and to top it off there was a lump in the mattress. I couldn't get comfortable." Zelda had made the mistake of asking Link how he had slept, resulting in a minute-by-minute retelling of how he had tossed and turned throughout the night. Upon seeing the strained faces of the two girls, Link mumbled a quick apology.  
"Hah, that's all right, my boy," Fura chuckled. "It takes more muscles to frown than to smile, so at least we know you're getting your strength back." The Gerudo sat down on a carved bench that stood near the base of a tall tree. Link and Zelda did the same.  
The topic had come up as they were walking over whether or not Link remembered anything after the point at which he had been struck by Gaul's curse. The boy had thought for a few seconds, and then replied that he didn't, so the girls left it at that. Instead, they opted to talk about things such as the weather, how they thought the day would turn out to be, and other such general topics. The conversation stuck Link as strange, but as things were it was a pleasant change to Fura's habit of murmuring things that shouldn't be said in front of young children into his ear. He also noticed that the two were acting as if he were made of glass. There hadn't been any rough embraces from Zelda, or neck-breaking headlocks from Fura, in fact; the two of them had only gone so far as to hold his hands as they had walked. Although it was a nice change, Link couldn't help but feel slightly uncomfortable.  
"I'm not going to break, you know," the blonde boy told the two girls flatly. They looked at him with uncertainty plain on their faces. "The way you two are acting right now is most unsettling." They frowned at him then, lightly hitting him in each arm as they did so.  
"We're only trying to be careful," Zelda pouted.  
"And I would have thought you'd appreciate the lack of squeezing and crushing," Fura said in a level tone. "Maybe you're not as feeble as we thought…" Link held his hands up.  
"Point taken," he said quickly.  
"So how does it feel without the Key on?" Zelda asked curiously. Link looked at her and blinked, before he put his hands up to his neck and felt around.  
"It's not there?" the boy gasped.  
"You…didn't know?" Fura asked. Link shook his head.  
"I barely notice it anymore," Link frowned, rubbing his neck absently. He looked up sharply. "Where is it?"  
"Calm yourself," Zelda chuckled. "We figured that Talen would be the best person to look after it, so we gave it to him. I'm sure he's stowed it away somewhere." Link nodded, looking quite relieved.  
"And the Compass?" Zelda waved her hand to reassure him.  
"Nyara has a firm hold on that. Ark's scent must be imprinted upon it, because she keeps it close all the time." Link nodded.  
"Then we should probably go out and find the next Lock without any delay. If Ark is ever to come back, we have to finish of Gaul and his master once and for all." Fura slapped him heartily on the back.  
"Atta boy!" she grinned.  
"_But!" _Zelda interjected tersely. "Until you're one-hundred and one percent healthy again, you're staying within the village, understand?"

Within the space of two days' time, Link was back to full strength once again and his appetite had been somewhat quelled to the extreme relief of Saria, who wasn't entirely happy with allowing him to eat so much sweet food. The uncomfortable mattress had continued to plague Link during the nights, and then to make matters worse, in some kind of twisted Saria-justice, the Kokiri girl fixed him a breakfast of bland gruel without any flavoring, however; it also meant that everybody had to put up with her culinary switch. Nyara also joined them for breakfast that morning, after having spent the last two or so days with her family. As it turned out, she had been telling them of her plans to leave the Meera village once more to help her companions look for the Locks and, most importantly to her at least; to find Ark. Oora and Gar had not been too happy with the idea, but they were forced to admit that, should Nyara want to leave, they would have no hope of stopping a Bloodcat. Then the issue of Teebo had arisen. If Nyara's "engagement" or sorts was to be called off, then the one who she would pick as her new mate would be forced to fight him. However; since Nyara didn't _have_ a new mate to challenge Teebo, there was not much that could be done, and she and her family agreed that perhaps it would be best to wait and see how things panned out.  
"After all," her mother had said. "Good things come to those who wait."

Ark couldn't believe it. He simply couldn't believe it. The demon and the girl; Zeel and Zeel. They were the two polar opposites of the exact same person, only split apart into two distinct personalities.  
"B-but…how could you- she…why? How could the original Zeel _do_ that to herself?" Ark breathed in disbelief.  
"Hate can make a person do almost anything, Ark," the demon now known to him as Zeel sighed. She stood up and brushed the grass from her legs. "It's all you can see sometimes, it covers everything until it makes you blind. That's what happened to the original Zeel, and the part that she so hated became what you see now before you." Ark shook his head slowly.  
"So…the other Zeel…the black-haired girl…she is going to…die?" he asked incredulously. The Zeel before him nodded.  
"And so shall I," she said, a self-mocking smile playing about her lips. "Unless…" The demon's mouth curved into a smile, and she launched herself at Ark, knocking him back and pinning him to the grassy floor by his shoulders. He stared up at her, a small shard of worry digging away at his insides as her eyes filled with bright, childish hope. "Unless you stay with me! I'll run away, away from here and I'll take you with me! Then _I_ can be the one rewarded, and I'll be able to live…think about it! I'm much nicer than the other Zeel, and you can keep me company. I'll keep you forever…then neither of us will be lonely!" Ark's mouth opened and closed. What could he say to something like that? To deny could lead to the demon-girl's death…but to accept would mean that the Zeel of anger and hate would be condemned also. He continued to stare at her, his expression of shock and surprise never fading as she looked back with hope brimming in her face.  
"I…I can't…" he breathed, so quietly that the girl scarcely heard him. Her oversized ears went limp, and the hope in her eyes faded, but did not go out.  
"You…you would rather stay here…with _her?_" demon Zeel asked. "I can't really say that I blame you. The skin…the ears…they're not the most comforting of features." She climbed off him and sat cross-legged on the grassy floor. The bells on her person jingled softly, and to Ark they suddenly seemed sad.  
"It's…not that," Ark murmured softly. "But it would be wrong to let the other Miss Zeel die…I couldn't bear it. She'd have no hope, and all she would be able to do would be to wait here until she died." Ark fidgeted uncomfortably, wincing at the thought. "I'm sorry." Demon Zeel let out a sigh.  
"Ahh, don't be," she told him waving it off. "It was a daft idea anyway. _She_ would just track us down and make trouble for the both of us." Ark sat still, his feet suddenly very interesting, and the demon half of Zeel idly jiggled her leg, ringing the bells on her clothing. Both seemed lost in thought. Ark's mind was still reeling over the most recent revelation about the two Zeels, and also over their rather grim fates. Death for one, life for the other, and it was he who stood in the middle, like the fulcrum to the lever. It was a position he didn't want to be in, but asking _why_ he was in that position would be useless. Nobody had an answer for him.  
"Do you realize that you're the first person that I've ever been able to have a proper conversation with?" the demon half of Zeel asked, breaking the heavy silence. "If I were to keep you, then I could talk all the time." She glanced over at Ark as he looked determinedly at his feet. "…but I guess we've already gone over this." Ark nodded and shifted his gaze a little.  
"I'm sorry," he murmured.  
"Maybe you should go to sleep," the girl suggested as a strange, eerie melody began to drift around the room. Ark shook his head.  
"No…the dreams…I'm not tired…" he mumbled drowsily.  
"Of course not," the silver-haired Zeel agreed. The music continued to play until Ark slumped onto his side, heavy breathing indicating his state of unconsciousness. She played for some time, looking up at the false sky and moon. It would be nice, the girl thought, to take Ark and leave the other Zeel behind. She was nothing but scathing, calling her a demon- a _monster_…but she didn't feel like a monster. She was just as much a part of the other Zeel as the other Zeel was of her, and like Ark, could she really leave a part of herself behind to die? It was almost funny; the beautiful, near-flawless young girl as the embodiment of anger and hate- the darker side, perhaps…while the demon; green-skinned and red-eyed was the embodiment of happiness and mischief- the lighter side. Nobody would think that was the case at all.  
"Life is cruel sometimes," demon-Zeel chuckled softly. She glanced down at Ark as he dozed fitfully, his usually troubled face now a picture of serenity. "But at least you're not."

"Are we all ready?" Impa asked. She received an affirmative. The time had finally come to search out the next Lock, and Link, Talen, Fura, and the Sheikah woman herself were the ones who were going to find it. Florella, Saria, Nyara, and Zelda were to remain behind where it was safe, since by all accounts it seemed that there were a fair number of nasties that lurked in the overgrown ruins.  
"Now take care, all of you," Saria told them. "Especially you, Link. You have an uncanny knack for attracting trouble. And don't take too long, the little performing troupe is going to have a small performance tonight." Talen and Link didn't appear too enthused by the news.  
"And you too, Talen," Florella said. She made a face. "Not the attracting trouble part, you're a _good_ boy. Be careful."  
"I will, Florella," the smith told her pleasantly. Nyara padded up to Link and plopped the Compass into his hand, curling his fingers over it with her own.  
"Link take good care of Compass," she told him. "Nyara want it back later so she can give to Ark when she find him, yes?"  
"It'll be safe with me, Nyara," Link told her. "And don't worry, you'll get it back the second we return."  
With the final preparations made, the small Lock-hunting party assembled outside the hut. Talen returned the Key to Link, and the blonde boy clipped it back around his neck. The small hinge and clasp disappeared in a twinkle of golden light, and the familiar straps tipped with the silver rings emerged from the unbroken gold band like twin snakes. The Key was back on its proper owner. Then, to Link's dismay, Zelda asked Link for a kiss before he left, but he had managed to put off the embarrassing act by promising her one when he returned, stating that it would be like the hero returning to the beautiful maiden. Zelda swallowed his pitiful excuse and blushed rosily at being the "beautiful maiden". Florella, however; looked very disgusted with him  
"If we don't locate it by the early afternoon, then we'll start heading back," Impa said. "We don't want to be in the ruins after dark." There was a general murmur of agreement from the others.  
"All right," Fura nodded at Link. "Which way?" Link held up the Compass and laid his eyes on the small, white pointer inside the blue sphere. He blinked and looked even closer at it. There was a rather punctuated silence as Link gave the Compass a slight shake.  
"It's not a snow-globe, Link," Florella sighed. "What are you doing?"  
"It's not pointing at the ruins anymore," the boy said flatly.  
"What?"  
"It's not pointing at the ruins," Link repeated. "It's pointing back at the hut." There was an even longer pause.  
"Are you reading it wrong?" Talen asked curiously. He walked up to his friend's side and peered at the Compass with him.  
"How many ways _is_ there to read it?" Link frowned, giving the Compass another shake. "You go in the direction the little white ball points." Saria began to find the whole situation quite amusing. Talen and Link continued to shake and jiggle the Compass, while Fura and Impa stood by, fidgeting uncomfortably.  
"Have you considered that it might be pointing in the right direction?" the Sheikah woman asked. Her voice sounded pained. Talen and Link turned and stared first at Impa, then at the Compass. There wasn't really a reason _not_ to protest Impa's words, so everybody filed back into the hut. Link moved the small, blue sphere around until he managed to pinpoint the object at which it was pointing; his bed.  
"Well, well," Fura smirked. "Have you been using the Lock as a teddy-bear, Link?" The blonde boy gave her a dirty look.  
"Of course not," he muttered. "There's no Lock there, how could there be?" In an act that most certainly irked Saria, he whipped off the thin blanket, pillows, and sheets, before upturning the mattress. There was nothing there, but the Compass continued to point at the bed.  
"What's wrong with you!?" he almost shouted at it. The Compass, naturally, did not reply.  
"Well this is certainly a pleasant turn of events," Fura chuckled dryly. "Looking for a lost artifact in Link's messy bed." She dropped backwards onto the mattress, which Saria had expressly made sure Link replaced after tipping it onto the floor. Fura's stay on the bed, however; was not a prolonged one. With a shrill squeak, she leaped up into the air, clutching at her backside.  
"Ow, ow, ow!" she cried, dancing about. The others stared at her.  
"What's wrong?" Florella asked the Gerudo. Fura stopped hopping about and instead stood there rubbing at her posterior.  
"I sat on something hard and I hurt my bottom!" she cried indignantly. Zelda stifled a giggle.  
"Probably that annoying lump I've had to sleep on for the past few-" Link stopped suddenly and blinked as a sudden thought struck him. "It's in the mattress."  
"Pardon?" Talen asked.  
"It's that lump in the mattress…I've been sleeping on the Lock for the past two days."

While Fura attempted in vain to get Link to pat her sore backside, Impa drew her long knife from its sheath and deftly sliced a neat gash in the mattress. Saria cringed, but Talen was adamant that he could easily stitch it back together again. Sure enough, upon sticking her hand into the mattress, Impa drew it back out with another of the crudely-shaped Locks in her grip.  
"Well…that was underwhelming," the Sheikah sighed. "Perhaps you should have taken a look at the Compass _before_ we went through the process of getting ready to head into the ruins." Link went red as Impa dropped the Lock into Link's hand and raised her eyebrow at him.  
"Sorry," he mumbled, fidgeting under her red-eyed gaze. Impa smiled to herself, secretly pleased that she could still make him squirm. Not wasting any time, Link transformed the Key and twirled it like a baton, plunging it into the glowing, white keyhole that always appeared before the Locks, at the same time ordering for it to be locked. With a sharp twist of the Key, it was done, an audible click punctuating the completion of the procedure. In his hand, Link held the fourth Lock. It was roughly the same size as the others and was shaped and coloured like any ordinary padlock, but right down its middle there was a large, jagged split that looked to have been purposely created.  
"Which do you suppose this one is?" Saria asked, looking at the small artifact that Link held. "We can count off Love, Tranquility, and Chaos, which means it's Discord, Order, or Hate." There was a thoughtful silence before Talen spoke up.  
"I'm willing to put my money on Discord," the smith nodded, sitting down at the table.  
"How do you figure that?" Fura asked, folding her arms up behind her head. "There isn't a label or anything like that on any of these things." Talen grinned at her and tapped the side of his head with his finger.  
"Just take a look at it; there's a split down the middle. Discord is conflict and dispute, and those things…" He left it hanging.  
"Drive people apart, splits them," Impa chuckled. "Very clever, Talen."  
"Oooh! You're such a thinker!" Florella squealed. "Where would we be without you?"  
"But…how did the Lock move from the ruins to Link's bed? As far as I know, they can't just move around on their own…right?" Zelda asked curiously. The other looked at her and there were murmurs of agreement.  
"Who knows?" Florella frowned. "There could be any number of reasons why it happened…but at least now we only have two Locks to go. The end is in sight."  
In all, the retrieval of the fourth Lock seemed to be something of a fizzle. Fura had been looking forward to at least being able to set something on fire in the ruins, and Talen would have liked to have seen some of the ancient architecture that went into creating the place. However; with the Lock being in Link's bed the whole time, they didn't get the opportunity. Zelda also received some disappointing news. Link denied her a kiss, his logic being that he had said that she'd get one when he returned from the ruins and, since he hadn't gone to the ruins and therefore was unable to return from them; no kiss for Zelda. The Princess cursed his remarkably sound logic and sat heavily at the table where she stared at him with her bright, blue eyes narrowed to dangerous little slits. Link was rather pleased with himself for wheedling out of _that_. Florella, however; was not, and she gave him a longwinded speech about how boys were supposed to treat girls. Essentially, it boiled down to "boys do what girls say"; only it was coated in lots of sugary Florella-words. Saria was merely pleased that she wouldn't have to mend her oldest friend's tunic yet again.

As it midday approached, the girls decided that it was high time for a wash- or more accurately, Saria and Zelda thought it was high time for the _boys_ to have a wash. Link and Talen were actually rather eager to wash, since they had accumulated a rather fine layer of filth on their persons. They happily trotted off to the spring, and even ran the last stretch to the mudslide which deposited them into the pool of thick, grey mud. After sufficient time had been spent wallowing, the two boys washed in the spring, dressed themselves, and headed back to the hut. Upon their arrival, the girls met them at the door, eager for their turn in the spring.  
"If you don't mind, there are a few articles of clothing that need washing inside. I've already done most of it, so Fura's are the only ones that still need washing. There's water in the basin, so give them a scrub and hang them out to dry," Impa had told the boys. Since Talen had the cut mattress to repair, Link offered to do the washing. For some odd reason, Fura snickered at him as the girls headed off.  
"Feel free to keep one or two for yourself," she had giggled, blowing Link a kiss.  
"I guess that means we'll be leaving the Meera village soon," Talen sighed as he dutifully re-stitched Link's mattress.  
"Probably," Link replied as he stood at the sink, cringing. Impa had been right by saying that Fura's clothes were all that was left to be washed, but she had neglected to mention exactly _which_ clothes they were. "Ugh, Impa left these on _purpose_." Link's tone was anguished, and Talen looked up from the mattress to see what the matter was.  
"Huh?" he grunted. Link gave him a flat look and held up something small and made of snow-white material.  
"The unmentionables," he muttered. Talen went slightly red and coughed.  
"Oh," he chuckled. "Well have fun."  
"Keep one or two for myself," Link muttered, remembering Fura's words. "Bah." He tossed the article of clothing back into the water and continued with his task whilst simultaneously trying to touch as little of them as possible. It was then that the two boys' toils were interrupted by a knock at the door.  
"Come in," Talen called, looking up from his task. There was a jingle, at which point a grinning, pained face complete with a jester's hat poked through the door.  
"Hello!" it said cheerfully. Link blinked.  
"Hello," he frowned. "Who are you?"  
"Zen…isn't it?" Talen asked. "Link, he's with those three ladies that helped wake you up." Link expression brightened.  
"Oh! Nice to meet you," he greeted Zen. "What brings you here?" Zen's face looked mournful.  
"Neju kicked me out of the wagon after she caught me rifling through her underwear," he sighed. "Honestly, it was as if I was up to no good…anyway, she told me to remind all of you that their performance is tonight, so here I am!" Link and Talen gave each other uneasy glances. Rifling through underwear was not something that either of them were familiar with, despite Fura's frequent invitations for Link to do so whenever he had visited the Gerudo Fortress.  
"Oh, all right then," Talen nodded. "The girls are all off bathing in the spring, but they'd never forget something like that." Zen's ears seemed to twitch.  
"Bathing you say?" he murmured, looking very thoughtful. His expression changed, however; when he saw Link lift something white from the basin and drop it into a basket by his feet. "Ooh! What are those?"  
"Huh?" Link asked. "Oh…you don't want to know." Zen was suddenly at his side.  
"Oh-hoho! Do my eyes deceive me?" He reached down into the basked. Navi jingled a warning to Link. "Pantie- ow!" Something flared up inside Link and he deftly rapped Zen across the head with a wooden spoon.  
"Those are Fura's," Link frowned. "She'd set you on fire if she found you doing that."  
"He's right," Talen chuckled from across the room. Zen winced and rubbed his head as Navi stood on Link's shoulder with a displeased expression on her tiny face.  
"Ouch…well I guess I'd better head back," Zen grinned. "I have to get ready for tonight. Goodbye and it was nice meeting you, Link." Zen bowed and twirled out the door, closing it behind him with a jingle from the bells on his hat. Oddly enough, Navi gave a shrill jingle and zipped out the window after him.  
"Navi!" Link called after the fairy. "Huhn, where do you suppose she's going?"  
"I don't know," Talen murmured. Link frowned, eyeing Fura's unmentionables. Carefully, he slid the basket between his legs and the basin…just in case Zen came back.

"Ahh," Florella sighed blissfully, sinking low into the hot spring water. "Whoever made this place sure knew what they were doing."  
"Amen," Saria murmured. The girls had finished all the hard work involved with bathing, and had settled down for a soak, which they intended to prolong for as long as possible.  
"And no boys means we don't have to worry about modesty," Fura yawned, glancing at their discarded towels. "Still, it _is_ more exciting with those three around, at least then there's somebody to tease." The Gerudo sighed and leaned back. "Oh well, perhaps I'll be stirring up the suds of true love in Link's bath one day." The others snorted in amusement.  
"I wonder what Talen and Link are doing right now?" Florella frowned. "Not getting filthy again I hope."  
"I'm sure Talen's repairing the mattress still," Impa said. She winced. "I feel a little bad for making the cut so big, but no matter. Talen's not one to complain."  
"Nyara hope Ark keeping clean," the Meera girl mewed as she splashed about in a slow circle. "Wherever he is." Saria giggled softly.  
"I'm sure he is, Nyara," the Kokiri girl assured her.  
"I'm sure that Zeel has a bath somewhere in that huge manor of hers," Florella told the Meera girl. "From Link's description of the place." The others looked at her sharply, particularly Nyara, whose ears twitched straight up.  
"How…do you know that he's with Zeel?" Zelda asked. Florella sat up straight and swept her wet mass of purple hair back over her shoulders.  
"I could feel my binding on Ark break several days ago," the Great Fairy told them. "Zeel's obviously managed to spirit him away, but it's almost a good thing. At least there he's safe from Gaul and anyone else, because Zeel will fight to the death to get her reward."  
"That's something, I suppose," Saria frowned. "Oh well, at least we know where he is, right Nyara?" The Meera girl murmured something in agreement and submerged herself beneath the water, a trail of bubbles revealing her movements.  
"Everything will work out, I'm sure of it," Impa assured the girls. "Ark, all of this. But for now, let us enjoy the spring before we have to leave this place, hmm?"

"_Liiink,"_ Navi sang. Link's ear twitched and he looked out from behind the washing he was hanging up behind the hut.  
"Hmm? Oh, Navi, it's you," he said. "Where did you go?" The tiny fairy settled on his head and looked down at his face.  
"I followed Zen," she told him simply.  
"Oh…why?" her partner asked curiously. Navi smirked and fluttered her wings.  
"No reason, and by the way…he didn't go back to the wagon," she said airily. Link slowed down the process of hanging up one of Zelda's brassieres a little. "Would you like to know where he went?"  
"Erm…is it important that I know?" Link shrugged. "Why should I care where Zen goes?" Navi flipped down and sat on the bridge of his nose, obstructing his view.  
"Does the word "peeping" mean anything to you?" she asked. Link blinked as he looked cross-eyed at her.  
"Peeping?" he parroted.  
"Yes, peeping," Navi told him flatly. "The springs?" Link still looked clueless. "The _girls!_ Wake up, stupid! Zen's gone to _spy_ on them!" The window behind the pair suddenly burst open and Talen appeared looking rather outraged.  
"Peeping!?" he exclaimed. "That's out of the question! To the spring!" The smith leaped out onto the ground.  
"But…" Link began, looking at his unfinished task of hanging up the washing. "I'll get in trouble if I don't finish this…"  
"There's no time for that, come on!" Talen grabbed Link roughly by the tunic and dragged him off in the direction of the spring at top speed.  
"H-hey! It's not like they can't put a stop to him themselves," Link stammered as he tried to keep balance behind the swiftly-moving Talen. "Fura's more than capable of scaring off Zen."  
"Are you trying to say that you're happy with him copping an eyeful of Flor- _female_ before he's set on fire?" Talen asked. Link thought for a few moments as images of his traveling companions passed through his head. He winced.  
"You're right, run faster."

Zen crept slowly up the slope towards the baths. It had taken some time circling all the way around to the bottom of the hill, but it would be worth it; a whole spring full of lovely girls to look at.  
"What sixteen year-old _wouldn't_ do what I'm doing?" he chuckled quietly to himself. He approached the small wall built around the pool of hot water. If he stood high enough, he could peek over without them seeing. "Neeeearly there…"  
As Nyara splashed around in the water, her sensitive ears picked up an odd sound. It was a faint jingling, like the noise that a small bell not unlike the ones used on animal collars. She frowned. What would such a thing be doing around the spring? With a few twitches of her ears, she pinpointed the source of the sound. It appeared to be coming from the wall designed to stop the spring water from flowing down the hill. Curiously, she slid through the water and gripped the top of the wall with her hands before lifting herself up and peering over at the exact same time as a painted face appeared. The face blinked. Nyara blinked.  
"Hey…what you doing here?" Nyara asked, grabbing his hair and pulling his head up over the wall. Her question caught the attention of the rest of the girls in the spring.  
"Erm…hello…" Zen laughed weakly, waving at the women in the water. The girls- including Impa- blinked, and then let out shrill squeals or horror before racing away and snatching up their towels.  
"Ack! Zen!? What are you _doing_ here!?" Fura squawked. Nyara lifted him up as the girls, clad now in their towels, ducked low in the water.  
"Come on, girls!" Zen whimpered. "Don't be like that!" He wriggled out of Nyara's grip and shuffled forward on the wall with his arms spread wide and appealingly. "Don't hide!"

From the top of the slope came a low rumble and a cloud of dust as Talen, incensed, charged towards the spring like a mad bull. The fringe of small trees and shrubs at the very top of the hill burst outwards, spraying splinters of wood and leaves into the air as Talen launched into the air with a mighty leap and crashed down onto the stone changing area with a frazzled Link held under his arm like a sack of flour. A quick look down at the spring revealed the girls huddled on the opposite side of the pool as a figure standing on the far wall.  
"It's Zen," Link said, squinting down at the boy. "He's already there."  
"We're too late!" Talen cried in anguish. "I tried to get here fast enough, but I blundered!" He looked down and ground his teeth together as Zen slowly edged closer to the water. "We have one chance!" As he spoke, Talen would his arm back with his hand firmly clenched around the gold band on Link's neck, hefting him up over his shoulder.  
"Talen! What are you doing!? N-no! Don't! Augh!" Link squawked, waving his arms about. Link let out a long, piercing wail as Talen pitched his arm forwards and hurled Link like a stone loosed from a catapult. The smith watched Link's flight towards the spring until Zen, quite suddenly, looked up with an expression that could only be described as panic to see Link hurtling towards him at incredible speed. The screaming, blonde boy struck Zen solidly in the stomach, catapulting him off the wall and down the slope, while Link bounced back and splashed into the water. Nyara watched in interest as Zen tumbled off town the slope before she turned around in time to see Impa fish a dazed Link out of the water.  
"Well now," the Sheikah woman blinked, holding him up by the Key. "That was quite an entrance. It's a good thing to see that chivalry runs thick through your veins, lad." Link hung in her grip before Fura snatched him down.  
"Oh Link, that was fantastic! You always come to our rescue whenever we're in danger." She delivered a crushing hug to the boy and a loud kiss on the cheek.  
"You deserve high praise!" Zelda chimed in. Talen came charging down the slope.  
"Are you all okay!?" he demanded. "Was I too late!? Zen didn't…" He left it hanging.  
"Eeee!" Florella squealed jubilantly. "Talen, my hero! We fair maidens will be forever in your debt for upholding our innocence and purity!" She danced about in the water and clapped her hands.  
"The _nerve_ of that Zen! Spying on women of our virtue!" Saria exclaimed indignantly. "Where is the little sneak!?" Nyara pointed down the hill.  
"Zen go rolly-rolly all the way to bottom. Nyara no think he get up anytime soon," she frowned.  
"Well serves him right," the Kokiri girl huffed. She turned to face Talen as he stood at the edge of the water, averting his eyes from the towel-clad women. "Good aim, Talen…and nice flying, Link."  
"Erm…thanks," the smith mumbled in reply. All Link managed was a groan as he sat supported in the water by Fura.  
"How did you know Zen was here?" Zelda queried the two boys. Talen rubbed the back of his head.  
"Navi told us. He stopped by the hut to remind us of the performance tonight," the smith replied. "Navi got suspicious and followed him after he tried to grab a handful of Fura's…" He winced and groped for the right word. "…whites." Fura blinked.  
"He rummaged through my _panties!?_" she roared. "That's a privilege reserved for Link and _only_ Link! I'll set the little worm on fire the next time I see him!"  
"And I'll break his teeth," Zelda growled, her cheeks reddening. Impa held up her hand.  
"Now, now, Zelda," she said calmly. "Princess Zelda of Hyrule does not commit such acts of violence…" The Sheikah woman reached over and picked up her long knife and fingered its edge. "That's a job for her attendant. I wonder how many little bits of him I can cut off before he bleeds to death?" Link, who was sitting next to the imposing Impa, scuttled over to the edge of the spring and clambered out, his face having gone rather pale.  
"Erm…we'll let you ladies finish up here, all right?" he told them, eyeing Impa carefully. "I still have the washing to hang out." Link began to creep away with Talen, but Impa reached out and grabbed the silver ring on the end of one of the Key straps.  
"Not so fast," she told him slowly. "As a _loyal_ subject to the Princess Zelda, do you not think it wise to stay here should the threat of Zen return?" Link whirled around to protest, but Impa's level gaze stopped any words before they even left his mouth. The Sheikah woman was perhaps the only person that Link and Talen were truly afraid of. In fact; not even the King of Hyrule dared to go against her, and it was often _he_ who was ordered around by her.  
"All right," the young Hylian murmured.  
"Great!" Fura cheered. "Come into the water, we can play a game called "Wash Fura's Back", it's a game where nobody loses."

As the hubbub from the water died down, a lone figure at the top of the hill smiled knowingly to itself before turning around and strolling away slowly.  
"Well done boys."


	68. Finding Out

**Chapter 67 – Finding Out**

Ark sat up under the moonlight, his chest heaving from yet another bad dream, and for a few moments his eyes raced about in panic. However; his mind collected itself and he soon recalled where he was; the demon-Zeel's room.  
"Another nightmare," the boy murmured, holding his face in his hand. He didn't understand them; voices going on and on about something- the archetype…and an old man, and destroying it. Ark couldn't figure it out, not did he know _why_ the dreams were coming to him with such frequency. Whenever he slept now, it was always the same; nightmares, and he didn't know what to do about them. Shaken and slightly bewildered, Ark stood up and looked around himself and discovered that he was completely alone.  
"How long did I sleep for?" he groaned, rubbing at his eyes. "Miss Zeel…that music she played…" He could remember her playing some kind of flute…and then he had woken up by himself. She'd put him to sleep somehow, probably because he refused to himself. His stomach suddenly growled very loudly, prompting Ark to cover it with his hands and go slightly red in the face, and he then realized that he was absolutely famished.  
"How _long_ did I sleep for?" he repeated.  
The kitchen was Ark's first port of call in the vast manor. It took him only a short time to get himself reoriented with the innumerable corridors and hallways before he was off to fill his growling stomach. He resisted the urge to ask girl-Zeel for permission, since she had told him more than once that he was free to take what he wanted from the kitchens whenever he pleased. Still, he wasn't completely comfortable with it.  
A thick sandwich later and Ark was pleasantly full, and he was amazed when he saw that the ingredients he had used had mysteriously been replaced in the vast panty afterwards. Idly, he wondered what other mysteries the vast manor held as he trotted over to the basin to wash his plate up. The well-mannered young man filled the rather big basin with hot water he had heated previously on the stove and then thoroughly washed his utensils. Satisfied with their cleanliness, he dried them with a cloth and prepared to put them back in their proper places.  
"You! Where have you been!?" The voice came sharp and sudden, jolting Ark horribly. He fumbled with his plate and it bounced from hand to hand, spinning more and more out of control in its dangerous and precarious dance. Girl-Zeel, who stood in the doorway with her arms folded across her chest, watched the scene play out almost in slow motion, and she closed her eyes patiently and waited for the inevitable. Sure enough, there was a loud crash, eliciting a twitch from Zeel's left eye and a squawk from the grey-haired boy.  
"Ack! Sorry! Sorry!" Ark yelped, ducking down to pick up the pieces. Zeel rolled her eyes and waved her hand.  
"Don't worry about it," she murmured, grinding her teeth together. "There'll be a new one in its place." Ark looked down at the shattered plate and then up to the girl.  
"But-"  
"I _said_…forget it," Zeel repeated a little more firmly. She glared at Ark as he continued to clean up the shattered pieces of porcelain, stacking the shards neatly in his hand with the other. "Where have you been for the past two days?" Ark stopped suddenly.  
"T-two days?" he parroted.  
"That's what I asked," Zeel growled irritably, tapping a finger on her elbow. She looked a little cross about something, and poor Ark couldn't even begin to imagine what had set the volatile girl off this time.  
"I-I think I've been…sleeping," he said quietly, a little embarrassed by his answer. Zeel narrowed her eyes suspiciously.  
"Sleeping?" she asked, sculpting the word slowly and perfectly on her lips. "For two days straight?" She was suspicious, and with good reason. Who slept for two days after refusing to sleep when she had told him to?  
"I think…" Ark trailed off. He had to choose his answer carefully; because he did not want to let on that he knew that girl-Zeel and demon-Zeel was the same person. Who knew how the Zeel before Ark would react? "…that the other lady staying here put me to sleep with that flute of hers. I only just woke up on the floor." Ark looked at Zeel carefully, watching for the tightening around the eyes that told of her displeasure. "Did you need me for something?" Zeel pursed her lips, seemingly satisfied with his answer.  
"No…but don't let it happen again. I need to keep an eye on you," she told him gruffly. Ark nodded quickly. An argument with Zeel was not something he would like to get into. She could be scary- _very_ scary- when she put her mind to it. "And watch yourself around the animal. She can't be trusted." Ark flinched and furrowed his brow, and he looked up just as Zeel turned to leave the room.  
"Why are you so cruel to her, Miss Zeel?" he asked, his voice a little more firm than he had realized. Zeel jerked to a stop and raised her head slightly before turning around slowly and deliberately.  
"Pardon?" Her tone was icy and quiet, and Ark gave an involuntary shudder.  
"Y-you're so cruel to her, Miss Zeel. Why? She hasn't done anything bad so far that I can see," he told her. Scary or not, Ark was determined to get his point across to the black-haired girl.  
"She's a _demon_, you idiot boy!" Zeel growled, stalking towards him. Ark backed away slightly. "She's an animal! A monster! A _beast!_" Anger bubbled up inside the usually timid boy, and he ceased his retreat and stood firm, pushing back towards Zeel.  
"She's not an animal, she's a _person!_" he snapped. "And she deserves to be treated like one!" Zeel's pupils shrank down to tiny dots and her face became mottled red with anger.  
"Of course _you'd_ say that!" she hissed, lashing out to grab him by the front of his top. "Just like that damned _cat_ of yours!" Ark saw red, and before he knew it, his hand whipped through the air and slapped Zeel's away with surprising force.  
"Miss Nyara is _not_ a beast! You leave her _out_ of this!" he shouted furiously. Zeel blinked, the retort she had planned dying on her lips. She'd never seen Ark so angry before- she'd never seen Ark _hit_ her before. "I don't know what your problem is, Miss Zeel, but if you want a monster…then take a long, hard look in the mirror and see what you're turning into." Then, gathering up the rest of the shattered plate, Ark walked briskly from the room without so much as looking at her, leaving a speechless Zeel to stare at the open door.

"There…there…and there," Saria smiled, running her tongue over her lips as she finished combing Link's still-damp hair to her satisfaction. "Our pervert-buster should be all spick and span for the play." She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him on the cheek, much to his consternation.  
"Talen did all the work, so torture him," Link grumbled. "The only function _I_ served was that of the ammunition." Talen winced. He hadn't really been thinking all that clearly, but at the time he had merely thrown the closest things at hand…it just so happened that it was _Link_.  
"Sorry," he laughed weakly. "It was all I could think of. If it's any consolation, you fly even better than a skimming-stone."  
"Well I'm glad that my aerodynamics are to your satisfaction, Talen," Link grumbled. Fura, who had just finished entered the hut after re-dressing herself in her rather daring, figure-hugging outfit, shook her wet hair from side to side, spraying droplets of water around the room. There was a burst of heat, and the rather bedraggled cascade of red hanging down her back was suddenly steaming ad not so bedraggled anymore.  
"Nice and dry," she nodded, beginning the process of combing and threading it all through the gold band that sat atop her head. She looked at Link as she went about the task. "What surprises me is how seriously the two of you took Zen's little excursion. It's really rather touching." Talen's face flushed, his embarrassment was only made worse by Florella hovering around the back of his chair with a comb in his hair. She giggled and pinched his cheek.  
"Of course it is. They don't want _anybody_ catching a look at us girls in the birthday suits. Not even Impa," she cooed.  
"It was the right thing to do," Talen mumbled. Impa laughed dryly and clapped the two boys on their shoulders.  
"Were it not for the two of you, my womanly poise would not still be intact," she told them. "Neither would Zelda's, but on second thought…Link, that was something that you happened to-"  
"Impa! Please!" Link cried. "You of all people! You're supposed to be the female adult around here, my last ounce of faith in your gender…aside from Navi, that is; she's on my side…most of the time." Saria made an indelicate little sound and tweaked his ear.  
"Oh enough," she tutted. "We get the picture. Now pop your boots on and leave your hat off until your hair dries, or else it'll get messed up and dry funny, all right?" Link obediently did as his childhood friend told him, before looking at her for approval once he was fully dressed. Saria nodded and hid a smile. "Oh very nice and neat, Link." He nodded and stood up, whipping the Key's straps around until they hung down his back to about the height of his knees.  
"Are we all ready to go?" Impa asked, finishing the process of drawing her hair back into its small pigtail. She received the affirmative from nearly everybody.  
"Hold on one moment," Fura called as everyone began filing out the door. She gave her hair one last fluff, hooked her finger underneath the leg of her outfit and ran it around her thigh to get rid of any creases, pushed her bust up, and then nodded with a grin. "All right, I'm ready…wait for me! Link, how do I look?"

The area around the wagon was packed with eager Meera, all of whom were waiting patiently for the performance to start. A stage had been set up and was backed by a curtain and the small performing troupe's wagon, which served as a kind of backstage area. Impa, being the tallest, spotted Nyara's family at the front of the crowd right by the stage. Oora waved them over, and her prodigious offspring cleared a spot for everyone to sit down. Mii, Nanu, and Miamm immediately set themselves upon the completely-healed Link, scratching, biting, and tugging on the Key's straps like there was no tomorrow.  
"Oh, that's sweet," came a voice from the stage. The party assembled on the ground looked up to see Deia, bent at the waist, smiling down at them. "They seem attached to you, young lad." Link opened his mouth to reply, when Mii scored him a nice punch on the jaw, clacking his teeth together with a stattaco of sound.  
"Ow!" the boy cried painfully. Mii, Nanu, and Miamm immediately parroted his cry, which had since become their new favorite word. "There's nothing "sweet" about them. It's hard to believe that such furry little things have so many pointy bits." He successfully warded off an assault on his fingers courtesy of Nanu's teeth. "Somebody help." Impa laughed quietly and plucked two of the youngsters from off of Link and deposited them in her lap, holding them there with her muscular arms.  
"Sit with me, little ones," she told the two struggling Meera cubs. "And stop putting parts of Link in your mouths; you don't know where he's been." Link looked slightly insulted at that. The three little Meera wriggled around furiously, but Impa, well versed with keeping Zelda still as a child, had no trouble at all in keeping them safely ensnared.  
"At least he smells clean." The fine hairs on the back of Link's neck bristled and he turned back to the front to see Deia's face right up close to his own. She closed her eyes and grinned at him, prompting the boy to reach up and flick her on the tip of her nose. The redhead slapped her hands over her nose in shock and fell back onto her behind.  
"Not to be disrespectful after you saved my bacon a few days ago, but shouldn't you be getting ready to perform?" he asked pleasantly. She squinted, wrinkling her nose up and staring down it at him.  
"We've had a slight delay," Deia explained to everyone, moving around to a cross-legged position. "Zen came back just before a _right_ mess. We needed to do a few last-minute repairs on his outfit as well as take care of a wide range of cuts and bruises. What's strange is that he keeps avoiding the question of how he did it to himself." The girls instantly became riled, and even Impa lost some of her usual composure.  
"I'll tell you how it happened!" Florella declared rather loudly. "The little sneak was trying to peep on us while we were taking our bath!"  
"That's right," Impa snorted, going a little red in the face. "We caught him spying, _and_ the boys caught him trying to rifle through a few of the girls' underwear collections." The rest of the girls nodded in unison.  
"Luckily for us; Talen and Link jumped in and saved the day. Zen took a little trip down the hill, so that's why he's looking like an old chew-toy," Saria huffed. Deia stared at them calmly for a few moments. Suddenly, her right eye began twitching and she smiled sweetly.  
"Excuse me for a few moments, will you?" the young woman asked in a honeyed voice. She stood up, turned on her heel, and strode briskly back to the wagon; opening and closing the door behind her in one, swift movement. Zelda leaned over to whisper in Fura's ear.  
"I wonder what-" The Princess' question was drowned out by an almighty bellow from the wagon.  
"_Peeping at naked girls!? Trying to steal their underwear!? How many times have we told you not to do things like that!? Huh? Answer me!"_ Link almost threw the Meera cub remaining in his lap straight into the air.  
"Augh! It's all a misunderstanding, Deia, I swear! I was merely _picking up_ their underwear to return it to them! I found it on the ground, honest!" Zen's pitiful-sounding voice whimpered.  
"Zen, I cannot believe you." The second voice sounded like Neju. "It's always the same in every village we stop in, why can't you behave yourself?"  
The rest of the conversation was played out at a much lower volume, preventing Link and company from hearing anything else, but at least they were safe with the knowledge that Zen was having a very bad time. The wagon shook suddenly, and then there was a squeal of intense pain that, most likely, came from the lecherous young man. Fura smiled rosily and slapped her thighs.  
"Ahh, music to my ears," she sighed pleasantly. "_Now_ I can enjoy the play."  
"Here, here," Impa murmured, fingering the long dagger sheathed along the small of her back. Talen, who was sitting next to the Sheikah woman, shivered slightly and shuffled closer to Florella. The Great Fairy of Spring, of course; interpreted his movement in entirely the wrong way and instantly bounced into his lap and leaned back against him. Talen blinked stupidly- it had happened in the blink of an eye.  
"Florella, you're getting frighteningly fast at doing that," the smith frowned, shifting her small frame into a more comfortable position. Florella tilted her head back and grinned a row of perfect, white teeth up at him. He looked at her and gently took hold of her antennae before tugging her head back down with them.  
"It's about to start," he murmured. "Zen's punishment must have been played out."  
"Serves him right," Zelda chuckled darkly. A hushed silence fell over the chattering crowd as the burly Fien drew the curtain closed in preparation for the beginning of the performance.

"Augh! How _dare_ he!? How _dare_ he say that to me!? _Rrgh!_" Zeel screeched, vaporizing an image of the boy in question. The furious black-haired girl had stormed off to a room in the bowels of the manor in which she frequently vented her frustrations. The room was walled in steel and was quite stark in comparison to the rest of the building. In fact; all that was present in the room was the door and a shapeless pillar of what appeared to be clay, however; that pillar had the ability to take on the shape of whatever Zeel pleased, and right at that moment she felt like beating the stuffing out of Ark. But since she couldn't actually bring herself to do it to the real Ark, a fake would have to do.  
The mound of clay-like matter on the floor reformed itself into a perfect replica of the grey-haired boy. It stood there; unmoving, unblinking, but perfectly identical to Ark in every other way. Zeel's lip twitched back, revealing one of her pointed and deadly incisors. Then, with a ferocious growl, she charged at the Ark-statue and sunk her teeth into its neck, biting in deeper and deeper until it collapsed in a pile of ash, only to reform once again. Zeel made a face and clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth. If only it tasted as good as the real thing…and it wouldn't hurt if it tried to run away whilst pleading with her to let him go.

"Those were the days," the girl grumbled. She wound back her arm and then slammed her fist into the fake Ark's jaw. "But then you came along and disrupted everything! You stupid, stupid, stupid, _stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid little boy!_" She punctuated each "stupid" with a blow to its jaw, hitting it over and over and over until the statue's head twisted around and snapped off and fell to the floor with a dull thud. Zeel snorted and moved around behind the headless statue. She stooped and picked up the head, tossing it up into the air and catching it again so that it faced her. What _was_ so special about Ark anyway? He wasn't a fighter, he wasn't particularly hardy, and to top it all off; he was a big, fat scaredy-cat.  
"Call me a monster, will you!? I'm not the one with the green skin and the big ears! You're just an idiot little boy who doesn't know what he's talking about," Zeel growled at the Ark head. It would be so easy, _so _easy to just squish him like a bug. "And yet he beat me…must have something going for him, then." Well, he was loyal, if nothing else…and perhaps some of that loyalty even extended to her…not that she cared, or course. Zeel tossed the head up and down idly, her anger sated for the time being, but a sudden noise from the direction of the door caught her attention. Without thinking, she whipped her arm around and pelted the Ark head with all her strength at the intruder. There was a squawk of surprise and pain, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor.  
"Ow, ow, ow!" Zeel turned to find Ark struggling to rise to a sitting position, his face cradled painfully in one hand after being beaned in the side of the head.  
"Oh…it's you," she snorted. "Come to call me more names?" She watched in amusement as a look of horror and shame crossed his face.  
"S-sorry for intruding, Miss Zeel," he started. "I came to apologize for being so ru-" He stopped in mid-sentence as his wandering eyes fell upon his own severed head sitting upon the floor before him. He blinked as its lifeless eyes gazed back as him, glazed and eerie.  
"Oh…that's me…" He promptly fainted after that, the back of his head clonking onto the hard floor rather loudly. Zeel winced and then pursed her lips as Ark lay there motionless. Sighing, she snapped her fingers, causing the false head to melt into a glob of the clay-like substance, before it rolled along the floor and merged with the rest of itself. Zeel walked over and stood at the boy's feet and looked down at him, a frown creased across her pretty face.  
"And _this_ is what got the better of me?" she muttered to nobody in particular. Grumbling to herself, Zeel bent down and took hold of Ark's ankle and dragged him out of the room and down the hallway. "What a pansy."

The play was surprisingly good, Link and Talen admitted, despite all the fluffy, lovey-dovey cack mashed in between the sword-fights. The girls found things exactly the opposite. The play was good, despite all the boorish, sword-fighting garbage mashed in between the lovey-dovey goodness. Regardless of what the group thought, the Meera went wild; cheering and stamping their feet on the loamy ground. Deia, Neju, Fiera, Fien, Zen, and Erran lined up along the stage and bowed in response to the applause, each of them smiling widely…though it seemed apparent that Zen's smile wasn't as wide as it should have been, and there also appeared to be a hint of red beneath his white face-paint. The ladies of the troupe had obviously each given him a piece of their minds, or most likely, their palms, and poor Zen seemed to be feeling rather tender about the face.  
It was a short while later that the group sat down on some collapsible chairs with the performing troupe. The crowd had since dispersed, leaving but a few Meera left to mill around the square. Oora and Gar had taken their swarm of children off home- much to Link's relief as he nursed various scratches- leaving only Nyara behind since she wanted to stay with everybody else.  
"That was a fantastic performance!" Florella clapped, wriggling about on Talen's lap like a hyperactive child. Why sit by herself when there was a perfectly empty lap waiting to be used? Talen sighed at her reasoning. As small as she was, she still managed to reach up to just above his chin, which meant that Talen scored a bump from the back of her head whenever she moved back, which was quite frequent due to all her jiggling about.  
"Why thank you," Neju smiled, nodding her head. "We're glad you enjoyed it."  
"And before it slips my mind," Florella added, knocking Talen in the chin yet again. "How _did_ you know that spell? The language used was very, _very_ old. Seldom still know of it…and to be able to _sing_ it…" Deia smiled in a smug kind of way.  
"We happened to be some of the few people able to say that they've had the honor of being tutored under one of the greatest minds in Windhill," the redhead told them grandly. "An old man by the name of Moelpa. He used to be the librarian there, so he has a lot of old books from which we were able to learn that language from." There was a loud crash from the stage as Zen was flattened by a piece of falling scenery.  
"Zen!" Deia shouted at him. "Don't lie down on the job!"  
"I think I've thrown something out…" the young man called feebly. "Somebody help…" Fiera sighed looked over at Erran.  
"Erran, dear…could you please go and help Zen?" she asked sweetly. "But just get that prop off him; don't help him put anything away. We're still cross at him, remember?"  
"All right," Erran said simply, going about his appointed task. When he was out of earshot, Fiera lowered her voice.  
"Such a sweet thing, but frightfully naïve," she sighed. "He nearly got into a spot of bother with a young lass he met in your neck of the woods I believe, Zelda." Fiera frowned and then looked at Fura. "The Gerudo are an honorable people, but they can be a little rough when it comes to…matters of intimacy, I'm afraid." Fura actually looked quite proud at that.  
"Men may be inferior- well, _most_ men- but passion runs deep in the blood of the Gerudo, and by the Goddesses; it's out duty to use the assets they gave us on unsuspecting males, even if it means a few bumps and bruises…or sprains," the copper-skinned girl declared. "To the men, of course. Right, Link?" The blonde boy shuddered.  
"Leave me out of this conversation." He received a few displeased glances for that.  
"In any case, the young Gerudo lady was prowling about Hyrule Town Market for a special someone. Unfortunately, Erran looked like a good catch to her…and the poor fellow didn't suspect a thing. Anyway, I managed to step in and save Erran's chastity," Fiera nodded, glancing over at the young man in question.  
"And then you went right ahead and took it for yourself," Neju pointed out. "That night, I believe." Fiera actually managed to look slightly embarrassed.  
"Well I'd had my eye on him since we were young…and I wasn't about to let just _anybody_ teach him about the birds and the bees now, was I?" the green-haired woman said defensively. "And now we're a happy couple, so there."  
"Wow! Just like in a book," Florella snickered. A set of giggles went through the younger girls present, whilst a groan of displeasure escaped the boys.  
"Shush!" Navi snapped at Link. "Just because you two can't appreciate romance."  
Zen staggered into the wagon and promptly fell asleep after the effort of packing all the props away. When told that he would have to do the exact opposite the next day, he nearly had a nervous breakdown. The three women weren't actually going to make him do it, but why tell Zen? It was then with some disappointment that Impa admitted that, early next morning, the group would be leaving the Meera village for their next destination. All seemed reluctant to leave the Meera village so soon, but it was then that Deia made a suggestion.  
"Stay for another two days and you can travel with us when we pack up and head off. Wherever you're headed, you're going to have to take the road out of here, and it's at least seven days to the next piece of civilization. You'll make it there much faster in a wagon than on foot."  
"Sold!" Florella exclaimed, bashing her head on Talen's chin for the umpteenth time that afternoon. The others could only agree with her, though Link and Talen highly suspected that their choice was highly influenced by the desire to see more performances.

"Wake up." The gruff command was accompanied by a light slap to the cheek. Ark stirred and sat up as his blurry vision cleared. He was lying on a large, soft settee in what appeared to be a sitting-room. A crackling fire burned merrily away in the hearth, illuminating various paintings of the manor and surrounding areas such as the Seaway. Thick, red carpets blanketed the floor, upon which sat a set of large, cushy chairs that matched the settee. Though the room was relatively dark- much like the rest of the manor- it felt oddly homey and inviting.  
"Are you listening to me!?" Ark was jerked about roughly.  
"Ack- augh! I'm listening, I'm listening," he yelped. Ark blinked. Zeel stood before him with her hand on top of his head. She had obviously been using it to shake him around to garner some attention.  
"I _asked_ if your head was all right?" she grated, obviously irritated. Ark looked at her for a few moments.  
"My head…? Oh, that's right…" Ark frowned and tried to recall what had happened, but things seemed a little fuzzy. "Miss Zeel…did you by chance…throw my severed head at me?" His tone was incredulous. The girl looked him in the eye with a flat expression.  
"Of course not. Don't be stupid," Zeel told him without betraying any hints of otherwise. Ark frowned and scratched his head.  
"Funny…I could have sworn…" he murmured. "But…why did I faint? No matter." The boy stood up and dusted a fine film of dust off his clothes that had collected during his journey through the hallways on the floor. Zeel eyed him curiously.  
"So…you came to say something?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. Ark nodded and shifted his eyes away from her gaze, his face reddening slightly.  
"I- uh…I came to apologize for what I said to you before, Miss Zeel," he said a little stiffly. "I've been feeling out of sorts lately…with everything that's happened- not that that's any excuse for my behavior." The boy sighed and rubbed his head. "Hearing you speak of Miss Nyara in such a manner, it…I just couldn't bear to hear anything bad about her before I forget her." Ark slumped into a chair with a great sigh of hopelessness.  
"Are you beginning to forget things again?" Zeel asked, sitting across from him. Ark shook his head.  
"I don't know, but…it could happen. I feel…there's something big that I can't remember, something important, and to forget something that big could mean that I'll forget Miss Nyara, Link, Talen…everybody." He looked up and looked at Zeel. "Even you…and I don't want to forget everybody…I want to keep my memories, who I am! They're all I have now…I don't have anyone to go home to, or even a home for that matter…but soon I may not even have my memories." Zeel took some time to mull over what Ark had said, and she was somewhat surprised that he had admitted that he didn't want to forget her. She wasn't likeable, she certainly didn't have many redeeming qualities that one would hope to recall, and she had repeatedly tried to kill him in the past. But why? Why didn't he want to forget her? His companions she could understand, but her? Another thought struck Zeel…why did she even care? Zeel knew anger, hate, bitterness, sadness, and all manner of negativity- of course, she could find things amusing, but she could never feel happiness or joy…anything such as that. But something very small inside Zeel did care. Ark was strange. He put some kind of cap on all of her negative emotions; quelling them somewhat…and she realized then that that she wanted to know more about him. She wanted to know what made him special, why her "client" was so eager to get him out of the way, where he came from, and most importantly; why he was different to her than any other person.  
"Hmph, it's not like you're any good at being rude," Zeel snorted, betraying no hint of her thoughts. However; she was watching him very closely, and for perhaps the first time in several days did she get a really good look at him.  
Ark looked haggard. Large, dark circles hung under his green eyes like thick mascara. His hair was even more unkempt than usual, with great, feathery tufts of grey askew in all manner of directions. His clothes also appeared to hang more loosely on him than usual, as if he were wasting away, however; there was just as much meat on his bones as usual. He also looked pale, not pale like she was, but pasty-faced and sick-looking.  
"Are you feeling all right?" Zeel asked, narrowing her eyes at him. Ark jumped; surprised that Zeel actually seemed concerned about his welfare.  
"Well I-"  
"A soak," she told him. Ark blinked.  
"P-pardon?"  
"A bath," she said slowly. "You need a bath. I suspect you haven't had one in a while. The water I've got here has certain restorative properties…much like the way you seem to be able to heal. It should do you the world of good." The girl jerked her thumb towards the door. "It's this way." When Ark didn't move, she sighed and bent down, grabbing his ankle and upending him onto the floor. She dragged him from the room and into what appeared to be a plain, bare room that was perhaps only three-by-three metres in diameter.  
"Wh-what's in here?" Ark asked.  
"The entrance to the bath," Zeel told him simply. It was then that the section of floor that he was on wasn't as stable as what Zeel was standing upon. She reached for a switch on the wall.  
"W-wait!" Ark squawked. "I don't like the water!"  
"There's a room in which you can leave your wet clothes. They'll be dry and clean by the time you finish bathing," she told him, ignoring his feeble protests.  
"Y-you mean this drops straight into the water?" he squeaked. Zeel nodded and Ark scrambled madly to his feet just as she pressed the switch. The floor fell away and Ark was suspended in space for a fraction of a second before falling. Desperately, he grabbed the edge of the shaft and held on for dear life while Zeel looked down at him.  
"What are you doing? It's only water. Don't be a baby," Zeel told him. Ark continued to paw desperately at the edge of the trapdoor, his fingers white with strain. Zeel smirked and lay down in front of him, resting her chin on one hand whilst hooking the forefinger of her other underneath Ark's own fingers.  
"N-no! Please…" he whimpered. With a certain amount of smugness, Zeel slowly and deliberately unhooked his fingers one by one. Ark squealed in terror as each of his digits lost their purchase until he had but one hand left to hold him up. Zeel could see his desperate fingers sliding back millimeter by millimeter, and she watched in fascination as his expression changed back and forth between effort and terror.  
"It's a deep bath as well," she frowned thoughtfully. "You may not be able to touch the bottom." Ark wailed hopelessly, pleading for her to pull him up, but Zeel merely smirked and casually unhooked the last of his fingers. There was a long, despairing wail as Ark plummeted into the depths of the shaft until, finally, a splash echoed up from below. There was coughing, spluttering, and finally a small and pitiful voice voice.  
"Miss Zeel…that was mean…" The trapdoor swung closed and Zeel stood up and dusted herself off, smirking as she did so. When Ark was done, when he was rejuvenated from the water below…she would find out absolutely everything she possibly could about him.


	69. Unknown Ark

**Chapter 68 – Unknown Ark**

Zeel's manor never ceased to surprise Ark. The bath in which he had been rather unceremoniously plunged into a short time ago seemed to have an architecture that was completely different to the rest of the building. Tall, black marble columns supported the ceiling, surrounding the sunken-in pool made of the same material. Zeel had lied to him about its depth. Though deep enough to cushion his fall, he could quite easily touch the bottom, but regardless of depth; he still sat in the shallowest section near the steps. Zeel hadn't lied about one thing, however; the water. It was very warm and it almost seemed to tickle him, as if billions of tiny bubbles were brushing against his skin. All in all it was quite a relaxing experience for one usually so afraid of merely the sight of water.  
As Zeel had told him, Ark's clothes appeared freshly cleaned and completely dry when he collected them from the small, adjacent room he had placed them in after his plummet. He jerked them all on quickly and exited the bath via a rather unobtrusive-looking door. Ark felt quite refreshed as he entered the hall. His hair was still wet and matted down, but as usual; it wouldn't take very long for it to dry out and spring back up into its usual, gravity-defying arrangement of feathery, grey quills.  
"Finished then?" The voice made Ark jump, and he whirled around to see Zeel leaning against the wall with her arms folded across her chest.  
"O-oh, Miss Zeel," he breathed, his heart beating furiously from the surprise. "Did you want to use the bath? I'm sorry if I took too long…" Zeel shook her head.  
"No," she said in her usual abrupt manner. "Follow me." Ark blinked as Zeel stared at him. Her eyes traveled up to the top of his head as his hair quivered and twanged up into its usual feathery arrangement. Ark himself looked up at it and then back at Zeel.  
"A-all right," he agreed. Zeel gave his hair one last glance before turning around and marching briskly off down the hall, forcing Ark to move quickly in order to catch up. "Where are we going, Miss Zeel?"  
"Somewhere to talk," she told him without even breaking stride. Ark almost faltered. Talk? Zeel had never wanted to just talk before…unless it was to put the fear of the Goddesses into him with horrid explanations of how she was going to skin him alive using only her teeth. Ark shuddered, remembering when she had given him that threat as she held his head against the wall and clacked her pearly-whites right in front of his eyes. Zeel was rather good at giving lasting impressions.  
Arriving at their destination, Zeel opened one of the countless doors in the hall and hauled Ark inside, swinging the door closed with her foot afterwards. From the looks of things, the room was another lounge, complete with crackling fireplace and two comfortable-looking chairs facing each other from opposite ends of a small Blackwood table.  
"Sit down," Zeel grunted, waving her hand negligently at one of the chairs. Ark moved over to the one furthest away and seated himself carefully. Zeel sat in the other one and threaded her fingers together under her nose, her gaze fixed firmly on the boy opposite her. For some time she said absolutely nothing, and Ark found himself squirming under her near-tangible stare.  
"Erm…what can I do for you?" he asked nervously.  
"I want to know everything," Zeel told him, draping one leg over the other. Her leather clothing creaked ominously.  
"Ah…everything encompasses a whole lot, Miss Zeel," Ark coughed politely. "Erm…is there something more specific-"  
"About you." Ark caught himself and looked over at the girl.  
"M-me?" he stammered. "Whatever for? I'm the most _pedestrian_ person to ever walk the planet…"  
"Humor me," Zeel said firmly. Ark gulped. "Now start talking. We have all the time in the world, Ark, and when I say everything; I mean _everything_. What you were like as a child, what you did to keep yourself occupied, birthdays, friends, relatives- _everything_."

The last two days spent in the Meera village passed almost too quickly for the group. Mii, Nanu, and Miamm, upon hearing that their chew-toy on legs would be leaving soon, gravitated towards the blonde boy like flies to garbage and pestered him almost every hour of the two days. His bruises and scratches spread like some kind of skin disease, but nobody- other than Talen- seemed to care very much about his "horrendous injuries." In fact; everyone found his misfortune adorable, particularly the three performing women, for which Link despised them for…or maybe not so much as merely liking them significantly less.  
Nyara's predicament with Teebo seemed to come to some kind of temporary close. The two families hammered out some kind of agreement that when and if Nyara found somebody whom she wished to mate with before she turned the age of eighteen years, and that person beat Teebo in a fight…_then_ the arranged mating between them would be called off and Nyara would be free to choose her own mate.  
"Nyara only have four years to make Ark big and strong," she had said, before muttering that she actually had to drag him back from Zeel's manor first.  
Talen _finally_ got to explore part of the ruins, but he was careful not to go in too deep since, by what the Meera had said, many beasties lurked in their depths. Florella toddled along after him, thinking that it would be a wonderful place for them to be alone in, what; with all the beautiful old monuments, buildings and whatnot covered in lush foliage and soft mosses. No such luck. Talen was so utterly enthralled by all the stonework that he barely noticed Florella's presence, and even then it was only because she was _begging_ him to carry her because her poor legs were so sore and tired from all the walking. Romance was most definitely _not_ on the Great Fairy's mind so much as lying down and resting her poor feet upon retuning from _that_ little clamber through the ruins. After the whole experience, Florella retreated to the spring with Fura, Zelda, Nyara, and Saria for nearly the entirety of their final days at the village, and Zen was warned very, _very_ firmly not to come anywhere near them while they soaked. A demonstration of what would happen to him if he did, courtesy of Fura, was more than enough to put him off and simultaneously scare the living daylights out of him.  
Impa, surprisingly, remained fairly motionless for the two days, opting instead to: sit and talk with Argor, sit and talk with Oora and Garr, sit and talk with the performing troupe, sit and read, or challenge Link and Talen to games of chess, checkers, and cards. Link beat the pants off of her in chess and checkers with seemingly little or no effort at all, prompting Impa to mumble something about sympathizing with Florella's constant refusals to challenge the boy, but the tables were quickly turned when it came to the cards. Talen, sadly, lost out in all three categories. His talents were better reserved for more constructive pursuits, and so he sat by the window and began fiddling with something very small in the palm of his hand. Link glanced over knowingly, but despite her best efforts, Impa was left in the dark as to what it was.

Finally; the day had come for the party to move on from the Meera village. Impa roused everyone in the early hours of the morning and quickly set them to packing. The girls, as usual, had a significantly more difficult task ahead of them due to the tendency their undergarments had to stray from their packs and onto every available surface, seemingly overnight like some bizarre, nocturnal creatures. Saria was perhaps the only exception to that rule…most of the time. Keeping _people_ clean was more Saria's forte, a fact which Talen and Link were firmly reminded about when she had ordered them to bathe after they had finished packing, since it would perhaps be some time before they could do so again.  
Finally, it was time to depart the village. The gear was loaded into the troupe's wagon by Zen, of course, whilst the others bade the village goodbye. Nyara's brothers and sisters gave their farewells, whilst Garr did his best to destroy the knuckles in everybody's hands with a series of crushing handshakes, but Talen managed to return the favor to the enormous man. Oora bestowed them all with a more gentle gesture; a hug for everyone.  
"Nyara come back soon," Eyara told her sister. "And bring little Ark boy with you. Eyara want to meet him properly." Nyara nodded and embraced her taller sister before moving on to the rest of her family. She was particularly affectionate with her biggest brother, Gurr, who seemed slightly embarrassed by it all.  
"Nyara Bloodcat now," he told her. "Looks like Gurr wrong about Nyara." He patted her on the head and stepped back as Mii, Miamm, and Nanu clamored around her and babbled out their goodbyes. However; the instant they finished with Nyara, they turned to Link as he began climbing onto the wagon. In mere moments, they had attached themselves to the boy like a set of bizarre, furry limpets, blubbering and wailing at the tops of their high-pitched voices for him not to go. He stood there, helpless, with one on his legs, another clinging to his chest, and the last one on his shoulders.  
"Ugh, I'll be back," he assured them. He sighed. "I'll tell you what…as soon as we're finished doing what we have to do, out first port of call will be here, okay?" Their blubbering subsided.  
"Promise!"  
"Promise!"  
"Promise!" Link blinked and shook his head as the three little girls blurted the word out one after the other.  
"I promise," he sighed, going red as the others, particularly the performing women, snickered at him. Mii, Miamm, and Nanu mewed in delight and licked his face…and then proceeded to bite and scratch with all their worth. Link cried out in pain and shook them off, hopping up onto the roof of the wagon to seek refuge.  
"Come on everybody, we have a long road ahead of us," Fiera laughed. "Erran, come along. You ride with me." The young man looked over at her and blinked.  
"All right," he said quietly climbing onto the wagon beside her. Neju shook her head and sighed.  
"Said the spider to the fly," she murmured quietly. "Poor Erran, he's in over his head."  
With a flick of the reins, courtesy of Fien, the wagon trundled off down the road that led out of the village. The village, having gathered behind them, began shouting Nyara's name over and over, just as they had when she had revealed her Bloodcat form to them all. Nyara beamed and climbed onto the roof of the wagon where Link and Talen rode, and waved to her kin as they cheered after her. Finally, when the village was out of sight and earshot, Nyara sat down between the two boys, a happy sigh escaping her lips.  
"That the first time I've seen you in good spirits for a while now, Nyara," Talen murmured. "A smile is much more becoming on you than a frown." Nyara grinned at him and lashed her tail about.  
"Nyara going to bring Ark back!" she declared fiercely. "Link help too, yes?" She tugged on the Key.  
"Of course," he nodded, still nursing his newest wounds.  
"Little sisters like Link lots," she smiled. "Link good playmate."  
"You don't maim a playmate," Link sighed. "But I must admit…the three little demons have started to grow on me somewhat. I only hope they've grown out of that horrible habit of beating me senseless by the time we see them again."

"Start with the village," Zeel sighed. Ark seemed to be at a loss as to where to begin and the impatient Zeel was eager to speed things along. "Where you grew up and what you did."  
"Oh…all right," Ark murmured. "My village, Agria, it's close to where we…first met, I suppose. My parents were killed by bandits when I was very young…they dumped me in the river, but I was found and rescued and taken back to the village where I was raised by Aarden. He taught me how to use lightning magic…but I never managed to get the hang of controlling it without the use of my staff, which…erm…you are currently in possession of." Zeel nodded slowly.  
"That's all well and good," she frowned. "But did anything exceptional happen to you at all? Birthdays, what about birthdays? Did something happen at all when you turned a specific age?" Ark blinked and looked thoughtful.  
"Well, I-" He stopped suddenly, his expression changing from one of thought to one of pure anguish. "No! Not those too!" Zeel looked at him sharply.  
"What? What is it?" she demanded.  
"I…can't remember my birthdays anymore," Ark murmured quietly, slumping submissively in his chair. "They're gone…" Zeel silently cursed. She had almost forgotten about his degrading memories and it was going to make things quite difficult.  
"Well…what about people you knew? Friends, somebody unusual that lived-" Zeel began, but Ark spoke again.  
"I can't remember any of the names of my friends from the village…or even if I had any," he said, his face deadpan. "Come to think of it…I can't remember anything at all about growing up. All I can remember is what Aarden taught me about life, and that I used to visit my parents' graves…but even after that I cannot even remember their names." The room was silent, save the crackling of the fire. "I'm sorry, Miss Zeel…but it's all gone. I can't remember any of my life in the village. There isn't anything I can tell you." A dead end, Zeel grumbled mentally. Ark's mental degradation had gone further than even he had thought, and so her hope of finding out what was so important about him had all but dried up. However…there may be yet something she could do.  
"Are you positive you can't remember anything?" Zeel asked. She saw two large tears drip down onto the boy's collar.  
"Nothing…" he whispered. "Why? Why would they do this to me?"  
"Probably…because if you can't remember anything, then I suppose you won't be a threat to your enemy anymore," Zeel shrugged. "You wouldn't even know you _had_ an enemy and you wouldn't even know-"  
"Who I am," Ark finished, his voice barely above a whisper. "I wouldn't be me anymore…I'd be a blank and Ark would be gone." Zeel sighed quietly as she watched him. He looked so pitiful and helpless, but she could hardly blame him. She couldn't even begin to imagine what it must be like to forget one's self, but she knew that it would be Hell, pure and simple, especially in the gradual process in which it was happening to Ark.  
"Miss Zeel?" the boy murmured. Zeel blinked and switched her attention from her thoughts over to Ark. A new emotion had replaced the sorrow she had seen before. Ark was afraid; she could see it in those big, green eyes of his. "What…what will become of me then? Will you…keep me alive?"  
"Wh-what!?" the girl demanded.  
"When it happens…I won't be Ark anymore, I'll just be a blank, and you…you said that you wouldn't kill Ark, but…what about a blank?" he asked. Silence once again. Zeel hadn't thought about it that way…what _about_ a blank? Ark wouldn't remember anything, not even was death was, probably. She could wipe him out in the wink of an eye and collect her reward then and there without having to lock him up in her manor until her "client" had done whatever it was they needed to do.  
"M-miss Zeel?" Ark's voice snapped her back to reality.  
He looked so scared, sitting across from her, terrified of what could happen to him…terrified of what _she_ would do to him. In the past, Zeel would have reveled in that fear, especially if it came from Ark- the only person to ever cause her so much trouble. However; that feeling of enjoying another's fear so much almost…disgusted her. Had she really been so cruel? True, the feeling of hunting and spooking him was thrilling…but seeing him so utterly terrified made her cringe. So Zeel wouldn't kill him. He would still be Ark, whether he remembered it or not. He had saved her life and so she had to keep her promise.  
"I'll keep you here for as long as I have to, even if you do lose all of your memories," she said quietly. "Technically, you'd still be Ark, but you just wouldn't remember it. You'd be almost like a baby…and I never have- nor do I plan to- kill a baby." Ark's expression became more eased, but he still looked extremely upset.  
"Thank you, Miss Zeel," he sighed gratefully. Zeel grunted something in response. Being thanked wasn't something that she was used to. "Is there anything else you need?" Zeel frowned thoughtfully before staring intently at him.  
"You're absolutely _positive_ you can't remember anything?" she asked firmly. Ark shook his head.  
"Nothing…"  
"Then tell me everything you can remember. How far back does your memory go?" Ark blinked and sat in thought for several minutes while Zeel jiggled her foot impatiently.  
"I…I can remember everything Aarden told us about the Eternal Ark, the journey with everyone else, and everything up to this point just fine. It's everything before the last few days at the village that's gone…bar one or two things such as visiting my parents' graves," Ark murmured. The boy narrowed his eyes suddenly, frowning as he did so. "Wait…there are the dreams." Zeel's ears pricked.  
"Dreams?" she asked. "What dreams?"  
"Before I met the others- Nyara, Link and everyone- I had never had a dream before, but now…now I have them whenever I sleep. However; they were nightmares, always nightmares, until something or someone stepped in and stopped the nightmares from coming," Ark explained. "But now they've stopped protecting me from the nightmares and I can't stop having them. I can never see anything, but I can hear…people arguing. They're arguing about something called the archetype, which somebody wants to destroy whilst another wants to preserve it. Something happened to it- the archetype- it was a failure or it was broken. I don't know if these are forgotten memories or a portent of what is to come, but…it fills me with dread." Zeel ran her tongue over her teeth.  
"Do you have any idea of what the archetype is?" she asked. Ark shook his head.  
"I don't know," he sighed. "But…I have a strange feeling that it's some kind of object…a thing…" Zeel pursed her lips and stared intently at the boy, searching his face for any sign that what he had said was not the truth. But then…Ark wasn't the type to make something up.  
"I have to go," Zeel said suddenly, standing up and walking away in a very business-like manner.  
"G-go? Where?" Ark stammered. Zeel gave him one last glance as she reached the door.  
"To find some answers."

The wagon trundled along at a merry pace along the sun-dappled road through the lush, tropical forest. The ground was relatively flat, meaning that the ride was a rather smooth one. Talen, Link, and Nyara rode on the wagon's roof, a place from which they had a rather nice view of their surroundings. It also meant that Nyara had a rather good view of any small animals that happened to scuttle by in the undergrowth, and she would frequently dive onto the ground and disappear into the foliage off the side of the road, only to appear again a few moments later licking her lips or slurping the tail of some tiny mouse into her mouth like a piece of spaghetti.  
Fiera fast became a heroin to the girls, her tales of romantic entanglements with the quiet and well-mannered Erran captivating them for hours on end. Whilst she didn't go into anything too explicit, the green-haired young woman gave them enough detail up to the point at which the girls didn't need to use their imagination very much. Link and Talen refused were invited cordially down into the wagon's interior by Fura, Zelda, and Florella so that they could, quote; "get some ideas for a few years' time." The roof remained their domain and girls were henceforth banned from intruding on their territory after that.  
"We'll stop here for the night," Fien grunted, slowing the wagon to a stop on a grassy patch of ground just off the side of the road.  
"Fien!" Deia's voice echoed from within the wagon. "What have I told you about the way you speak?" Fien rolled his eyes and sighed.  
"Say it with a smile," he grumbled.  
"What was that?" the redhead asked, her tone rather dangerous.  
"Say it with a smile, Deia," Fien repeated, his voice changing from grudging to cheerful.  
"That's better." Fien shook his head and began muttering under his breath as he undid the horse's harness and tied it to a tree not far away, a feed-bag clipped over its muzzle. The female proportion of the party filed out of the wagon with Erran and Zen not far behind. Talen, who was still on the wagon's roof, frowned.  
"Is it just me, or did you see something wrong with that?" the smith asked his blonde friend. Link blinked.  
"Pardon?"  
"How did Zelda, Saria, Fura, Impa, Florella, Deia, Fiera, Neju, Erran, _and_ Zen all fit into the wagon? It's not even that big…and on top of that they have props and such in there from their performances," Talen frowned. Without another word, the smith jumped off the roof and stepped up to the wagon's door. He opened it, peered inside, and then withdrew his head and closed the door. He blinked and then opened the door again…and then he closed it again.  
"What's the matter?" Link asked the young smith. Before Talen could answer, Florella came scuttling over.  
"Oh dear," she sighed, arriving at his side. "It looks like your brain's about to go "pop," doesn't it?"  
"But…it's…" he blustered hopelessly. "The inside is bigger than the outside!" Talen's indignant shout sounded across the entire clearing, attracting the attention of everyone present.  
"It's great, isn't it?" Deia grinned, strolling over.  
"How?" Talen demanded, opening and closing the door of the wagon as if he refused to believe what he saw.  
"Easy!" Deia smiled. "Here's an example; take a big box…and put it inside a small one! Simple!" Talen stared at her and then opened and closed the wagon door several more times.  
"Eurh?" the brown-haired boy mumbled. He seemed to be getting more and more confused by the second.  
"You're confusing the poor boy, Deia," Neju scolded her redheaded companion as she arrived on the scene. "Talen practices the noble art of the blacksmith and I'm sure he takes a great deal of pride in everything he does. Seeing our wagon must be the equivalent of blasphemy to him, am I right, Talen?" Talen blinked and stared at the blue-haired Neju. Neju smiled before continuing. "It took us some time, but we managed to enchant our little wagon and made the inside much bigger than the outside, understand?" Talen frowned and let go of the door as Florella's little fingers pried his hand off the handle.  
"Isn't that cheating?" he asked. Neju laughed softly. The blue-haired young woman- like her female companions- had a beautiful voice.  
"Yes, I suppose it is in a sense…but it just makes things so much easier," she told him, before smiling warmly at him. "At least Fien and Erran built it themselves without the three of us, erm…cheating, as it were." Talen scratched his head and frowned at the wagon as if it had said something to insult him.  
"Well…that's good, I suppose…" he mumbled as Florella gently led him away. Link watched the two of them go before he felt his non-dark ear reddening. He adjusted his gaze and locked eyes with Neju. He blinked and she smiled warmly at him, and for some reason his ear went even redder.  
"Why don't you help find some firewood?" she asked pleasantly. "It would be a big help." Link nodded dumbly and wandered off to find some kindling whilst Neju gazed after him, the odd little smile never leaving her lips.  
An army of insects descended upon the campsite that night, forcing everyone into the wagon. Talen was reluctant to enter at first, but Florella finally managed to wheedle him inside.  
The larger interior of the wagon was quite spacious. There were two widows, each on opposite walls, and there appeared to be two rooms in the back wall as indicated by the two doors that adorned it. There was also a small kitchen area in one of the corners, containing a small basin and various cupboards containing pots, pans, and food supplies. There also appeared to be a sign hanging on the wall above the basing upon which was written "Deia: Off Limits."  
Fien explained that Deia was known for creating atrocities whenever she was allowed near anything that resembled a stove and had actually managed to give everybody a bad case of food-poisoning at one stage, resulting in her permanent banning from the kitchen. The big man earned himself a thwack to the back of the head for that, courtesy of the visibly irked red-haired woman.  
A lantern hung from a squeaky, metal ring bolted onto the ceiling, casting its flickering light about the spacious interior. A long table sat directly below the light source, complete with bench seats and a myriad of small marks and dents imprinted upon its surface, indicated that it was well used. An iron ring in the middle of the floor told of a trapdoor, no doubt used for storing the props used in the troupes' performances. Dumped rather unceremoniously in the corner were several shapeless lumps of material which were later identified as thick cushions used for sitting on, not unlike those that the Gerudo used. All in all, the visitors were rather impressed with the living arrangements of the six-strong troupe, though Talen was still adamant in his opinion that they had cheated horribly in order to have it.  
As night set in, the odd collection of people sat down to a meal prepared by Neju and Fiera, although Fien was the one made to go outside and cook it on the fire amidst the swarms of biting insects.  
"Right on the ear," the raven-haired man grumbled, setting the steaming meal down on the table. "Why did I have to go outside?"  
"Fien! What have I told you about muttering things under your breath?" Deia asked him sharply.  
"That I shouldn't do it," Fien sighed, looking for all the world like a child being scolded.  
"And why is that?" she asked. Fien looked like he didn't want to answer, but a penetrating gaze from Deia soon loosened his tongue.  
"Because it makes fairies cry," he said between clenched teeth. Navi snorted loudly before snickering quietly with Chat.  
"Now smile," Deia told her traveling companion pleasantly. Fien smiled. "There, now don't you feel better?"  
"Like a ray of sunshine, Deia," Fien mumbled.  
"You know…fairies don't like _sarcasm_ either," the redhead said, a slight edge to her voice. The girls immediately turned to look at Link, who- along with Talen- was busy looking at Deia in something resembling horror.  
"Deia, enough," Fiera laughed from her spot next to Erran. "Just eat your meal and stop picking on my brother's abysmal amount of cheer." Fien looked at his sister with a slightly insulted expression, but he remained quiet. Having Deia scold him was enough for one evening.

Agria. Zeel stood before the picturesque little village set amidst the forest bordering the Desert of the Gerudo. Had the black-haired girl been a little less like herself, she would have appreciated the view of the waterwheel creaking around slowly in the small stream, or the sight of neat little cobbled pathways and perfectly manicured gardens. Instead, Zeel walked purposefully through the village to find the leader's house. She drew looks from some of the more curious villagers that were going about their daily routine, but otherwise she wasn't bothered, and it didn't take her long to find the house of the man Ark had called Argor…or rather the remains of the house.  
Scorched building supports, charred wooden beams, and a great deal of ash and charcoal greeted Zeel upon her arrival at the former site of Ark's home. The skeletal remains of the house were in a state of collapse, the weight of itself too much for the gutted wall remnants to support. Furniture remains lay scattered amongst the debris and what was left of a stairwell hug desperately in the air. It seemed that what Ark had been told about the burning of his house was correct.  
Zeel wandered into the gutted house and poked around, looking for anything that may have some relation to Ark, but the ash and charcoal revealed very little, and the remains of a bed that possibly belonged to Ark was about all the girl found.  
"Damn," Zeel grumbled, making her way outside again. "Nothing."  
"Erm…can I help you, young miss?" Zeel whirled around at the sound of the voice. A middle-aged man dressed in rather plain clothing stood behind her. "You shouldn't go wandering in there, it's dangerous." Zeel ran her tongue over her teeth.  
"What happened here?" she asked flatly. The man scratched his head.  
"Fire," he said. "Ripped the whole place apart. No idea how it started, but I'm afraid Aarden, the village leader, didn't make it out in time." The man sighed sadly. "A shame…he was a kindly old fellow."  
"What about the boy that lived with him?" Zeel asked. "Ark." The man scratched his head.  
"Boy? Aarden lived alone…I don't know anybody called Ark," he frowned. Zeel stared at him.  
"What?" she demanded stiffly. "Don't talk rubbish! A boy lived with him, his name was Ark. Not very big, grey hair, green eyes." The man looked even more puzzled.  
"I'm sorry, young lady, but I've never heard of anybody named Ark."  
And the man that Zeel had talked to outside the remains of the house wasn't the only one. Zeel asked everyone she came across about Ark, but their answers were all the same. Nobody had ever heard of him.


	70. To Put Things Right

**Chapter 69 – To Put Things Right**

As the evening wore on, the table was vacated in favor of the comfortable cushions strewn in the corner. Only Link and Talen didn't join the others, opting instead to remain in the kitchen area to wash up all of the cutlery with their reason being that they wanted to be as far away as possible when the embarrassing topics of conversation came up…which, of course, they did.  
"The room on the right is where most of us sleep," Deia explained. "There's a curtain down the middle to separate the men from the women. The room on the left has been soundproofed because of Fiera."  
"Why Fiera?" Saria asked curiously, looking at the green-haired woman.  
"Well, it's a room for _couples_, you see," Fiera said pointedly. "And when couples are together in bed, there are certain things that probably shouldn't be heard by others…"  
"She's too vocal," Deia snorted. "Kept us all up when she first got her claws into Erran. I'm surprised the two of you weren't dead from exhaustion the next morn-" Neju coughed politely and interrupted the redhead.  
"Deia," she said quietly. "I think everyone gets the picture. That's enough." The girls- with the exception of Fura- were all blushing horribly. Deia grinned sheepishly while Fiera smirked at her red-haired companion.  
"Deia's crude recount of the events aside, it was a beautiful night, girls," she told the blushing group before her.  
"You two boys should be listening to this," Florella called over to Link and Talen as they dutifully went about their business in the kitchen, trying desperately to drown out the excruciatingly horrible conversation behind them with happy thoughts. "It's very interesting."  
"Is that why Erran, Zen, and Fien all left?" Link called back. "Thank you, but I'd rather sit on shards of broken glass than listen to stories about how some poor fellow was attacked by a succubus."  
"Succubus!?" Fiera cried indignantly, shaking her fist at the boy. "Who are you calling a succubus?"  
"I never called anybody a succubus, _you_ made that connection all on your own," Link smiled pleasantly. "Careful what secrets you reveal with that big mouth of yours." He went back to washing the dishes, whistling a cheerful little tune as he did so. Fiera seethed silently, grinding her teeth together.  
"Is he _always_ like that?" she asked crisply.  
"You have no idea," Florella groaned. "He's a _nightmare_. Luckily, Saria and Impa here can keep him under control…most of the time. He's frighteningly agile and has become quite adept at slipping away when you least want him to." Florella stuck her tongue out at the back of Link's head. "Talen, on the other hand, is a perfect gentleman."  
"Link's a good boy," Impa laughed. "He'd have to be in order to attain the attention of three lovely young ladies." Neju, Fiera, and Deia looked at the Sheikah curiously.  
"Three?"  
"Ruto the Zora Princess is absolutely smitten with him…but she couldn't make the trip, so she is waiting patiently at home for her knight in shining armor to return," Impa explained, a fair amount of mirth evident in her voice. There was an irritated grunt from the general direction of the kitchen and Impa smiled with a certain level of satisfaction.  
"Well, well…" Deia chuckled. "Three lovely ladies, hmm? Quite the Casanova, aren't we?" Link bristled.  
"Go away."  
And so the conversation switched to focus on embarrassing Link as much as possible. Unfortunately for the boy in question, little effort on the girls' behalves was needed in order to accomplish their goal. A few choice tidbits from Fura in particular sent him off into fits of spluttering and loud protests, particularly when Fura recalled the time when he had "squeezed her womanly posterior like a tough, brute man." Link vehemently denied that particular piece of information, even as Deia and Fiera mercilessly teased him. Neju seemed to be the more restrained of the pair, but she still wore an amused smile all the same.  
The evening, however; came to a close, and the guests in the wagon prepared to turn in for the night in their pitched tents outside. Erran, Fien, and Zen returned from the insect swarm outside and said their goodnights before heading off to bed. Fiera, however; took hold of Erran's hand and shook her head.  
"Wrong door, Erran," she murmured quietly. Erran blinked, glanced at everybody else, and blushed horribly.  
"Fiera, _please_," Neju tutted. "You're doing that on purpose now."  
"I know," Fiera laughed. "I can't help it. Erran's a nice, cuddly teddy-bear and I wuv him to bits." The green-haired woman kissed the object of her affection loudly on the cheek. Fura wolf-whistled, adding to poor Erran's feeling of severe awkwardness.  
"'Tis a beautiful thing indeed," Florella nodded. "Maybe that's something we can work towards someday, Talen…Talen?" The girls turned around in time to see the door to the wagon creak shut. Link and Talen appeared to have made their escape before they were drawn into things.  
"Oh pooh. Them thar boys were just right fer pickin' on too," Fura sighed.

Ark wandered slowly through the dim hallways of the manor. Zeel's sudden departure had left him slightly puzzled. What was she off to do? And what were these so-called answers she was looking for?  
"Mahh," Ark sighed, scrubbing his fingers through his feathery hair. "I'll never understand Miss Zeel." He rounded a corner, only to bump into a shape moving in the opposite direction. Demon-Zeel.  
She was dressed in a rather expensive-looking dressing-gown complete with slippers in the shapes of fluffy bunnies, strangely enough. The girl's usual trio of pigtails had been let down into a straight mass of silver than ran down her back. Her red eyes were somewhat heavy-lidded, as if she had just been sleeping, and she held a bottle of what appeared to be milk in her hand.  
"Huh?" she mumbled as Ark picked himself up and apologized for bumping into her. She blinked. "Oh! Ark, there you are. I see this is where you've gotten to. Did you sleep well?" There was a certain level of smugness in her tone.  
"Well…I slept for two days, but…" The demon's eyes softened and all traces of mirth vanished from her voice.  
"I'm sorry," she told him truthfully. "About making you sleep, what; with the nightmares and all…but you needed rest. Going too long without sleep can do horrible things to a person, you'd go crazy."  
"It's all-right, Miss…Zeel." It was strange, Ark thought, calling two different people by the same name, well…technically they _weren't_ two different people, but still…  
"So where's Queen Angry-Butt?" the girl asked, pausing to uncork the bottle and drain half of its contents. "I was certain she'd be threatening to chomp that soft neck of yours." Ark frowned and absently put his hand over the exposed skin that Zeel seemed to fond of tearing into. The demon noticed his seemingly reflex action and chuckled silently.  
"Well, uh…she left a short while ago," Ark murmured. Demon-Zeel paused halfway through her second swig of milk. She slowly lowered her head.  
"Left? As in she stomped off to some corner of this place to sulk?" he girl asked.  
"No," Ark said, shaking his head. "She left the manor entirely…she wanted to find some answers." The Zeel before Ark grinned, her milk-moustache making her look really quite ridiculous.  
"Well then _indeed_." She wiped her upper-lip with the back of her hand. "What's she looking for again?"  
"Erm…" Ark murmured, looking around. "Well, I told her some things and she left…she said she was going to find some answers." The girl nodded, a curious look about her face. Her grumpier half barely ever left the manor, unless it was to add to her already voluminous mountain of treasure that lay beneath her abode. Zeel's demonic half smiled to herself. Getting Ark to tell her what was going on would be a piece of cake.  
"And what exactly are these "answers?" Hmm?" she purred. Ark almost seemed to shrink before her. "Come on now, don't be shy…tell me what's got Zeel's knickers in a twist."  
Zeel was confused- no- utterly baffled at what she had been hearing. Nobody in the entire village remembered Ark, not a single soul…but how could that be?

"He's lived here his entire life, for crying out loud!" she bellowed at some poor, unfortunate woman she'd decided to accost. "You're telling me that you have no idea who I'm talking about? Ark! He lived with some old guy named Aarden for a little longer than a decade!" The woman shook her head, desperately hoping that the incredibly irate young girl would let go of the front of her blouse. "Argh! Unbelievable! What's _wrong_ with all of you!?" Zeel pushed the woman away roughly and stormed off down one of the pleasant little lanes. People scattered, clearing the way for her. Nobody wanted to get on the bad side of such a strange and volatile girl.  
"Ark can't remember his life in the village…and the village can't remember Ark," Zeel murmured, gritting her teeth together. "This insane…how could an entire _village_ forget about him? Unless…" Zeel stopped and looked around at the people going about their business quite happily. "Unless somebody made them forget…but who has enough skill and power to selectively wipe the memory of so many people!?" Forgetting everything was bad enough, but being forgotten by everyone you grew up with? Zeel shuddered at the thought. Being forgotten was a fate that she considered to be worse than death, and Ark…he'd already lost so much, not even his own memories were safe. Zeel suddenly stopped and looked down to see a group of small children staring up at her.  
"What, you've never seen a person's stomach before? _Get lost, you little snots!_" she roared. The children scattered and one of the little girls even started crying, which Zeel watched with a certain degree of satisfaction. "Little pukes." The midriff-baring, pale-skinned girl rubbed the bridge of her nose. "I don't understand any of this. It's like somebody is trying to wipe out all traces of his past, but why? Why go to all that trouble?" Zeel stalked along, muttering unanswered questions under her breath as she went. Ark was a riddle. If nobody knew anything about him, then how would she find out why he was so important? She idly wondered if his parents would have forgotten about him as well, if their bond would have been strong enough to survive whatever it was that had wiped the boy from the minds of everyone else. Zeel stopped suddenly. Ark's parents. Their graves! Surely there would be some trace of him there. After all; he had told her that he had frequently visited the place at which they were buried.  
"Now we're getting somewhere," Zeel growled to herself. She reached out and grabbed the closest person to her. "You! Two graves by themselves, away from the village…where are they?" The old man she had snatched up by his beard pointed a shaky finger off down the lane towards the forest that surrounded the village. She could see a narrow path winding off into the trees, no doubt the path that Ark had walked countless times. With a grunt, Zeel let the old man go and marched purposefully towards the forest path. Answers, she hoped, would start showing themselves soon.

Ark grudgingly told the demon-girl everything he had told her other half. Like her leather-wearing counterpart; the demonic, but lighter half listened closely, yet managed it without the air of cold impatience. In fact; she had led Ark to the place where he felt most comfortable- the library- and sat opposite him in a rather relaxed manner, not at all like the stiff, legs-crossed position that the other Zeel had taken up. She sat and listened patiently, a sympathetic look on her face as Ark told of his recent loss of memory. Whilst the boy before her was doing his best to keep his chin up, the demonic girl knew that he was beyond terrified, clinging desperately to the last remaining memories of his former companions and himself.  
"Are you…forgetting who you are?" the girl asked Ark after he had finished speaking. He looked at her with his big, green eyes.  
"I don't think so," he said in a voice barely above a whisper. "At least not yet. I'm not sure when or even if it will happen, but…the thought alone is quite disconcerting."  
"Why do you play it down?" The question startled Ark somewhat.  
"P-play it down? I don't understand…"  
"You're scared- terrified- of what's happening to you…but you're still as quiet and polite as ever." Her red eyes bore into him, but they weren't cold and unfriendly like those of the porcelain-skinned Zeel. "Do you do it all the time?" Lying wasn't one of Ark's strong points.  
"I…it wouldn't be fair to drag others down with me, especially somebody like you," the boy said quietly. "What right do I have to do that? People have enough on their plates without having my problems to worry themselves with." Demon-Zeel blinked. She hadn't thought of it in that way before, but to Ark it must have made some kind of strange sense. He never thought of himself, only others, and so it was no wonder that he viewed his problems as mere inconveniences to those around him.  
"That's a sad way to see things," the girl murmured. Ark blinked at her.  
"Why?" He sounded confused and the Zeel before him almost laughed.  
Ark was a rather amusing boy to be around. It wasn't that he was particularly humorous; it was just that everything about him screamed of naivety and innocence, particularly when he was embarrassed or flustered. He didn't seem to know much about the world, nor did he seem to know much about people or himself for that matter, he just accepted the things that people told him at face value…except when it came to anything that may darken the image women. In Ark's eyes, women were simply untarnishable. He held them in the highest regard with all the respect he could muster…but in doing so he almost seemed to cut himself off from them, for he appeared to believe that his ranking on the universal scale of things was far below that of the fairer gender. No wonder he was reluctant to share his worries and problems with anybody, particularly if anybody happened to be a woman. But at least he was the genuine article; a pure and honest boy that had not a shred of ill-will dwelling within him.  
"Never mind," the demonic-looking girl said, shaking her head in amusement. "Just remember that you're more than welcome to talk to me when there's something troubling you."  
"But-" She cut the boy off before he could protest.  
"Hey, it beats listening to Zeel rant and rave about which people she'd like to split open. She has it in for your blonde friend, I'm afraid," demon-Zeel chuckled. Ark rubbed his neck absently and gave a weak smile.  
"Miss Zeel had a slight disagreement with him in that strange dream we had," he told her. The demon smirked, finding the thought of Zeel being insulted rather pleasant. She turned her attention back to Ark.  
"Your neck," she said, nodding her head towards him. "What does it feel like when Zeel…bites it?" Ark looked at her for a few moments before running his hand reflexively over the exposed skin again. "Does it hurt?"  
"A little," Ark confessed. "And it makes me quite tired. But it doesn't matter anymore. If Miss Zeel wants the energy, then she can take all she wants." Demon-Zeel was a little surprised at that, but a question quickly formed itself on her tongue.  
"Even if it kills you?" she asked. Ark thought for a few moments.  
"If she needs it that badly." Now that really _was_ sad. Ark didn't even seem to care if he died anymore, but the girl before him did.  
"You realize that I won't let that happen," the demon-girl told him. The grey-haired boy looked at her strangely.  
"Why?" he asked. That was the second time he'd asked that same question.  
"I like you," demon-Zeel shrugged. "You're nice to me, even though I am what I am." Ark looked like he wanted to say something, but for one reason or another he stayed silent. The grey-haired boy rubbed his neck, an act that seemed to have become something of a habit. Demon-Zeel frowned, her attention drawn to his exposed skin. She blurted out her next question without even really thinking about it. "Can I see it?" Even as she asked, she knew that he wouldn't even attempt to stop her. She stood and approached cautiously before crouching down beside his chair. He eyed her carefully, the sharp incisors peeking out from behind her lips bringing up a sudden flash of all the times the other Zeel had torn into him. Ark cringed, expecting to feel the prick of his skin being broken, but instead there the strange sensation of something tickling him. He opened his eyes to see the demon-girl looking closely at his neck, her fingers tracing small lines along it as if she were looking for something.  
"Wow…I've never seen skin this soft," the girl murmured, poking at the boy. "It's like a baby's backside."  
Demon-Zeel was right. Ark's skin was smooth, completely unblemished, and as soft as that of a newborn. Even in all the years the boy had spent growing up, not a single mark or imperfection marred its surface, even where Zeel had bitten him. The teeth-marks and bruises that would most likely have been present on any other person were absent, removed completely by the boy's amazing ability to heal quickly. Curiously, she pinched the skin between her thumb and forefinger, creating a small, red mark. Ark squeaked in response, but otherwise stayed completely still, his muscles tensing.  
"Relax, I'm not going to hurt you…I just want to have a look at you," the girl assured him, looking closely at the red mark as it shrank and disappeared before her very eyes. She whistled as she found no trace that the mark had ever been there. "You know…nobody has ever let me come this close to them before. You're probably the first person I've ever laid my hands on in a way that hasn't been in malice or defense." The girl smiled wryly as she drew her fingers across his neck softly, chuckling as she felt its surface erupt into goosebumps. "You don't get much contact with other people when you're a demon." The girl suddenly felt her ear tingle violently, and she blew a raspberry as her face spasmed from the sensation. She looked up at see Ark scratching one of her large ears quite absently. He didn't appear to be paying much attention to what he was doing, but when he saw her looking at him, his eyes traced along his arm until they reached the hand that rested upon the top of her ear. He drew it back with a squeak.  
"I'm sorry!" he gasped. "I'm sorry! It was an accident!"  
"Hah! That's all right…these ears are quite sensitive, but you're gentle with them," the demon laughed, shaking her head. "What's wrong, Ark?" The boy looked guiltily at his hand.  
"You…you reminded me of somebody I had to leave," Ark murmured quietly. "She had ears almost like yours. She liked having them scratched. I just phased out for a moment there…it felt familiar, that's all."  
"I really remind you of one of your friends?" the green-skinned girl asked. She drew her hands away from his neck, feeling the warmth from his skin fade away from her fingertips. The demon-girl walked around to Ark's front and sat in the air before him. Ark rubbed his neck.  
"Y-yes," he said haltingly. "Miss Nyara, the Meera girl…she was very kind to me." The Zeel before him pursed her lips thoughtfully.  
"You and this Nyara…were the two of you a couple?" she asked, turning slowly so that she was upside-down. Ark blinked and his face contorted into an expression of shock.  
"Wh-wha-what!?" he gasped, going red. "N-no! We weren't- that could never happen!"  
"Oh…why not?" the demon-girl asked curiously, her silver hair amassing in a large pillar beneath her. "You both seem very fond of each other." Ark looked at the floor guiltily.  
"M-miss Nyara is, well…she's so…so…" Ark fumbled for the right words. "She's the granddaughter of the chief of her village and she's a legendary Bloodcat to boot, and besides; there's already somebody that she has feelings for. Miss Nyara is too high above me…I'm just Ark. I don't even have a family or a home anymore, what have I got to offer her?" And there it was; Ark's way of putting all others on a pedestal whilst he stayed on the ground. "I'm here forever, anyway. I'm not going to see her again…but she was a very special person to me all the same."  
Zeel's demon half suddenly felt insanely jealous of this Nyara person. Ark; a perfect example kindness and sincerity- the Meera girl had been able to have him by her side all this time. _Nyara_ had Ark to keep her company, _Nyara_ had Ark to scratch her ears, _Nyara_ had Ark as somebody special…and Zeel had nobody. But now…now things could be different. Ark was with her in the manor…possibly for the rest of his days, and that meant that _she'd_ be the one whom Ark would keep company, _she'd_ be the one whose ears Ark would scratch…and Ark could be the first person that was ever special to her. To have a friend at last…it was an exciting prospect.

The wagon trundled along the forest road at a merry pace as the sunlight of early morning played through the foliage in the form of hundreds of tiny shafts of light. The passengers had all woken very early to resume their journey…though Fiera and Erran were slightly more sluggish than everyone else for obvious reasons. Deia had woken the two late-risers by tossing a bucket of cold water through the door to the couples' room, resulting in one of the most chilling and horrific screams to ever escape from the mouth of a woman. Aside from that morning upset, nothing particularly notable happened.  
"Nyara wonder what Ark doing now…" Nyara sighed as she lolled on the roof of the wagon with Talen and Link. "Hope he all right."  
"I'm sure he's safe, Nyara," Link assured her. "Zeel's a bit of a witch, but she's a witch with honor. She won't hurt him." Nyara fidgeted and made an odd growling noise.  
"Nyara miss Ark…Nyara want Ark back…Nyara-" She stopped talking and dove off the wagon, crashing into the undergrowth off the side of the road with considerable force. Seconds later, she sprang back up onto the wagon with a small rodent held firmly by the tail. "If Zeel do anything to Ark…Nyara eat Zeel like mouse." The small, struggling animal squeaked pitifully, but Nyara simply stuck out her tongue and slurped the poor thing into her mouth without even bothering to chew it first.  
"Urgh," Talen groaned. "That makes me queasy whenever I see it. That mouse is probably burning live in her stomach acid right now. A slow and lingering death in the belly of Nyara." There was a loud thumping noise from inside the wagon.  
"Talen! We can hear you down here!" Florella's voice cried out below. "Please stop describing Nyara's eating habits."  
"Sorry, Florella," Talen called back down. Link shook his head.  
"She has you on a leash, Talen," the blonde boy said quietly, so as not to let those down below hear him. Talen shrugged.  
"At least there's only one of her and not three," Talen said pointedly. "And who has who on a leash? Saria seems to have you underneath her thumb, Link, my friend."  
"Touché," Link sighed. "Ah, but what can we do?"  
"Link can do nothing," Nyara grinned, flicking him in the side of the head with the pom-pom tip of her tail. "Men rule world, women rule men." Link and Talen blinked at her.  
"Amen to that, Nyara," Fura's voice drifted up from below.  
A short while later, Nyara left the roof of the wagon in favor of the wagon interior. It was all well and good being with Talen and Link, but Nyara was a girl, and girls generally liked to spend time with other girls to talk about things other than food and how atrocious it was to use magic to assist in the construction of something that defied most basic laws of matter and physics. Nyara would rather talk about boys with her other friends in the wagon, because talking about boys was sometimes better than _being_ with boys…well, boys like Talen and Link in any case.  
Link and Talen weren't left alone for long, however; as Erran climbed up onto the roof a short while after Nyara had left. Link and Talen were more than happy to have the company of somebody that didn't have a habit of eating live mice.  
"What brings you up here, Erran?" Talen asked the young man. Erran frowned.  
"They all kept giggling whenever I looked over," he said. "I suspect that Fiera has been telling them a little too much." Link and Talen chuckled quietly.  
"I feel sorry for you, my friend," Link sighed. "The only one out of those three that seems to have anything resembling gentleness is Neju. I wonder if bossiness is a genetic trait in all girls…or at least one _we _come across." Link made a face and looked down. "They're also horribly _nosy_." There was an indelicate and irritated noise from down below. Erran shared a laugh with the two boys.  
"Well…I _do_ have to admit that they can be hard taskmasters sometimes," the cyan-haired young man smiled wryly. "But…at the end of the day, is it really something to complain about? They're firm, but I suppose they need to be with Zen around, yet they're very kind…Fiera especially. I can't think of any three ladies I'd rather be living with." Talen and Link nodded in agreement. The three ladies had, after all; saved the blonde boy from an eternity of sleep.  
"Speaking of Fiera…are you two married?" Link asked curiously. Erran blinked.  
"Married? Oh, no," he said, shaking his head. "It came up at one point, but I suppose we don't really need to be. I suppose marriage is something that a lot of people dream about, but Fiera simply said that she doesn't need to be officially told that she has me all to herself, she already knows it." The young man sighed and looked up at the leaves and intertwining branches overhead. "We've been friends since we were little and Fiera has always been looking out for me…I was always scraping myself and getting cuts and bruises. Fiera would sit me down and bandage me up, all the while scolding me for being so uncoordinated on my feet…but I never expected her to, well, _love_ me." He laughed and looked back at Link and Talen, both of whom were staring at him with considerably surprised expressions. "It's been about two and a half years since _that_ night. One minute I was talking to a very nice Gerudo who wanted to know if I'd ever "shared my bed with anybody else without actually sleeping" before…whatever that means, and the next thing I know is I'm waking up with Fiera the next morning."  
"I see…" Link murmured, looking rather uneasy. He shared a glance with Talen.  
"Hah, don't look so horrified," Erran chuckled. "You know, being loved and needed by somebody else is about the greatest feeling in the world. Just keeping telling your significant other how much you care about them and you'll be happy for the rest of your days."  
"Well, I suppose I can't argue with that," Link sighed. "It _is_ nice to feel needed."  
"But what about you? What's the relationship between you two and _your_ set of girls?" Erran asked curiously.  
"Well…it's strange, I'll give you that," Talen winced.  
"And complicated," Link added, scratching his head.  
"Are the two of you coupled with any of them?" the cyan-haired young man asked.  
"No!" Link almost cried. Erran blinked in confusion and then a look of uncertainty crossed his face.  
"You…_do_ like girls, don't you?" he asked. It took a little while for Link and Talen to react, but when they did, it was with vehemence.  
"Ack! Of course we like girls!" Link and Talen exclaimed in unison. "What kind of question is that!?"  
"Oh," Erran said simply. He frowned. "Then…do you not find them pretty to look at?"  
"Well…yes," Link uttered haltingly, his cheeks reddening. "But…"  
"Ah…I think the closest thing to a couple in our little group would be Ark and Nyara. The two of them just seem to…fit well together. And then there's Florella and myself…" Talen held up his hand. "See this ring? Florella stuck it on me nearly four years ago and said that we were going to get married when we were old enough. It won't come off, so I guess I'm kinda stuck for now." The smith fiddled with the gold band with his thumb.  
"Florella seems like such a nice girl," Erran frowned. "Is it really such a terrible fate?" Talen blinked and looked at him, and then he laughed.  
"Hah, I suppose not," he smiled wryly. "But I got nothing on old Link here. The Zora Princess, the Hylian Princess, and the Fire Witch of the Gerudo." Talen grinned smugly at the blonde boy, who muttered something disparaging under his breath. "You must have a thing for women with authority."  
"Har-de-har-har," Link laughed sardonically. Erran laughed at the two of them and clapped their backs.  
"Well I wish the two of you the best of luck in whatever path you choose," he told them. "But I can tell you now that you're both extremely lucky young men."  
"I know," Link agreed with a sigh. "Very lucky."

The cemetery. A quiet, lonely place surrounded by a thin, rusting iron fence that looked as if it would fall apart at the slightest touch. Zeel pushed open the creaky little gate that granted her access to the jumbled mess of crumbling headstones and monuments, pausing only to remind herself where Ark's parents' graves were. There should be two of them, side by side at the very back of the graveyard. The scythe-wielding girl walked slowly through the quiet place of rest, picking her way carefully along the narrow paths so as not to walk on any of the graves. Even Zeel had respect for the dead. She arrived at the place at which the graves of her grey-haired captive's parents lay, but…  
"Wha…there's nothing here!" she exclaimed, and rightly so. There were no graves present in the place at which they should have been. Empty, untouched ground lay underfoot. "Nobody remembers him…now his parents' graves are gone!? What's going on here?" She had reached a dead end, so to speak. With Ark's and the villagers' memories wiped, and the disappearance of the graves of his dead parents, there was not a single scrap of Ark's past remaining. Zeel's temper was beginning to flare. She clenched her fists, ground her teeth together, and then stamped her foot down on the ground as hard as she could.  
"_AUGH!"_ she screamed at the top of her lungs. _"What the Hell do I have to do to find out something about this kid!?"_ The black-haired girl let out a long and very colourful string of profanities that would have made even Fura blush. Feeling a little better, Zeel turned to go. There was nothing left for her to discover in the little village and nothing left to be accomplished. But she didn't get far.  
"Wait…" a quiet voice sounded from behind her. Zeel whirled around, her large scythe at the ready.  
"Who's there?" she demanded gruffly. "Show yourself!"  
"You're searching for Ark, aren't you…" Zeel narrowed her eyes. It was a man's voice, she couldn't tell how old, but at least it appeared that somebody remembered him.  
"Ark is already in my possession…it's information about his past I'm after," she said slowly, her eyes searching the forest for the owner of the voice.  
"And what is it you intend to do with him?" Zeel pursed her lips for a moment.  
"He is my prisoner," the girl growled. "He won't come to harm, but exactly what I intend to use him for is none of your business." There was a pause.  
"I see," the voice said quietly.  
"But you…you seem to know about him," Zeel murmured. "Tell me! Who is Ark? Why is he so important!?" The voice didn't respond for some time, during which Zeel twirled her scythe irritably. It was almost like she was being ignored. "Well!?"  
"Ark…is my chance to set things right," the voice told her.  
"Your what?" Zeel asked. Now she was confused, and Zeel didn't like being confused. She leveled her hand at the trees before her. "You'd better start talking some sense, or I'm going to start taking pot-shots!"  
"I did something terrible some time ago…something that I cannot hope to be forgiven for," it told her regrettably. "And now that boy…Ark- he is my last chance to put right what I did wrong. Please, young lady…protect Ark, protect that boy!"  
"Wha-what!?" Zeel exclaimed. "You want me to _protect_ him?"  
"Please! I know that it is much for a stranger to ask this of you…but Ark is innocent, he should not have been drawn into this mess, but he has been and he must do what he is meant to do. You _must_ guard him from harm…please…"Zeel was taken aback, and now she had even _more_ questions than when she'd started.  
Just what was Ark to the owner of the voice? It had said that Ark was his chance to set things right…but set what right? From what Zeel had seen; Ark wasn't much good at anything. He wasn't very athletic, he wasn't very strong, and he was even scared of the dark! True…he wasn't a normal boy, but she had yet to see anything particularly incredible about him…apart from his unusual life-energy.  
"Just tell me one thing," Zeel murmured. "What does Ark's enemy want with him? Why are they so determined to see him out of the picture?" A breeze swept through the graveyard, stirring up dead leaves and causing the boughs overhead to creak together.  
"Because only Ark, combined with the Key Bearer, can stop them," the voice told her. "Keep him safe…" And then the voice was gone. Zeel stood still, her scythe resting loosely in her palm. Protect Ark…she was already keeping him from getting killed, but protecting him? It somehow felt different…but why should she do something some strange voice had told her? Still…he _had_ been the only one who had remembered the boy.  
"Fine," she grumbled. "But first there's nother port of call I have to stop into." She turned and walked through the rows of crumbling headstones. "Key Bearer…Link…I hope you're ready for a visit."


	71. Moon and Stars

**Chapter 70 – Moon and Stars**

The late-afternoon sun filtered in through the forest canopy, blurring everything around the trundling wagon. The warm, tropical air was thick and heavy, making those aboard the little wooden mode of transportation sleepy and listless. Talen, Link, and Erran had since retreated to the interior of the wagon and away from the direct heat of the sun, which had blasted down upon them when the party had passed through a sparser patch of forest.  
Erran and Fiera snoozed in the corner of the wagon, propped up on pillows against each other with their heads pressed together. Fiera was a full head taller than Erran and it was also a little known fact that she was stronger than him too. The green-haired woman was clearly the dominant one in their unusual, yet loving relationship, but the cyan-haired young man didn't mind at all. As he had told Link and Talen earlier that day; to be needed by somebody was perhaps the greatest feeling in the world.  
Talen sat underneath one of the windows on a cushion generously provided for him by the owners of the strange wagon. The smith was awake, but Florella, who lay in his lap, was fast asleep. Talen watched the girl as she slept; finding it harder and harder to believe that she was a powerful Great Fairy. She was so small and petite, and the frail-looking wings protruding from her back and the thin, wobbly antennae jutting from behind her fringe didn't do anything to add a sense of hardiness to her appearance. Still; she had a remarkable amount of mettle, and it was nearly impossible not to like her…unless you were Link, of course. Talen idly wondered what she'd look like when she was all grown up. Her slight frame would no doubt carry on into adulthood, so he doubted that she'd grow very tall at all, but her dark eyes and shiny, dark-purple hair would no doubt make her very beautiful. In fact; she was a very pretty little thing as she was. Talen yawned and closed his eyes, but not before carefully tugging the lower hem of her tunic down so that it covered just a little bit more of her legs. What, he wondered; did she see in a lowly blacksmith?  
"It's a lazy afternoon, isn't it?" Impa sighed as she drummed her fingers on the tabletop. "But at least it's a quiet one. Everyone except for us and Fien are sleeping."  
The "us" that Impa was referring to was Link, Nyara, Deia, and herself.  
"Nyara need swim," the Meera girl yawned, flicking her tail idly as she ran her finger around the rim of a mug that had previously been filled with milk. "Help cool off."  
"It's all hot and sticky," Link mumbled, suppressing a yawn. "I barely have the energy to keep my eyes open."  
"Why don't you have a nap, then?" Deia suggested. "You can curl up next to your two ladies over there." She pointed at Fura and Zelda, both of whom were sprawled on a mountain of cushions in the middle of the room.  
"No thank you," Link said, shaking his head. "Fura's too grabby, especially in her sleep, and Zelda kicks with those cold feet of hers."  
"A chicken, huh?" Deia smirked.  
Link gave her a flat look. "Deia, that's not going to work with me, I'm afraid. Just because you call me a chicken _won't_ make me jump up and dive into the proverbial lion's jaws just to prove you wrong," the boy told her. "I freely admit that Fura and Zelda are perhaps the most diabolical pair of females to ever grace this planet, and I _also_ freely admit that they can scare the googlies out of me." Deia stared at him, a hint of disbelief on her face. "How can somebody so willing to leap into battle be such a weenie with girls?" she pondered out loud. "The fact that you seem to be a perfectly healthy young man makes me even more confused. Maybe you have some kind of hormone problem…"  
"I do not have a hormone problem!" Link snapped irritably.  
It was lines of questioning such as the one Deia was subjecting him to that tended to get underneath his skin.  
"You don't? Hmm, peculiar," Deia frowned. She scrutinized him from across the table with a speculative expression. "Are you _sure?_"  
"Augh! That's it, I'm going outs-"  
"Link, you're so _loud_ when you complain."  
The voice made Link jump, but not nearly as much as when the owner latched its arms around his neck. The tanned skin, coupled with the incredible amount of heat radiating from them told Link that it was his flirtatious and brazen Gerudo companion.  
"Fura? What's wrong?" the blonde boy asked as the wind was squeezed out of him. "Ack, you're choking me!"  
"You woke me up," she yawned, dragging him out of his seat and along the floor. The boy scuffed his feet about in an attempt to stand up properly, but ultimately failed in doing so. "Fura doesn't like being woken up…so prepare to feel my wrath."  
The redhead flopped backwards, taking Link with her, and they both landed on the mass of cushions rather solidly. In an instant she had rolled over an effectively pinned Link to the floor, keeping an arm clenched tightly around his neck to keep him still. He shifted around slightly, but ultimately gave up- the incredible amount of heat radiated by Fura when she was sleepy or sleeping sapped his strength in moments.  
"How's it going down there?" Deia asked pleasantly from the table. Link couldn't see her through Fura's gargantuan mass of red hair, but he was more than positive that she was grinning like an idiot.  
"Fine," Link replied flatly. Things could only get better, he sighed mentally, but he was wrong.  
With Fura's face smooshed up against his own, he was able to see the trickle of drool escape her semi-open mouth and dribble onto his cheek. Then, with timing that bordered on choreographed, Zelda murmured something in her sleep, slid her leg back, and then kicked him squarely in the side of his shin.  
"Just fine." Yes, things could only get better.

Ark didn't know whether to feel flattered, embarrassed, or uneasy. He was without his footwear, without his cloak, and without his long-sleeved top as he sat there on the thick, red rug by the crackling fire. The grey-haired boy still retained his short-sleeved undershirt, so he didn't feel too bare to the world, but still; he _did_ feel rather strange.  
It had started shortly after demon-Zeel's odd examination of his neck. So enthralled by the act of physical contact with another person was she, that the demon-girl had asked if she could examine Ark further. Ark, being Ark, had raised little objection, and she _did_ say that she wasn't going to look at _everything_ on him. So he sat there on the rug while the silver-haired Zeel ran her fingers over almost every piece of exposed skin, watching in childish amusement as she was rewarded with a swarm of goosebumps and the occasional twitch from Ark. She marveled at how soft his arms were, especially his hands, which should have had at least _some_ sign of wear on them, but there was none, not even the slightest bit of callusing.  
"Now I'm _really_ jealous," the demon-girl pouted. "I'd kill for skin like this…it's so _soft_."  
"I don't know why it's like tha-ahh!" Demon-Zeel had begun her curious inspection of his bare feet, resulting in a violent tickling sensation that made the boy wriggle about and gasp.  
"Heh, sorry, I'm not used to this. I guess you're ticklish," the girl grinned lopsidedly. She sat back and extended her leg, pressing her foot flat against the bottom of Ark's, heel-to-heel, ball-to-ball. "We're more alike than I thought…physically, I mean." She wiggled her toes.  
"You expected us to be very different?" Ark asked curiously, his embarrassment forgotten for the moment.  
"Well…" The demon-girl floundered briefly, her eyes rolling upwards as if looking for something to say. "I guess…a little…I've just never had a close look at anybody before." She paused and looked down at where their feet connected. "You don't mind, do you?"  
Ark shook his head. "No, it's all right."  
"I mean, I know about the differences between boys and girls, obviously," demon-Zeel chuckled. "It's just that I'm a demon and you're not, and I'm curious as to whether there are any differences…besides the ears and skin, that is."  
"Well…this is about it," Ark said with a small smile. "There's nothing extraordinary about me." The demon's eyes traveled up to the top of Ark's head.  
"You heal very fast…and you have funny hair," the girl pointed out. "Why does it stick up like that?" Ark's hands immediately slapped over his gravity-defying fringe that absolutely refused to stay down.  
"I-I don't know," the boy stammered, slightly embarrassed. "It's done that ever since it was cut several months ago. Nobody seems to be able to find out why it does that…I guess it's just a mystery that'll never be answered."  
"Maybe," the girl said. She suddenly yawned loudly and flopped down onto her back, whereupon she lifted one of her legs straight up and started at her toes. "Hey, are you hungry?"  
"Erm…" Ark murmured. The demon-girl lifted her head from the floor and looked at the boy, only to find him staring determinedly at the ceiling.  
"What's the mat- oh, sorry," the girl apologized sheepishly.  
While Ark was wearing his clothes, demon-Zeel was clad in a dressing-gown, and dressing-gowns tended to be rather loose-fitting. Therefore; it was natural that it had slid back when she had lifted her leg, exposing a little more than most people were meant to see. Fortunately, for the sake of Ark's heart and demon-Zeel's modesty; she was still wearing her underclothes. She swung her leg back down and sat up, tugging the dressing-gown down to cover her legs, as well as pulling the front together after it had opened up from her quick movements.  
"Hah, see what I mean by not being used to being near other people? Ah well, I suppose it's lucky that I'm not flat chested, or else I wouldn't be wearing a brassiere right now," she laughed at herself. Ark's face was burning bright-red. "Wow, you sure embarrass easily. It makes me feel kinda guilty for getting you into trouble with Zeel those few times."  
Ark's mind raced back to when he had been dropped into the other Zeel's room and he had seen her without any clothing on her chest. She had been furious, but strangely it wasn't at him. She had also gone slightly berserk when they had shared their rather awkward and unintentional kiss…but again, she hadn't flown off the handle at him. Those times, she had blamed her demon-half. If Ark had been any other person, then he would have been safe in the knowledge that it was demon-Zeel's fault, but as it was, Ark was Ark; and he still felt very, _very_ guilty for seeing what he saw and kissing who he did.  
"It's all right," he told her quietly.  
The girl laughed. "It's funny," she chuckled. "I've been sitting around for years, wishing that I could meet just _one_ person who would treat me like a normal person and not the way Zeel treats me…and it's her who brings him here." Ark blinked at her. "And in all honesty…I really hope you never leave. It's no fun being here with just her, but it's nice when you're around. I have somebody to talk to."  
"Well…you're welcome, I guess," Ark frowned thoughtfully, scratching the back of his head. The demon-girl smiled pleasantly at him, and then snapped her fingers as an idea came into her head.  
"Hey! You like music?" she asked.  
"Y-yes," Ark nodded. The girl pulled out a small flute, seemingly from nowhere. Ark eyed it suspiciously.  
"You don't mind if I play, do you? I like it…and don't worry; I'm not going to put you to sleep or hypnotize you or anything like that," she assured him. She blew an experimental little note on it before looking at Ark directly. "So…do you mind if I play?"  
Ark stared at her. The girl's eyes were entrancing; deep, blood-red, but not in a horrible way. They were filled with all manner of positive emotions, but most importantly; they were warm eyes. Whilst her other half had eyes that were as cold and hard as frozen agate, the demon's eyes were friendly and welcoming. To Ark, they were quite beautiful.  
"N-no, not at all," the boy told her, snapping himself out of his reverie. "I'd like to hear it."

Link was tied to a chair in a dimly-lit room. Music not unlike that of the Gerudo played strangely in the background by unseen musicians, while a blurry shape moved sinuously before him around a pole illuminated by a shaft of light. He blinked and the image cleared, revealing Fura in all her glory. She was dressed rather provocatively in something resembling her ceremonial Fire-Witch garb she had worn when she had been reunited with everyone at the Gerudo fortress, only with much less flair to it and a greater number of…missing parts that left a good deal of skin uncovered. She danced around the vertical pole, swinging around it and smiling coyly at him whilst batting her lashes. And then there was somebody else there…Saria…in the corner. She was mumbling and grumbling something at him…telling him off for messing up his hair or dirtying his clothes, Link couldn't tell. Impa was suddenly there as well, glaring down at him with a terrifyingly-grim expression on her face…then a jingling sound off to his side caught his attention, and Zelda was there, dressed in a great, white wedding-dress with Florella dancing around her and tossing golden rings in the air like confetti. She also appeared to be waving a banner around with the word "doom" painted on it. Nyaragon too…she loomed out of the darkness in all of her enormity, stretching her jaws open to swallow him whole, but Fura, having since stopped her flirtatious dance, began to advance. As she neared, the temperature increased until, suddenly, she burst into flames. Her arms locked around his neck as the fire scorched him, and then Link started screaming at the top of his lungs, screaming, screaming…  
Link woke up with sweat pouring down his brow. He was lying on his side on the floor of the wagon, _not_ tied to a chair in some dark room with images of horror hanging over him. He wasn't on fire and everything was all right…but he was still scorching hot. For a brief, terrifying second, he thought that he really _was_ on fire, but the presence against his back and the arms draped around him told the boy that there was another reason for his high temperature.  
"F-Fura! You're too hot! Let me go!" Link hissed, struggling to free himself. Fura grumbled something, still obviously asleep, and instead let out a hot, contented sigh right into his ear. Link almost cried in frustration. Zelda was absent from the cushions nearby, having obviously woken up earlier on. A sudden hot flush swept over Link as Fura suddenly shifted.  
Why _did_ Fura get so unbelievably boiling whenever she slept? It was like she was just a sack full of molten rock that looked like a person.  
"Fura, _pleeease__!_" Link begged.  
Her grip was remarkably hard to break, and Link suspected that she had worked on her upper-body strength over the years specifically for the task of holding onto him. Being able to slip away from people was something that Link prided himself on, but Fura was an adversary who was becoming harder and harder to break free from. He couldn't see her since she was pressed up against his back, but he could imagine what she looked like, he could even feel the drool that _always_ trickled out of the corner of her mouth as it pooled on his cheek.  
"Zzgm…hmm? Heh-heh…" Fura chuckled suddenly.  
"So you're awake," Link breathed. "Fura, I'm _boiling_. Please let me go." She didn't seem to take any notice of him.  
"Ghzz, hehe, don't worry…we're all alone here…" she mumbled drowsily. Link blinked and wriggled about. Fura was still asleep and she was muttering out the events of her dreams.  
"What in the world are you talking about?" Link sighed, squirming even harder.  
"You're a bad boy, Linkie-do…making me chase you all around the place…bad boys need to be disciplined…zmmm," she purred sleepily.  
The hairs on the back of Link's neck stood on end and his muscles tensed "Ah…please wake up now, Fura," he squeaked. Fura's arms suddenly jerked back and produced a series of sharp popping sounds from Link's neck. "Ack! Gak! Ahhh…let…go…!"  
"Heeh…that's right…plenty of rope…manacles…branding iron right here too…" the Gerudo continued to snort. Link whimpered as Fura's horrible description of the Gerudo courtship ritual came back to haunt him. "…we're gonna do it…like animals…" Her tongue lolled lazily out from between her lips and scraped over his cheek. That did it; time for dignity to take second fiddle to survival.  
"_AHHHHHHH!__ Somebody help me! Now, now, now! Save me! Save me!"_ Link screamed at the top of his lungs. The Key straps flailed about madly, striking the floor in a stattaco of sound to alert anybody nearby of his peril. _"Anybodeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"_ His long and despairing wail obviously got somebody's attention, for Link heard the sweet salvation of footsteps approaching, but it was Nyara's head that popped into view.  
"Hello," she said. Link stared at her. "Why is Link shouting? Everybody hear you on roof."  
"Then why did it take so long for any of you to get here?" he demanded as Fura continued to mumble rather inappropriate things in his ear, severely distracting him from what he was saying.  
"Florella said we should leave you," the Meera girl told him simply.  
"Augh! Trust _her_ to say something like that! She's heartless," Link grumbled indignantly. "Anyway, can you help me out?"  
Nyara frowned. "Why?" she asked.  
Link stared at her some more. "Do I even need to tell you that?" he asked in the most restrained voice he could manage.  
Nyara looked at the tangle of Fura's limbs around his neck and legs. "Fura look like she have fun," she shrugged.  
Link squeaked as Fura began chewing on the tip of his ear. "But Link not have fun! Nyara, I'm _begging_ you! _Please!_" he squealed in terror.  
Nyara sighed and rolled her eyes. "Link such a complainer," she told him. The Meera girl crouched down and shook Fura gently. "Fura wake up." Fura's eyes opened slowly, she blinked, and then yawned.  
"Hrmm, what?" she asked groggily. She looked around. "How long have I been sleeping?"  
"All afternoon," Nyara told her. "Link tell me to wake Fura up." Fura looked at the struggling boy she held in her iron-like grip.  
"Oh! Hello there, Linkie-do," she said cheerfully. "Did _you_ sleep well? I had the most wonderful dream…you were in it too."  
Link didn't even want to _think_ about what that. "How could you possibly sleep through all that yelling and screaming!?" Link demanded on the Gerudo girl. "They heard me outside the wagon and you were right next to me!"  
Fura shrugged and squeezed him even tighter. "I guess I'm just used to all the complaining you do, Linkie-do," she cooed. The redhead suddenly grinned. "Wake up smooch!"  
"What? No! Ahh!" Link squawked.  
What followed was a clumsy and childish display of affection on Fura's behalf. Poor Link twitched around on the floor like an insect dying in the sun as the Gerudo girl proceeded to glue her lips to his in an overly-enthusiastic kind of way, smudging Link's eternal curse- her white lipstick- all over the lower portion of his face. Nyara watched in fascination as the red specks of light began to dance around Link's black skin, twinkling and shining like tiny stars. Fura finally lifted her head and broke her lips from Link's with a loud and embarrassing popping sound.  
"Ahh!" Fura breathed. "That _always_ gets me in a good mood." She released him and stood up, stretching as she did so in order to show off just how immodest her outfit was, causing further embarrassment to the hapless object of her affection. "Well, I'm off to see what everyone else is up to. Boy…I wish I'd slept until the end of that dream…" And then she was out the wagon door and onto the roof where everyone else rode.  
Link groaned in relief as his temperature went back down to normal levels. "Urgh," he gurgled. "Who knew that fear was embodied in the form of a girl with red hair?"  
"Link have Fura's lippy-stick on his face," Nyara pointed out from where she sat nearby. Link hurriedly scrubbed it off with the back of his hand. Nyara frowned. "You miss lippy-stick on neck." Link blinked and rubbed his hand over the part of his neck that wasn't covered by the Key. Sure enough; there was Fura's white lipstick.  
"Augh! She must have got me when I was sleeping," Link grumbled, wiping it off. "Whew, it's a good thing you spotted that, Nyara, or else I wouldn't hear the end of it from the others…and Zelda would probably insist upon being "fair" and all…ugh, it doesn't even bear thinking about."  
Nyara was still staring at him. "Now Link has red marks there instead," she frowned.  
Link gave a start and slapped his hand over his neck again. "Wh-what!?"  
Nyara hopped up and padded over to the kitchen before returning with a shiny, metal saucepan. Upon her return, she held it up in front of Link so that the boy could see his reflection.  
"Oh no!" he wailed.  
Three bright red marks adorned the skin of his neck, and to make things worse; they were high enough for all the world to see. Added to that was the fact that the redhead had done the deed high enough so that the Key and the collar of his tunic were unable to cover them. Fura had gotten him good.  
"How could she _do_ this to me?" Link sighed pitifully. "What else can go wrong today?" Famous last words.  
Nyara suddenly sat bolt-upright. She sniffed at the air, her tail stiffening and bristling like a bottlebrush. A low growl escaped her throat and a decidedly dark expression graced her usually-sunny face.  
"H-hey…" Link stammered, unnerved by Nyara's sudden change in demeanor. "What's wrong with you?" The Meera girl began to hiss and spit, and she started prowling around on all fours whilst continuing to sniff at the air. Something was definitely not right with her.  
"Nyara! What's going on?" Link pressed.  
"Something here," she yowled, sniffing at the air again. "And it smell of Ark!"

"Well…the screaming's stopped," Florella frowned. "I don't know if that's good or bad. I hope Fura got the little pest good."  
On the roof of the wagon sat Florella, Zelda, Impa, Talen, Neju, Deia, and Saria. Everyone else was inside, bar Fien; who was at his usual spot at the reins. The afternoon was quite warm, so they had all left the sleepers inside to enjoy the breeze blowing through the trees of the forest, and the roof had enough space to support them all.  
"You seem to…have it in for that boy," Neju murmured quietly. "At least, that's the way it sounds." Florella blinked and then laughed out loud.  
"Oh no! I don't have it in for him _that_ way. I don't want to hurt him at all…most of the time," she chuckled. "I like Link a lot…but he's so stubborn about things! Things that I'm very intent on progressing…it's almost my job, after all."  
Neju nodded thoughtfully. "He _did_ sound awfully-" she began, but Florella cut her off.  
"He's _fine_. Fura's probably just…being friendly," the fairy assured the blue-haired woman.  
"Sucking his teeth out," Zelda said, rolling her eyes. "Fura's so rough with him sometimes."  
"Hah, that's true, Zelda," Florella chuckled. She sighed fondly. "I like Fura a lot…you know she'd be one to really turn Link's world upside-down. Have you ever sat down for a long conversation with her? I tell you, she could make almost _anybody_ blush with embarrassment. She knows a staggering amount about the more carnal aspects of love…and she probably intends to put each and every little tidbit of information to practical use with Blondie when they're both old enough." She paused. "Unless Zelda's more delicate nature wins him over first…but then, you're not so innocent and prissy yourself, are you, Zelda?"  
Zelda went a little bit pink in the cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about," she sniffed, drawing a laugh from everyone present.  
"You know, what I find strange is that despite having their sights set on the same boy, Fura and Zelda don't seem to resent each other at all," Deia frowned thoughtfully. "In fact; they seem quite close." Zelda smiled.  
"What would be the point in being nasty to each other?" the blonde girl asked. "I'd rather be Fura's friend than her enemy, and besides; hating each other for liking the same boy won't make Link like us any more than he already does."  
It was then that Fura came clambering up onto the roof looking rather refreshed. She crawled over and took a seat next to Talen before straightening her enormous ponytail and brushing her fringe out of her eyes.  
"Hello everyone," she greeted them all. "What are you talking about up here?"  
"You, actually," Saria told the redhead. "Zelda and Link too."  
"Ah, Link," Fura sighed dramatically. "If only he used those hands of his a little better then I'd be a happy girl…but I can't complain; he's such a cutie-pie, if only a bit of a stick-in-the-mud."  
"Here, here," Florella grumbled. "Oh well, one day it'll happen…one day."  
The conversation on the roof was suddenly cut short as the wagon door banged open and Nyara came vaulting out with a fierce growl. Link followed close behind her.  
"Fien! Stop the wagon!" Link told the quiet man at the reins. Fien looked at him questioningly. "Just do it! Something's here!" The boy's tone quickly convinced Fien that he should probably do what he said, so he tugged on the reins and slowed the wagon to a stop.  
"What is it?" the big man asked quietly.  
Link looked at Nyara as she stood on the road with her head in the air, sniffing at the breeze. "I don't know…but something's not right. Nyara can smell something, and I'd trust that nose of hers with my life."  
"Hey Link!" Fura called down from the roof. "What's going on? Why are we stopping?" Link looked up at the questioning faces looking down at him.  
"Nyara can smell something," he told them, pointing at the Meera girl on the road. "She says it has Ark's scent about it."  
"Ark? She can smell him here?" Talen asked. The smith quickly hopped down next to Link and then the two of them jumped onto the ground.

Nyara was pacing around and looking extremely agitated, her fur bristling and her pupils dilated. Her ears twitched this way and that, picking up the slightest of sounds in the now silent forest that bordered either side of the road. Suddenly, they swiveled to her right and she let out a warning yowl.  
"That way! Look out!"  
From the trees came the creaking of wood and the snapping of branches. The foliage parted and a sizeable tree came toppling over the road. It collapsed entirely, blocking the way forwards and sending twigs, earth, and leaves into the air with the force of its landing.  
"Wh-what the heck's going on here?" Deia squawked from the wagon roof.  
"Somebody cut it," Talen said. "See? Look at its trunk…a clean cut. Who could do something like that?"  
"I could."  
They all looked up to see a figure standing on a thick branch protruding out over the road. It was a girl dressed in a tight leather suit that left her stomach, arms, and a significant portion of her back bare-skinned. Her hair was inky-black and jetted out in three ponytails down the back of her head, and in her hand she held a massive purple scythe. It was Zeel.  
"So it's you," Link frowned. "What do you want? Have you come to steal some candy from some children?"  
Zeel ignored that. "I'm not here to fight," she said briskly. "I've come to ask you some questions."  
"Bring back Ark!" Nyara roared suddenly. "Bring back Ark now!"  
Zeel glanced down at her. "No," she said slowly. "I will not. Ark is mine, kitty-cat, and he will be for the rest of his days." Zeel smirked suddenly. "Besides; he doesn't want to come back. Didn't he tell you? If he stays with you, then you'll all die…and you wouldn't want him blaming himself for that now, would you?" Nyara ground her teeth together and flicked her tail. Zeel snorted in amusement. "It would crush him, you know? Poor little Ark, wallowing in self-guilt…could you _ever_ do that to him?" Nyara stayed silent and Zeel snorted once more. "I thought not."  
"How is Ark, by the way?" Link asked in an oddly-casual tone. "Is he all right?"  
"I'm not telling you anything," Zeel growled. "As far as you're concerned, Ark no longer exists." Link whistled and made a face at her.  
"Hurry up and ask these questions of yours and go," Fura grunted, arriving at Link's side with one of her scimitars drawn. "Or else I just might pay you back for the haircut you gave me at Aurora."  
"Humph, big words, Red," Zeel said in a level tone. "You're quite strong, but can you beat me?"  
"Ark beat you…several times, I believe," Fura smirked, her painted lips creasing into a smile. "Maybe you're not as tough as you think you are."  
Zeel's temper flared. "That was just dumb luck!" she snapped. "I merely underestimated him. There's no way he could beat me again! Ark's a weakling, he isn't strong at all!"  
"Oh he's strong, all right," Fura told the girl. The Gerudo's gaze was penetrating. "But it's a different strength that Ark has. It's affecting you too, isn't it? Just like it's affected all of us." The redhead straightened and looked Zeel in the face. "Does he still call you "Miss?""  
"That's irrelevant!" Zeel barked. "You'll tell me what I want to know right now!"  
"Oh be quiet," Link yawned, waving his hand dismissively at her. "We're not in the mood to answer any questions right now. Go home and sharpen your claws or something." The blonde boy turned his back on her, but gave his companions a sly wink as well as a motion for Talen and Fura to step back a ways.  
In the meantime, Zeel's porcelain complexion was slowly turning red. "Don't turn your back on me, you little _puke!_" the raven-haired girl hissed. "Look at me when I'm talking to you!"  
Link slowly turned back to face the volatile girl. "Did you get your landing wrong, or something?" Link frowned. "Did your flying broom get jammed up your backside when you crashed? Because that would _certainly_ account for your bad mood-"  
"How…_dare_ you!" Zeel bellowed, her string of patience snapping. Her whole body quivered with suppressed rage.  
"Calm down there, Zeel," Link told her. "You've got a mean temper, don't you?"  
"Silence!" Zeel shouted. "I've had just about enough of you! _Don't_ make me follow through with my promise to wipe you off the face of this world!"  
"Like how you promised to kill Ark? You're not too good at keeping those things, are you?" Link frowned. "Ark's good at keeping promises, though. I'm surprised that-"  
"Rrgh! Ark's a weakling! He's like a broken toy!" Zeel snapped furiously. "With his memories fading, what good would he be to y-" Zeel suddenly realized her blunder. She narrowed her eyes. In goading her temper, Link had succeeded in causing her tongue to slip.  
"Fading memories?" Nyara asked, a fearful look creeping across her face. "What you mean!?"  
"Feh, I may as well tell you now," Zeel sniffed. "Very clever, Blondie. Maybe I _should_ try to keep a lid on my temper." The girl sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Very well. Ark told me that he was attacked back at the village, but what he _didn't_ tell _you_ was that it did something to his head."  
"His head?" Link murmured. "What's happening to Ark!?"  
Zeel smirked. "He's losing his memories," she said simply, a certain amount of smugness present in her tone. "He cannot remember anything up until a few days before he left his village to find all of you…but even I don't know how much longer the rest of his memories will last. Fairly soon I'm sure that I and all of you will fade from his head, and then he'll have nothing in there at all."  
There was a stunned silence from Link and the others, and Nyara, especially, looked completely horrified.  
"Ark…losing memories?" she asked in a voice that was barely above that of a whisper. "He…forget Nyara?"  
Zeel turned and looked at the Meera girl. "Eventually," Zeel said indifferently. "He hasn't forgotten you yet, in fact; you seem to be on his mind nearly exclusively at the moment, so don't get all blubbery just yet."  
"So…what is it you want to know about him, Zeel?" Link sighed as he rubbed at his forehead.  
The black-haired girl narrowed her eyes and moistened her lips. "What does your enemy want from him? Why is Ark so important?" she asked quietly. "I want to know."  
Link put his hands on his hips. "Well then your guess is as good as ours," he told the girl flatly. "We don't know what's so important about him."  
"We don't even know who the enemy _is_," Fura put in. "They want Link dead because he hast he Key with which to lock the Eternal Ark…but as to why they want Ark either dead or out of the way…" She left it hanging and shook her head.  
"But here's a question for you now, Zeel." Florella had fluttered down from the wagon to where Talen stood. "Why do you care? After all…isn't Ark just a means to an end for you? Why should the exact reason the enemy wants Ark out of the way concern you in the slightest?"  
Zeel's eye twitched and she ground her teeth together. "That does not concern any of you!" she spat. "Rrgh! And to think I had to put up with _you_ when this has all been a colossal waste of my time!" She jabbed her finger at Link, who gave her a mocking bow. "The next time we meet, Blondie…I won't be so accommodating to your smart mouth."  
Zeel turned to go, but Nyara suddenly dashed forwards and called out to her.  
"Wait!" Zeel half-turned and gave Nyara a sidelong glance. The Meera girl extended one of her retractable claws and deftly sliced off a lock of her hair. She tied the end of it off and then held it out to Zeel.  
"What's that for?" Zeel asked.  
"Ark," Nyara said quietly. "Give it to Ark when you go back."  
Zeel curled her lip at the lock of hair. "Why?" she asked.  
Nyara growled lightly. "So Ark not forget Nyara!" she exclaimed, thrusting it into Zeel's hand and closing her fingers over it. "Ark your responsibility now! Zeel must look after Ark, or else Nyara find Zeel and tear out her throat! Give this to Ark!" Zeel stared at Nyara for a few moments and Nyara stared right back.  
"Do you think they're going to fight?" Talen whispered to Florella.  
The fairy shook her head. "I don't know."  
"Give it to Ark!" Nyara pressed, her gaze never breaking from Zeel's. "He keep it until Nyara get Ark back."  
"Hmph, fine," Zeel snorted, swinging her arm up with Nyara's lock of hair clenched within her fist. "And by the way…what is Ark to _you_ exactly?"  
Nyara blinked. "Hmm?"  
"Ark. What is he to you? Why do _you_ care if he's not with you?" she asked.  
Nyara looked at her feet. "Because Ark is special to Nyara," the Meera girl murmured. "Ark is special…and Nyara like having something special around her. It makes Nyara happy. Is that hard for Zeel to understand?"  
"Whatever," Zeel snorted. She gave Link one last look. "You watch yourself, Blondie. I'll be coming for you soon enough." Link whistled and raised his eyebrows, receiving an irritated click of the tongue from Zeel. And then she was gone, vanishing before their eyes in a haze of purple. The tropical forest was once again quiet, save the rustling of the leaves in as a cool breeze cut through the hot, muggy air.  
Nyara sank to her knees as big, wet tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. "Why?" she sniffled. "Why is this happening to Ark? Will Ark forget Nyara?"  
"Shhh, shhh," Fura murmured, kneeling down at the Meera's side. She put her arm around her. "Ark could never forget you, Nyara. You're much too important for that to happen. Come on, let's get you inside." Nyara continued to sob and sniffle as Fura helped her up and carried her over to the wagon where the others were waiting to lend her their sympathies. Link merely stood in the middle of the road with his hands hanging loosely at his sides.

Demon-Zeel had played her flute for some time, secretly delighting in the fact that she had somebody to play for. Ark sat in a polite silence, listening carefully to every note that emerged from the instrument. It was hard to image that any part of Zeel enjoyed something as calming as playing an instrument, but there it was before him. She was really very good, too, and when she finished Ark actually found himself wishing that she'd continue. He didn't ask her to continue, however; since he presumed that she had stopped because she wished to play no longer.  
"So? What did you think?" the demon asked eagerly, pocketing her flute.  
Ark blinked. "O-oh! It was very good, Miss Zeel," he nodded.  
"Haha! Really?" she asked, clapping her hands together. Ark nodded, a little surprised by her outburst. "That's the first time _anyone_ has ever complemented my playing."  
"It is?" Ark asked. "Well you play very well. I should like to hear it again sometime…if you don't mind, that is."  
The girl could hardly believe what she was hearing. Her other half _hated_ her flute-playing and had repeatedly told her that she'd break the instrument into a thousand pieces if she played it in her presence again. So the demon-girl played in the confines of her own room where Zeel could not hear it. Playing the instrument was one of the few things that she truly enjoyed doing, and to have somebody ask to actually _hear_ her play it for them was…it was as if the Goddesses themselves had answered her prayers, and that answer was in the shape of a young boy with grey hair and green eyes.  
"I'd love to!" the girl exclaimed, surprising Ark. She gazed at him for a while as he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. She twiddled her fingers together. "You know…"  
Ark looked up at her. "Yes?" he asked.  
"You being here has…really made this manor a nicer place to live," the girl murmured. She felt her face flush a little. "And I was wondering if you would mind being the first person that I could…call a friend."  
She had said it. She had asked Ark to be her friend; a companion, somebody that she could rely on. But the only problem was…would he _want_ to be friends with a demon?  
And when he spoke, her heart nearly stopped then and there. "It would be an honor, Miss Zeel," he nodded, looking a little embarrassed.  
"R-really!?" the demon-girl gasped, her red yes wide.  
Ark gave a very small nod. "You're kind to me, Miss Zeel," he said. "I like you too." Demon-Zeel let out a shuddering breath and then something amazing happened.  
There was a pulse of light from outside the window, immediately drawing the attention of the two occupants of the room.  
"What's happening?" Ark squeaked, surprised by the sudden burst of light.  
"I-I don't know," Zeel stammered. "Your guess is as good as mine." They both ran to the window and drew the curtains all the way back before gazing outside. The sky was changing. No longer was it a jet-black veil above them, for millions of tiny specks of light were beginning to appear one by one. They spread out across the sky until they passed over the horizon, sparkling like diamond of black velvet, and then came the biggest surprise of all. A gigantic, glowing, yellow disc burst into being, nearly scaring Ark and Zeel off their feet. It hung in the sky after its stunning appearance, dulling slightly, yet still glowing bright enough to bathe the land in its soft light. Zeel and Ark gazed up at the sky in amazement, its stunning transformation hypnotizing them completely.  
"That's…" Ark began, his eyes never leaving the sky.  
"The moon! And the stars! But what are they doing in _this _sky!?" Zeel finished. "And why now?"


	72. In The Middle

**Chapter 71 – In the Middle**

Link sighed as he sat on the roof of the wagon. It was quite late; probably some time past midnight, but the blonde boy couldn't sleep. Thoughts of Ark weighed heavily on his mind. If what Zeel had said was true, then perhaps the Ark that they all knew was disappearing, being replaced by an empty shell. But…thinking like that didn't help matters. Florella, those three performing women…surely they could return Ark to normal, but…they could only do that if he wanted to come back, and currently he was too afraid to do so.  
Link sighed. "Why Ark?" he asked the stars as they twinkled down at him through the leaves above. "What _is_ it about him that…rrgh!" Link scrubbed his fingers furiously through his hair. "I don't understand any of this."  
"That's the way it is a lot of the time."  
Link looked over his shoulder rather quickly. "Zelda! What are you doing here?" he asked as the nightie-clad princess clambered up onto the roof with him. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"  
"Shouldn't you?" Zelda countered, tucking the back of her nightie under her legs so that it wouldn't get all bunched when she sat down. She shuffled around a little to get comfortable as she deposited herself next to him. "So what's the matter, Link? Can't sleep?"  
He shook his head. "No, I can't," he sighed, rubbing his feet together.  
Zelda pursed her lips. "You're thinking about what Zeel said about Ark, aren't you?" the Princess frowned.  
Link sighed and nodded. "Yes, that and a whole plethora of other things as well. There's such a lot I don't understand," he frowned. "Like the fourth Lock we found…how did it end up right underneath me? None of you put it there…I certainly couldn't have…I just don't understand."  
Zelda frowned thoughtfully. "Maybe a part of you did," she murmured. Link looked at her sharply. "Well…we know that your demon-half can act as a separate entity sometimes…and when you were unconscious, it was trapped within the Triforce of Courage when it was inside the Meera treasure…maybe the demon found the Lock and brought it back when we took the Triforce piece to you?"  
"Maybe…I guess…I don't know, I can't remember any of it, I'm afraid," Link mumbled. He sighed and ran his fingers through his unruly blonde hair. "Ah, but I can't stop thinking about Ark…about what Zeel said about him."  
"I think we all are right now, especially Nyara. She wouldn't stop crying until she fell asleep, the poor thing. I think it's all come flooding back to her- Ark leaving and all."  
Link nodded. "She's…really attached to him, isn't she," the boy murmured.  
"Everybody is," Zelda laughed lightly. "He's a strange boy, but honest and polite to a fault. If he knew how upset Nyara was right now, I don't think he'd be able to live with himself. He's hopelessly loyal to her, just as she is to him."  
They both stayed silent for a while, surrounded by the forest and the warm night. Link was obviously deep in thought, because his brow was furrowed; giving him that serious look that plagued his face whenever something was weighing on his mind. Zelda had become highly attuned to little things such as that over the years since she had met him, and it was no different as she sat there with him on the roof. But she held off asking him what was wrong until the last second, prolonging the experience of just sitting with him for as long as possible. However; it was Link who spoke first.  
"Maybe if I'd gotten to him faster…then this wouldn't have happened. Nyara wouldn't be all upset, Ark wouldn't have run away, and…he'd still have his memories," he murmured. "I-"  
Zelda cut him off. "Stop right there," she told him sternly, clasping his face between her hands. "I don't even want you to _begin_ blaming yourself for what happened, understand? You're an incredible individual, but you can't do everything, and there's still a chance to get Ark's memories back."  
Link sometimes felt like he was half the size of the girls sometimes, particularly Fura and Zelda. Though Link was extremely adept at weaseling and worming his way out of things that, in _his_ books, were decidedly unsavory, and that usually covered next to everything Florella could come up with…perhaps Fura, too. But he knew that, when it came down to it, the red-haired Fura and the blonde Zelda could make him do _whatever_ they wanted. Though Zelda and, perhaps eventually, Fura could influence his actions very strongly when his shadow-form took hold, Link was just as powerless against their wills in just everyday life, in fact sometimes he felt that they had even _more_ power over him. Zelda could virtually paralyze him with just a touch of her hand and Fura could make his legs stop working with just a _gaze_. Link was in over his head with the two girls, he knew it, and there was nothing he could do about it. They had a hold over him that not even Saria could compete with sometimes, and it was rather a scary thought…yet in the pit of his stomach stirred a strange feeling that he couldn't quite put his finger on, and it made itself felt whenever he thought about his odd situation.  
"Link!" Zelda exclaimed. Her voice cut into his thoughts, snapping him out of them.  
"Huh? Yes?" he blinked, turning his head to look at her.  
"Were you listening to me?" the Princess sighed. However; Zelda already knew the answer to that question.  
Link scratched the back of his head. "I'm sorry, my mind was somewhere else," he apologized sincerely.  
Zelda smiled. "That's all right," she chuckled quietly. Her expression suddenly turned serious, yet it was still gentle. "But I meant what I said before; you shouldn't shoulder the blame for what happened to Ark. _That_ lies squarely with Gaul and those like him, right?"  
Link nodded obediently. "Yes."  
"That's better," the blonde girl smiled as she shuffled around behind him. She held out her arms. "Now come here."  
Link was immediately cautious. "Wh-why?" he asked haltingly.  
"Because I want you to, that's why," Zelda told him. "Just lie back…I'm not going to bite, please?"  
"B-but…all you're wearing is a nightie," Link stammered, a slow flush creeping into his cheeks. "What would it look li-"  
"Oh Link," Zelda sighed. "There's nobody watching, and even if they were it'd only be our friends. Face it; worse has happened in front of them. Come on."  
The Princess reached forward and gripped Link's shoulders with her hands, pulling him back despite his best efforts to stay upright. For somebody who wasn't too used to exerting herself, Zelda had a surprising amount of strength, and Link quickly found himself lying with his head propped up against her stomach. She clasped her hands together underneath his chin and sighed contentedly, indicating that she was really rather pleased with herself.  
"Isn't…this uncomfortable for you?" Link asked.  
Zelda shook her head. "Uh-uh," she smiled. "It's nice." She pulled his cap off and ruffled his sandy-blonde hair with her fingertips. "What about you? Are you comfortable?"  
"Ah…" Link began hesitantly.  
His brain was refusing to work as it should. With Fura his thoughts were usually able to organize themselves into the single directive of "escape at all costs" because his desperation was so high. Zelda, however; whilst being physically weaker than Fura, could keep him in her grasp with her soft, honeyed voice instead of using brute strength, and it worked to amazing effect.  
"I'm all right," Link murmured, adjusting to the rhythmic sound of Zelda's breathing as it amplified through the back of his head.  
"Then all is well," Zelda smiled. "You're so jittery when you're close to Fura or myself like this…why?"  
Link blinked. "I…don't know," Link murmured quietly, immediately tensing up.  
Zelda sighed. "And there you go again," she tutted. "Your upbringing must have left you with some kind of problem with intimacy."  
"Ack! Intimacy!? That's…" Link squawked, wriggling about.  
"You know what I mean; huggy-stuff. You didn't have any parents to hug and cuddle you when you were little, so you never got used to it, poor thing," Zelda cooed, running her fingers through his hair. "And I'd stop wriggling around if I were you. If you pull my nightie off then you're in for an eyeful; I didn't bother to put any underclothes on because it's too hot…but I guess you've already seen everything that I have, right?"  
Link froze. "Ah…" He suddenly became very aware that the top of his head was nudging against the bottom of Zelda's bosom. "Erm…"  
Zelda giggled and ruffled his hair again. "I'm teasing you, Link. I'm only teasing," she laughed. "You're too serious when it comes to all the "naughty" parts of the body. Even _I_ can see the funny side of things like that, and I'm supposed to be the regal Princess Zelda of Hyrule." She sighed and grasped his ears, which were both radiating a fair amount of heat. "When I look back at the way I was before I met all of you, my life seemed very bland and wooden. A little bit of naughtiness here and there is good…it gives me colour."  
Link made an odd little sound. "Fair enough…but if you were as bad as Fura…" He left it hanging.  
"Hah, don't worry about that," Zelda laughed, squeezing his cheeks. "I doubt I'd ever get as bad as her…compared to Fura, I'm as innocent as a newborn baby."  
"But you're not," Link mumbled. "Or else you wouldn't make fun of me."  
Zelda pouted and looked down at the top of his head. "Aww," she frowned. "Poor widdle Linkie-do." She leaned forwards and looked him in the eye. "Just think of it as softening the blow for later in life. What would you be like when you're grown up and suddenly thrown into; say…Fura's idea of a night of passion, and you hadn't had _any_ contact with things of a risqué nature, hmm?"  
Link could feel his face getting redder and redder by the second. "Erm…"  
"Exactly. Florella's little introduction to the birds and the bees is looking rather good right now, isn't it?" Zelda smiled down at him. Link's face blanched as he remembered that particular conversation with the Great Fairy of Spring. "And I'm right again."  
And so the two of them stayed there on the roof of the wagon for some time, with Zelda sitting and Link lying with his head against her stomach. The blonde boy could hear her belly gurgle every once in a while, and Zelda would reply with an embarrassed cough that it was because she was a little hungry. She made no move to get something to eat, however. Link soon found himself nodding off. Zelda was, after all; quite warm and rather soft, and keeping his eyes open was becoming a hard task. His doom was spelled when Zelda began to hum her lullaby, the one that Impa had hummed for her every since she was little. In a matter of minutes, Link had crashed out completely, his rhythmic breathing and gentle snuffles telling Zelda of his state of unconsciousness.  
She smiled and kissed his forehead. "And I really do love you, you know," she murmured.

Zeel cursed, and she cursed long and loud. So infuriated had she been by the blonde boy, Link that she hadn't been able to concentrate fully on returning to her private realm where her manor resided. As a result; she had once again found her way some distance along the Seaway, the long, narrow path of rock that stretched out across the dark ocean. Rather than walk, Zeel took to flying low over the surface of the choppy water, and she had to in order to avoid being hit by the lightning bolts that frequented the ocean. In fact, the sky around her manor appeared to be the only place where the thick, black clouds refused to gather, which made it the safest place in the entire realm. She eventually neared the base of the cliffs, at the top of which her manor sat.  
"At least I'm home," Zeel grumbled, alighting on the narrow path that zigzagged up to the top of the cliffs.  
Rather than fly up, Zeel decided simply to walk in order to give herself time to collect her thoughts. Finding out that absolutely _nobody_ remembered Ark- well; except for his _former_ companions- frazzled the black-haired girl somewhat…and then there had been that voice in the graveyard. It had told her to protect the boy, to look after him, and that Ark was a chance for the owner of the voice to finally set things right…whatever that meant. All she knew was that there was _far_ more to Ark than anyone knew.  
"Protect him…" Zeel murmured, chewing her index finger. "For the sake of somebody else? Feh, why should I?"  
But the more Zeel thought about it, the more she began to realize that she already _was_ protecting him…in a way. Should anybody try to take Ark from the manor, she'd fight tooth and nail to stop them, but only because her reward was at stake…or so she kept telling herself. Was there actually a part of her that felt some kind of responsibility for the grey-haired boy? There was, and it had shown itself when he had run to her, begging to be taken away. No…not taken away…he had asked her to do whatever she wished, just so long as he wasn't around his companions. He had given her the freedom to decide his fate; life…or death.  
"But I kept him alive," Zeel murmured grimly. "Even when I could have killed him then and there…I didn't do it."  
The black-haired girl reached the top of the cliff and walked slowly along the path towards the main gates of the manor grounds. Lightning flashed off in the distance, illuminating the large, imposing steel fence and gates. Automatically, they swung open as Zeel neared them, and then they closed once she had passed. She made her way across the grass that led up to the steps in front of the main doors, muttering away to herself as she went, halting only when her foot touched the first step.  
"Why? Why didn't I do it?" she asked herself. "I would have wiped him out it a heartbeat before. Why did I choose to keep him alive? What has Ark done to me? What-" Zeel suddenly stopped talking.  
Something was amiss in the bleak, dark realm in which she lived…she could feel it. Something was different…something had changed since she had left. It wasn't the manor; she could see quite clearly that nothing had changed in its appearance. It was still as dark and foreboding as usual…wait, something sounded wrong there. Come to think of it; since when could she _ever_ see her manor clearly? It was always too dark to…  
Zeel blinked and suddenly looked up. "Wh-what? What is this!?" she exclaimed. The moon and a sky full of twinkling stars gazed down at her, bathing the manor in a ghostly glow. "Stars!? The moon!? What are _they_ doing _here!?_ What-" She stopped suddenly, her eyes narrowing, then widening. "Ark!"

"Well, well, well…isn't _this_ a lovely sight."  
Link groaned, wishing that the owner of the intrusive voice would go away and let him sleep some more. After all; he hadn't been able to get to sleep until quite late and he was still very tired.  
"Fura's going to be very jealous of you, Zelda," the voice's owner chuckled.  
It was strange, Link thought, he could swear that he wasn't Zelda…no, he was a boy and Zelda was a girl.  
As Link's brain desperately tried to figure out exactly _why_ he was being mistaken for Zelda, his bedroll shuffled slightly, which was definitely even stranger. Bedrolls usually don't move around on their own…but then again; Link _had_ been rising and falling steadily ever since he had half-woken. Maybe he was still dreaming.  
Link yawned loudly and ground his head into his sleeping mat. "Go away," he sighed, rolling over. "I'm trying to sleep."  
"Fine, don't blame me if Fura barges up here and demands the same treatment," the voice snorted.  
Up here? That certainly sounded strange…Link's tent was on the ground…and he shared it with Talen, so what "treatment" would Fura be demanding?  
His bedroll moved again, and that movement was accompanied by a small sigh…a very _close_ sounding sigh.  
Link began the laborious task of opening his tired eyes. "Huh?" he grunted. "What's going on?"  
It took a few seconds for things to become clear, and then it took slightly more time for what he could see to actually sink in. He was still on the roof of the wagon, so it was no wonder he couldn't quite recall actually going back to bed, and his bedroll wasn't actually a bedroll. It was Zelda…and to make matters worse; he'd been snuggled up against some things that really shouldn't be snuggled against.  
"Uh? Haah!" Link squawked, leaping off the sleeping girl. "What's going on here?"  
"That's what I'd like to know."  
Link whirled around to see Saria standing at the edge of the wagon's roof. She seemed extremely interested in the events unfolding before her, and seemed especially amused by Link reaction and resulting blush of embarrassment.  
"Augh! Saria! You could have done a little more to wake me up!" Link cried. He looked down at Zelda. "Jeez…did we really sleep up here all night?"  
"Looks like it," Saria giggled. "You looked awfully comfy, though. You know, Zelda isn't as…" The Kokiri girl made a cupping motion with her hands against her front. "…as Fura, but you still looked rather comfortable with them."  
It took several seconds for Link to react, but he did so in fine form. "_Saria!_ I would have thought that _you_ of all people wouldn't stoop to Florella's level!" he cried. "Please don't ever go _that_ low again!"  
"_Hey!"_ and angry-sounding voice rang out from one of the tents on the ground. Florella's head popped out, her hair in a great, tangled mess and her antennae askew.  
Link frowned at the fairy. "Oh, good morning, you," he murmured. "Eavesdropping _this_ early? You don't miss a beat, do you?"  
"Be quiet!" Florella snapped. "I do what I have to in order to stay on top of things, like you making fun of me!"  
Link scratched the back of his head. "If you didn't listen in all the time, then you wouldn't know I was making fun of you, and you'd have anything to complain about," he told her.  
"Euh!" the Great Fairy squeaked indignantly. "You're such a…a…_rrgh!_" She whooshed her head back into the tent. "Impa! Go and break his bones! What do you mean "it's too early for that!?" You're refusing the will of a mighty Great Fairy!?" There was a brief pause. "What? I _am_ mighty! Stop laughing! You're as bad as _him_ out there!"  
Florella suddenly burst out of the tent she shared with Saria and Impa. She ground to a halt upon seeing Link on top of the wagon, raised her hand, and made a rather rude little gesture before dashing over to the tent Talen was currently occupying by himself.  
"Talen!" she cried, approaching and disappearing inside. "They're all making fun of me! Wake up!"  
A groan from the poor, hapless smith was heard whilst Florella's shrill complaints continued to increase in volume and fervor. It appeared that sleeping in was out of the question for everyone that morning.

Breakfast for the group was over rather quickly since all parties were eager to get moving once more. Nyara especially wanted their search for the next Lock to get underway immediately, since she reasoned that the sooner all the Locks were gathered, the sooner they could stop the one responsible for trying to open the Eternal Ark, which _also_ meant that there would be no more threat to Ark and he could return from Zeel's realm. Whether or not Zeel would _let_ him return was another question, but Nyara vowed that she'd fight Zeel with all of her strength if need be.  
"I wouldn't go that far just yet," Florella had told the Meera girl slowly. "Zeel is something of an unknown in all of this…she isn't on our side, she isn't on the enemy's side…we'll have to wait for her to show her true colours."  
Exactly _what_ the Great Fairy meant by that was anyone's guess, but the gloom surrounding the morning discussion of Zeel and Ark quickly lifted once Talen displayed some of his extraordinary strength by effortlessly moving the fallen tree that had blocked their passage off to the side of the road. Once the wagon was moving again, Talen and Link seated themselves on the floor whilst the rest of their companions and the performing troupe- bar Fien- sat at the table.  
"Talen's always been very strong," Florella explained to the members of the performing troupe. "As he's grown, his strength has increased. He's very gentle, though, so all he really uses it for is fixing things…or breaking Nabooru's hand." The Great Fairy gave Talen a sidelong glance.  
Talen looked slightly indignant. "She's the one who starts it," he scoffed. "It starts out as a handshake, but then she starts trying to squeeze as hard as she can. If I don't do anything about it, then she won't let go until she's made me admit defeat. You know I'm not good at lying, Florella."  
Fura laughed out loud. "Nabooru's a bit pig-headed when it comes to that," she said. "Whenever she hears that Talen's stopping by, she goes into a hand-exercising frenzy in the hope that it'll be enough to at least make him wince…but she never manages to do it." The Gerudo girl frowned and twiddled the end of her ponytail with her thumb and forefinger. "It's actually kinda sad."  
"I like Nabooru," Talen shrugged. He frowned suddenly. "Even though can never seem to remember my name. It's always "the rock kid" or something like that."  
"It's funny," Fiera mused. "I always thought that the Gerudo didn't like men very much…but Talen and Link seem quite welcome there."  
Fura laughed at that. "Talen and Link are exceptions and the Gerudo like men just fine!" she chuckled. "They're just inferior to women, that's all."  
Link gave her a flat look. "Why thank you," he muttered.  
Fura clapped him across the back. "Oh, come on. It's just the way things have always been with the Gerudo," she smirked. "I suppose that's how it is with a race comprised entirely of women…but we'll generally lock up and man that dares to trespass on our sacred homeland, it's just our law. We won't do anything particularly horrible to them, it's not our way. We just make them miserable for a few days and then toss them on out. They don't seem to come back after that."  
"And I suppose you don't want strangers snooping around a thieves' hideout," Deia frowned thoughtfully. "It actually makes a good deal of sense."  
Fura nodded. "We have a strict code of honor that prevents us from mistreating prisoners. We're thieves; _not_ barbarians. However; sometimes we'll keep the good ones for a lot longer."  
"Good ones?" Zelda asked.  
"Mm-hmm, good ones- men that seem to be quite fit and healthy…like Talen and Link in a few years' time," Fura nodded at the two boys.  
Link gave the redhead a curious look. "What? Why?"  
Fura let out a rich laugh. "Oh Link, is it so hard to understand? What we'll do is look after them for a while, you know; keep them well-fed and comfortable, but locked up, of course," the girl explained. "Then, all the women who are looking for a prospective life-partner gather together…and they compete for the prisoners! Kinda like the duel we had when we first met, and the top-tier winners- depending on how many there are- get their pick of the men. Great idea, huh?"  
Link and Talen looked suitably horrified, and they stared at Fura as if horns had just sprouted from her head. Her expression, however; was entirely honest.  
"That- that's horrible," Link shuddered. "They really do that?"  
Fura nodded earnestly. "You bet your butt they do! It's great to watch," Fura sighed fondly. "The men are lined up in a special cage along the edge of the fighting arena whilst the Gerudo duke it out down below. If you're near enough to the men, you can see their expressions…in fact; I remember one fellow in particular. He was kinda small, probably only eighteen or so, and he looked like a frightened little rabbit…the cute little ones like that are also very popular." Fura's expression was rather distant. "Anyway, the end of the match rolled along and the winners were sent up to get their "prizes." Little Rabbit- that's what we named him, by the way- was all backed up at the rear of the cage, but the biggest warrior already had him picked from the start. Now she wasn't a big, brutish woman mind you, she was just a bit of an Amazon- buxom, muscular, probably nearly seven feet tall...in any case; she marched in and sniffed out Little Rabbit from the rest of the men."  
Link and Talen continued to look like Fura was describing the events of a hideous disemboweling, and Erran, who was also with them, also looked rather spooked. Zen, however, released from his imposed riding spot at the very rear of the wagon as designated by the three women he worked with; looked green with envy.  
"What a lucky skunk," the young jester whistled.  
"You call _that_ lucky?" Link asked him incredulously.  
"Who wouldn't!?" Zen exclaimed. "The Gerudo; a whole race of women…warrior women…exotic women…heeh! They can lock me up _any_ time they like!"  
Deia frowned at the painted, grinning face of Zen. "Zen, shut up," she told him.  
"But I was just-"  
"Now." The tone was final.  
"Okie-dokie," Zen whistled.  
Fura waited for silence before continuing. "As I was saying, the Amazon zeroed in on Little Rabbit, cornered him- he was a pretty fast little guy- and then simply picked him up like a baby, turned around, and walked out of there. It was actually kinda sweet when he waved out over her shoulder for the other men to help him…he was a mute, I think…but I guess she really liked the helplessness factor," the redhead grinned.  
"What happened in the end?" Florella asked.  
"Oh…" Fura frowned thoughtfully. "Erm…oh! Well nobody saw them for about two days…heh, three guesses as to what was going on, and the first two don't count. They had two daughters together and she goes off to Hyrule Market quite regularly to see him. They're a very happy couple, I believe, and Little Rabbit wears her mark on his shoulder with pride."  
Florella clapped her hands together. "Beautiful! It may have started out kind of strange…but love conquers all!"  
"And remember that we'll never, _ever_ force a prospective partner into something they truly don't want," Fura told everyone seriously. "Men don't usually take much persuading, but if a Gerudo were up against somebody like Link, then all she can do is try to persuade him. If he accepts, then they become partners for the rest of their lives. _He_ can't get couple with anybody else and _she_ can't either. We have rules, and the most important rules are: you can't have a married man, and you absolutely cannot _force_ a man into anything. Doing so would be cruel, and results in harsh punishment."  
Fiera whistled, sounding rather impressed. "Wow, I never thought that there was so much to the Gerudo. I'm shamed to admit that I thought you were all just-"  
"Heartless thieves?" Fura finished for her. "Hah, understandable, but the Gerudo are just like anybody else underneath it all. We need somebody to cuddle up to and love as well."  
There was a brief interlude of quiet as the wagon trundled merrily along. Sunlight shone in through the windows and the sounds of the forest echoed all around. Link was busy polishing his equipment on the floor, Talen was helping, and everyone else was seated at the table. Despite the gravity of events surrounding them, the close-knit group of travelers always tried to keep their spirits up. Even Nyara, who was suffering at the loss of Ark and the news of his memory loss, was doing her best to keep a smile on her face. After all; Ark wouldn't want her to be sad and he would blame himself for it if he knew.  
Talen, however; broke the silence. "I'm glad I'm not Skinny Rabbit," he murmured quietly to Link. "As…nice…as the ending to that story was…" He trailed off with a shudder.  
Fura, however; gave an embarrassed little cough and looked over her shoulder at him upon overhearing. "Erm…that kinda reminds me…" she laughed weakly. "Link, _you're_ safe because I'm the Fire Witch and I kinda have my claim on you and nobody wants to face my fiery wrath…" Link stared at her. "But _Talen_ is considered…"out in the field," as it were."  
Talen blinked. "Huh?"  
Florella leaped up. "What!? In the field, my butt! Can't they see the ring!?" the Great Fairy demanded.  
"Yeah…heh, the ring doesn't mean much unless it's a _wedding_ ring, not an engagement ring," Fura winced. "So unless Talen is definitely married by age twenty then, uh…watch out for anything you drink or eat at the fortress." Fura paused before continuing. "Maybe you should keep that stone skin of your up as well…we _do_ have darts that can put a Wolfos to sleep. Sorry, Florella…twenty is as far as I could stretch it."  
Florella made several strangled noises and immediately whipped around to face Talen, her expression set. Talen blinked and stared back at her and then allowed his eyes to dart around the wagon interior.  
"Uhh…" he murmured. "I think I left something out on the roof…" He was up and out the door in a flash.  
Fura chuckled and swung around to face Link. "Well how's that for a bit of education on the mysteries of the Gerudo? Stick with me or Zelda, Link…or you'll probably be in for something a little rougher…" she grinned.  
Link glanced at the door. "I think I left something of Talen's up on the roof too…"  
The blonde boy gathered up his equipment rather haphazardly and stumbled after his smith friend as peals of laughter erupted from the table.  
"We're always guaranteed something to laugh at as long as they're around," Zelda giggled. She sighed and shook her head. "But you can't help but feel just a _little_ sorry for them."

Zeel practically kicked the front doors of the manor open as she marched in. She paused briefly in the foyer before making a b-line for Ark's most likely location. The library was closest, so she headed there first, stalking through the halls with an expression that could have melted rock.  
"This is _my_ home!" Zeel seethed. "How _dare_ somebody change it!? Ark has something to do with this, I know it! He's always at the center of things, always!"  
The black-haired girl arrived at the library and kicked the door open, nearly breaking it off its hinges. The fire was burning merrily, as it always was, and the musty smell of the vast collection of books hung heavy in the air. Ark, however; was absent, which meant that he could be in _any_ of the manor's enormous number of rooms. But Zeel was not daunted by her task. She could track Ark all over the world, so finding him in her own home would be child's play…she could even detect faint wafts of his scent. All she had to do was follow her nose.  
As it happened, Ark was still standing at the window with Zeel's demon-half. Neither of them had moved since the moon and stars had appeared in the sky, and it didn't look like they were going to anytime soon. That was soon taken care of, however.  
The door swung violently open, banging against the wall with a great clap of sound. Ark jumped several feet in the air and gave a squeak of surprise before whirling around to face whatever had made such a racket.  
The demon-girl, however; merely turned casually. "Oh, it's you. Welcome home I suppose," she frowned upon seeing Zeel in the doorway.  
The door had already started swinging closed after bouncing off the wall, but Zeel slapped her hand against it to stop its progress. She instantly locked her eyes on Ark and stormed towards him with her eyes burning.  
"You!" she said crisply. She seemed to like using that word when addressing the grey-haired boy. "What have you done!?"  
Ark looked up at her in surprise and fear as she came right up close. "D-done? Me?"  
Zeel grabbed the boy's collar and lifted him up so that he was at eye-level. "Who else would I be talking to!?" she demanded. "Now what have you done to the sky? Why are the stars and moon up there? Tell me!"  
Ark's voice refused to work. With Zeel's horrifyingly-angry face right up in his own, it was no surprise. She looked livid, with patches of angry-red staining her snowy features. Her eyes were blazing and the pointed incisors that struck the fear of the Goddesses into the boy were bared and glistening before his eyes. It was times like this that made Ark remember exactly _what_ made Zeel such a fearsome character.  
"Put him down."  
Zeel turned her head with a snarl to see her other half standing a short distance away with a menacing scowl on her face.  
"What do you want," Zeel snorted.  
"Put Ark down and think about what you're accusing him of. How could he possibly do that to the sky?" the demon-girl asked. "He can't even use his magic properly without his staff."  
Zeel seemed to consider what her lighter half said before turning back to Ark. Her lip twitched and then she set him down, allowing the boy to catch his breath…but Ark's reprieve didn't last for long.  
"All right, speak! Tell me what happened here!" Zeel demanded, stabbing him in the chest with her finger. "Answer me!"  
Ark flinched as she shouted at him. "I-I don't know!" he squeaked. "We were just sitting here…and then the sky…it all just appeared!"  
Zeel didn't know whether to believe him or not, but then again…Ark never was one for bending the truth.  
"He's not lying," the demon-girl told Zeel. "I was here too. The sky just suddenly changed. I don't know how or why it happened and neither does Ark. Stop picking on him."  
Zeel whirled about to face her other half. "You mind your own business!" she snapped. "This is between me and _him!_"  
The demon-girl narrowed her eyes and closed the gap between herself and Zeel. "I'm making it my business. Stop being cruel to him; he's just a boy."  
Zeel's temper got the better of her. The blonde kid talking back was one thing…but this _demon!?_ "No, he's not "just a boy!" He's always at the center of everything! He has insanely powerful people after him, his wounds can heal without a trace, and his life-energy is like nothing I've ever experienced before!" the girl shouted. "He's the source of all my problems, _all_ of them! Everything was fine until he-"  
Zeel's demon-half rarely lost her temper, if at all. However; seeing Zeel openly berate somebody like Ark in such a manner was something she just couldn't sit by and watch happen. Ark was getting scared and it was all because Zeel was trying to place the blame for all of her problems on him.  
The demon-girl pushed Zeel away from Ark with a certain degree of roughness. "Ark isn't the cause of all your problems…_you_ are, you stupid, _stupid_ girl!" the demon-girl roared. Her red eyes were like fire and they almost seemed to glow of their own accord. "_You're_ the one who started all of this, _you're_ the one who made it necessary to find him, and _you're_ the one who constantly tries to find a problem with him!"  
Zeel, to say the least, was taken aback. She blinked in surprise at her other half's sudden outburst and stared at her, as did Ark.  
But the demon wasn't finished. "Ark has been nothing but kind to you, yet all you have to show in return is cruelty! How blind and stupid can you _be!?_ What you've been looking for your whole life is right under your nose, but you can't see it, can you!?" she raged. "You can't see it because you're always angry; always blaming somebody else for what goes wrong! Ark is my only friend, the _only_ person in this world who has _ever_ accepted me for who I am! He doesn't _care_ if I'm a demon and he doesn't _care_ if I'm ugly; he likes me for me!" The demon-girl stalked right up to Zeel and pointed her finger right up to her face. "The two of us don't have much time left, and _one_ of us probably won't make it. I know who _I_ would like by my side if I go, but the question is…who will you have?"  
Ark stood gobsmacked by the demon-girl's fearsome and cutting verbal assault. He watched with growing dread as Zeel's face drained completely of colour. She was quaking with suppressed rage, her eyes burning with a dreadful intensity and he lips tweaking ever so slightly.  
And then she exploded. "How _dare_ you speak to me that way in my own home, you ungrateful beast! It's all because of what _you_ are that this happened, and I'm not the one who'll be going, _you_ are!" she roared. "And never, _ever_ speak of _that_ in front of anyone else ever again! Nobody can know about that, _nobody!_"  
"Wake up, stupid!" the demon retorted. "Ark already knows! He knows why you need him so badly- so that you can fend off death! We're two halves of the same person whether you like it or not, but guess what? I'm the half that isn't all alone!"  
Zeel looked from the demon to Ark and then back to the demon again, her expression growing darker and darker as she let out small, strangled noises. Finally, she let out a blood-curdling scream of utter fury and rage. Her scythe suddenly appeared in her hand, rearing back in readiness to strike.  
"Well then, why don't we save time and decide who dies right now, you _beast!_" she screeched. "And then we'll see just how important you are to your precious Ark!"  
Ark took the opportunity to speak up. "Please!" he begged. "Both of you, don't fight!"  
A brief and brutal battle ensued. The demon ducked under Zeel's initial strike and drove her magic-imbued fist into the girl's stomach. Zeel let out a growl of pain and hunched over forwards, but her scythe suddenly swept down from above and the blunt end of it bashed solidly against the demon-girl's shoulder, knocking her aside. The black-haired girl twisted the weapon around and swung it properly, hoping to cleave the demon in two, but her target disappeared in a puff of purple smoke, only to reappear directly behind Zeel before unleashing a double-fisted strike to her back. Zeel pitched over and hit the floor, but even as the demon-girl descended to strike once more, Zeel was already in the process of retaliating. She kicked out with one of her legs, catching the green-skinned girl under the chin and sending her crashing to the floor across the room.  
"Stop!" Ark cried. "You _can't_ fight! Not because of me…not because of me…it's not right!"  
The demon-girl waved her hand at him dismissively as she picked herself up. "Stay out of this, Ark!" she ordered, breathing heavily. "I don't want you hurt! If Zeel wants this settled now, then so be it! It was bound to happen one day…"  
"But why!?" Ark demanded of them both. "Can't you…can't you help each other?" Hot tears were beginning to sting his eyes.  
"Never!" Zeel spat, clenching her scythe in her fist. "I hate her! I _hate_ her! The part of me that was a monster, the part that everyone hated! I'll _never_ forgive what she is!"  
Ark made his last impassioned plea. "But she's a part of you! You're a part of her! You're…you're family…and you're trying to kill each other? I'd give _anything_ to be able to share the same blood as somebody!"  
But they didn't listen. Zeel charged forward, swinging her scythe, and the demon-girl came at her in return, her fingers spread in a claw-like fashion, red energy wreathing around her hand. They both gave a ferocious cry of fury, fully intending to kill each other…but that moment never came.  
But then Ark was suddenly between them, holding his arms out in a preventative action. "Stop it now!" he cried shrilly, closing his eyes.  
The next part seemed to happen in slow motion. The two Zeel's eyes went wide in shock as they followed through with their attacks. Girl-Zeel's scythe swung and demon-Zeel's hand raked through the air. At the very last second they both tried to stop, but they had already overcommitted themselves, and then, at that very second, everything froze.  
The two of them stood there, motionless, not daring to move. Blood dribbled down the blade and shaft of Zeel's immobile scythe, where it collected in a small reservoir around the black-haired girl's closed fist. Some dripped on the floor, speckling it with tiny beads of bright red. Zeel's face had also been flecked with tiny droplets of scarlet. They sat across her cheeks like freckles and around her wide, surprised eyes and open mouth.  
Similarly, demon-Zeel's fingers had frozen in the air and a trickle of blood had pooled in the palm of her hand, shimmering in the light cast by the fire and the new moon outside. She stood there, too shocked to move, her eyes open as far as they would go and her lips quivering in a horrified 'o' shape.  
Nobody moved, nobody breathed, and all that could be heard was the steady drip, drip, drip of blood on the polished wooden floor of the manor.

The fire burned merrily, sending flickering, orange light out across the small clearing. The wagon was parked in such a way that it blocked the road from view, so if anyone happened by they wouldn't be able to spy in and see everything. The children had all gone to bed, as had Erran, Fien, and Zen. The only people still awake consisted of Deia, Neju, Fiera, and Impa up. The four women sat around the fire talking quietly, with topics of conversation ranging from things of importance to mere idle chit-chat.  
Suddenly, the four surrounding the fire felt something small and wet drop onto them from above.  
"Oh dear," Impa sighed, looking up. "Rain."  
It didn't feel like rain, though. One drop, two drops, three drops…the rain fell very sparking, almost as if the sky had dried out, and all but a handful of raindrops were left.  
"And there aren't any clouds overhead," Neju frowned. "Peculiar."  
"Maybe they're being blown over from somewhere else. It happens sometimes, like the spray from a wave in the wind," Fiera shrugged. "It's only a few drops of water, nothing to worry about."  
"Or maybe the Goddesses are crying," Deia murmured, sounding a little tired. "Something somewhere must have made them sad…I wonder what it could be?"


	73. Cleansing Wounds

**Chapter 72 – Cleansing Wounds**

The blood stained their hands and dripped onto the floor with a slow, steady drumming noise that would have been difficult to hear had the room not been deathly silent. Girl-Zeel stared at her weapon, her eyes open wide. She was shivering, not from cold, but from the shock of what had happened. Ark had just appeared there; right in front of her, and then…then the blood had hit her face, snapping her out of the blind fury that had fuelled her thirst for battle with her other half. Her eyes slowly traveled down to her hand, but they remained open all the way, taking in the sight of the shiny, red liquid as it dribbled around her closed fist and seeped in between her fingers. Zeel allowed her eyes to travel back up the shaft of her weapon until she focused on the very tip of the scythe's blade. It hung against the side of the boy's face, just above his right eye at the end of a deep, long cut that traveled from the left side of his jaw and up over the bridge of his nose. Blood seeped from the wound, leaking down his face, over his lips, off his chin, and onto the floor and Zeel's weapon. The eye above which the tip of the scythe hung – quivering in the girl's grip – was closed and bathed in red. But Ark's other eye remained open, staring at her with a tired, almost sad look. Zeel stared at that eye, never taking her own away from it – that sad, green orb on the grey-haired boy's wounded face that pierced her very soul.  
"Wh-what have I done?" came a gasp from behind the boy.  
Zeel saw her demon-half stagger away from Ark's back, a look of horror and fear etched on her face which – despite being green – looked visibly pale. Ark's eye closed and his mouth opened slightly as the demon stepped away, the sting of her pulling her claws from his back lancing through him. The blood covering his lips stretched and bridged as he breathed, and then thickened up as he closed his mouth again. He opened his eye again and resumed gazing at Zeel's face. Suddenly, the black-haired girl reflexively released her grip on her scythe. The weapon clattered noisily to the floor, speckling the area around it with fresh drips of red. Ark opened his closed eye, regardless of the blood that trickled over it, caking in his lashes. He moved slowly, as expected by somebody in a significant amount of pain…but the boy made no noise, not a sound. The two girls stared at him – Zeel in disbelief, and the demon-girl in horror – as he moved away from them both, but he stopped then and turned around to look at them both. His eyes were sad and penetrating.  
"Why?" Demon-Zeel whispered. "Why did you do that? You…look what we did to you…"  
Ark held his hand out and looked at it, tracing his palm with his eyes, and then he looked back up and over at the demon.  
"I didn't want anybody to get hurt…" he murmured finally, his right eye twitching involuntarily from thing of his cut. "I didn't want…it to be because of me…"  
"But _you_ got hurt!" the girl cried. She looked afraid and her hands were shaking. "We…nearly killed you."  
"I didn't want you to fight," Ark said quietly.  
"But you could have _died!_" the demon choked, wringing her blood-soaked hands together. "This is your blood! It's on me…I spilled it from you…"  
Ark shook his head. "It doesn't matter," he said.  
"Why not?"  
This time, the voice came from the black-haired Zeel. It was barely above a whisper, sounding not at all like it usually did.  
Ark looked at her slowly. "Why…not?"  
"Why doesn't it matter?" she asked slowly. "Why don't you care? You didn't care when I found you in the jungle…you didn't care what I did to you then…why don't you matter to yourself anymore?"  
Ark gazed at her, his green eyes going soft. "Because you're more important than I am," he told them both. "I'm just Ark. You said it yourself, Miss Zeel; I'm like a broken toy. My memories are fading…everyone that mattered to me…I cannot be with them anymore." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "To you…I am just as good dead as alive, and…the thought of you trying to kill each other over a broken toy…it just seems pointless. You're both a part of each other…closer than anybody in the world…doesn't that count for something? I would rather I be me – a broken toy with nothing to lose – that dies, not you…not you…"  
The room was silent again and Ark stood unmoving while the two Zeels watched him.  
Finally, Zeel's demon-half spoke. "You…really believe you're just a broken toy? A thing…an object that has no purpose other than to be used by us?" she whispered.  
Ark merely watched her.  
"Ark…" she said. "You make me happy, but…you make me sad as well."  
Zeel suddenly spoke. "Clean him up," she said in a flat voice. "Dress his wounds."  
Ark and the demon looked at her.  
"Just do it," Zeel said more forcefully. "Stop the blood from flowing, but do only his back…I will take care of what I have done."  
Ark felt a nervous touch on his elbow as demon-Zeel did as her other half requested, and he allowed himself to be ushered from the room. Zeel watched them go before gazing at the blood soaking her hand.  
"It's still warm…" she murmured.  
She glanced down at where Ark's blood had dripped onto the floor. There was something sticking out from the small, red droplets…no…growing from them. Zeel knelt down for a closer look and held her breath in disbelief, the still-warm blood on her hand tingling slightly.  
She uttered a single word. "Flowers?"

Saria was hot. The idea of riding up on the roof with Link and Talen had _seemed_ good at first, but for a small girl used to the cooler temperature of Kokiri forest, the broiling, sticky heat of the tropical forest was almost too much. To make matters worse, they were trundling down a section of road that ran though a more patchy section of the forest, leaving the sun to bore down on her. Despite the heat, however; Saria felt just a little too sluggish to put the effort into climbing back down and into the sheltered interior of the wagon. Her seldom-speaking guardian fairy, Chat, lay sprawled atop Saria's head of green hair, her little wings drumming ever so slightly to help keep her cool. With a lethargic loll of her head, Saria glanced over at Link and Talen, both of whom were lying flat on their backs. The two boys were also boiling hot, but to them, staying in the heat was just that little bit more preferable to being inside where they could be mercilessly teased…but Saria had to admit that it was highly amusing to watch. Link could hammer out a witty little repertoire of mild insults that were more humorous than hurtful…but then he could be completely undone by the slightest bit of suggestiveness from Fura. _That_ was the Gerudo girl's primary weapon against Link's idiocy, and it was also the boy's biggest weakness…which was a good thing, actually. If Fura wasn't there to chase him off, then there'd be no end to the garbage that spilled out of his mouth – Saria had to admit that even _she_ couldn't keep him under control sometimes.  
"Hah, at least it's fun getting him in trouble," Saria snickered quietly to chat.  
The fairy made a small jingle of agreement as the Kokiri girl watched Link and Talen fight for the last apple from a basket they had pinched before heading outside. Talen won and ate the spoils of victory right in front of his defeated friend.  
Saria giggled girlishly. She had always liked Link – he was her best friend, after all – and the two of them had been inseparable back at Kokiri forest, and they still were. As Link outgrew her and everyone else in the little village, the two of them still played every day; running around the village, swimming in the pond, and climbing trees. That didn't stop her from exerting some kind of authority over him either. Link could be reckless and he frequently got himself into scrapes, particularly when he was messing around in the forest, and it was always up to Saria to patch him up – she could remember going absolutely ballistic at him when he had returned from the place he called "Termina" with twigs in his hair, dirt on his face, and his tunic torn and grubbied all-over. She also made sure he kept himself relatively clean as well – Link may be good at keeping his house clean, but he himself could get frightfully grubby. In return for having "nanny Saria" look after him, Link would cut wood for her fire, clean her house – Saria was ashamed to admit that she herself could be a little lax when it came to keeping things in cupboards and drawers – and fix things that needed mending. The Kokiri were always excited when their friends visited as well, particularly Florella. The Great Fairy of Spring was utterly adored by the Kokiri, resulting in Florella trying to rename them "The Children of Spring." Link had told her that it was a stupid name in the bluntest way possible, leaving him with a heavily bruised shin. Speaking of children…she wondered what her companions' various offspring would ultimately look like. It was hard to imagine any of them as parents…except maybe Talen. Yes, Saria could already see Talen carefully explaining the workings of some strange tool or implement to his…son – Saria could easily picture Talen with a son. Or maybe a flock of daughters…with Florella as their mother – a swarm of little, purple-haired daughters. Whatever little miniatures he and – most likely – Florella sired, the young blacksmith would make an exceptional father. He was patient, sensible, and just brimming with good, practical ideals to imprint on the next generation of…  
"Talen?" Saria asked suddenly, a thought occurring to her.  
The smith looked over at her, still munching on his victory apple.  
"Do you have a family name? You know, a title?" she queried.  
Talen frowned thoughtfully and nodded. "Oh, it hasn't been used for a very long time in any official sense," he said. "But the family title is Oread."  
"Oread," Saria murmured to herself. "Talen Oread…" She paused, a little smile playing about her lips. "Florella Oread…"  
"Pardon?" Talen asked curiously.  
"Nothing, Talen," the Kokiri girl assured him casually. "Just thinking out loud."  
"Aagh! I'm so hot!" Link groaned suddenly. "Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if Fura had become the _Ice_ Witch of the Gerudo…but even then she'd be no match for Zelda's feet. Maybe I should call her up here to put them to good use…"  
Link may need some work, Saria decided, but he'd be a good father, nonetheless.  
"And I had better be the godmother, or else there'll be strife," the girl smirked, lying back down on the hot roof.

Drops wrung from a cloth dripped noisily into a small basin of warm, steaming water. The cloth hung over the rippling surface for a few moments, the carrier seemingly hesitant about what to do next, but, eventually, the damp piece of material headed on towards its intended target.  
"This…may sting a little," the demon-girl murmured quietly.  
Ark merely tensed as the warm cloth came into contact with the horrible gouges up his back – he made no sound whatsoever; no cry of protest, no yelp of pain…nothing.  
The two of them were in demon's room, sitting upon the grassy floor with the false sky overhead. Ark sat with his legs crossed and his back bare so that his wounds could be cleaned and dressed. He had been silent ever since leaving the room where it had happened and the demon-girl was too afraid to speak, for fear of what Ark might say to her. She trickled water over the ferocious red cuts, washing away the dried and encrusted blood that had slowly turned black. The demon gazed at the pink and inflamed edges of the jagged tears in Ark's otherwise perfect skin. She had done that to him – those deep, vicious gouges. Guilt welled up inside of her. She had asked him to be her friend, but then she had gone and done this to him; ripped into his back with the ferocity of a wild animal. Maybe Zeel was right…maybe she was a beast…what else could she be called after inflicting such a terrible wound on a sweet boy like Ark? Some friend _she_ turned out to be.  
"I'm all right, you know," Ark murmured suddenly, breaking the deafening silence.  
The demon-girl jerked her head up sharply. "Wh-what?" she asked.  
"I'm all right," Ark repeated. "I suppose I was asking for it anyway."  
Zeel's demonic half was utterly shocked. Ark was trying to blame himself…after what _she_ had done to him – after what _they_ had done to him.  
"How…how can you say that?" she asked in a quavering voice. "How!? Look what we _did_ to you!" She was almost angry at him. "You could have _died!_ You could have died…and it would have been _me_ that killed you! It's _our_ fault, Ark, _ours!_ Never, _ever_ yours!"  
Ark didn't say anything, nor did he turn around. He simply sat there; his shoulders slumped slightly and his great, feathery quills of hair sticking up defiantly.  
"Ark you – you're so kind to us, but we don't deserve it…not at all," the girl told him quietly. "Yet still…you try to take the blame from us? Why?"  
"I didn't want you to fight," Ark mumbled almost automatically. "I stepped in and as a result…I got injured. It was nobody's fault but my own, so please don't feel guilty. I don't want anybody to feel bad because of me, but I had to step in, I just _had_ to. You and Miss Zeel…you shouldn't fight."  
The demon-girl continued to clean Ark's back as gently as possible; washing off the blood and then drying the excess water with a towel. She didn't speak whilst she worked and neither did Ark. He was telling her that he didn't resent her in the slightest for what she did, despite how close to death he had come – she didn't understand Ark, she didn't understand him at all. He was far too good to her, _far_ too good.  
"Miss Zeel may have been right, though," Ark murmured as she wound a thick swathe of bandages around him. "I…don't work properly…not like other people should."  
The girl nearly dropped the bandages.  
"That's a terrible thing to say about yourself!" she said, perhaps louder than she had intended. "Zeel had no right to say what she said."  
"But I _do_ feel a little like a broken toy, you know," Ark said in that quiet voice of his. "My mind is…falling apart."  
"You're perfect to me," the green-skinned girl said. "And you're perfect to that Nyara girl." She paused briefly before continuing. "I…have to admit that I spied on you…ever since you were at that village in the grasslands."  
Ark's mind flashed back to when he and Nyara had stayed at a small inn at a little village. It had just been the two of them…not long before they had reunited with Saria and Impa after they were all separated.  
"You did? Since all the way back then?" Ark murmured in surprise.  
"Zeel got me to help her…I made you go outside during the night and that's when I met you for the first time," she told him. "I gave you instructions then…I told you what to do when you arrived at Alujah City. You probably can't remember, but when you went to sleep the night you were taken by those Roc birds…you used your magic to show them where to go so they could take you back to where Zeel and that Gravan man were waiting. Those were the hidden instructions I gave you…I'm sorry, you got hurt then as well."  
"There's no harm done," Ark assured her quietly, shaking his head.  
"No harm done!?" the demon-girl exclaimed. "I'm like a curse! I've nearly gotten you killed twice so far…_twice!_" The demon-girl steeled herself, calming down enough to continue. "I watched you ever since then…I watched you and that Meera girl – how happy the two of you looked. I was very jealous of her, _very_ jealous – that she should have somebody that was so kind to her…and to have somebody whom she adored so much."  
"But…" Ark frowned. "We're friends now…aren't we?"  
The demon had just finished her dressing of Ark's wound and she paused in the middle of fastening the bandages.  
"Friends don't hurt each other like I hurt you, Ark," she murmured. "I don't deserve –"  
"Friends also forgive each other, Miss Zeel…and I'm partly to blame as well," Ark interrupted her. "Maybe…we should just call it even."  
The demon-girl stared at Ark's back and realized that she had finished cleaning and dressing the wound she had inflicted upon him. Now it was time for her other half to do _her_ part.  
"There, all bandaged up," demon-Zeel told him.  
Ark's torso had almost completely been covered in thick, white bandages, leaving him to look like a mummy. He shifted experimentally and found that they didn't impede his movements at all – not that he would raise any objections otherwise.  
"Thank you, Miss Zeel," he said gratefully, finally turning to face her.  
"No…don't thank me," the girl sighed tiredly. "I was the one who did it in the first place."  
"But –"  
The demon interrupted him. "Yeah, I know," she smiled weakly. "I'll go and get Zeel…she wants to take care of your face herself."  
Ark nodded as the silver-haired girl stood up and dusted herself off. She turned and walked slowly to the door, but she stopped when Ark called out to her.  
"Miss Zeel? After I'm patched up," he began in a slightly uneasy voice. "Would you mind…playing your flute for me again?"  
Demon-Zeel raised her head as the door slowly creaked open. She smiled, but did not turn around to face the boy sitting behind her.  
"Yes..." she said slowly. "Yes…it will be my pleasure."

Nyara was in a peculiar mood. It was just before midday and the sun was at its hottest – far from the correct time to scurry about. Nyara, however; was feeling restless. Something was prickling under her skin…like an annoying reminder of something she was supposed to do…but there _wasn't_ anything she was supposed to do. She hadn't threatened to eat Link lately…maybe that was it.  
The interior of the wagon was hot and muggy, even with the windows open. Zelda was sprawled in the corner of the room along with Florella; their clothing kept to a bare minimum – modesty allowing. Fura, completely unaffected by the heat, sat at the table with Impa, Fiera, Deia, Erran, and Zen – all of whom were engaged in a riveting game of cards. Impa seemed to be winning. Neju had gone outside to deliver a ridiculous-looking sombrero to Fien to keep the sun off of him, as well as to keep him company – the tall, dark man wasn't exactly the best at socializing, and from what Deia had said; Neju got along best with him.  
Nyara, from her vantage point atop the wagon's front doorframe, watched everyone in the wagon go about their various activities. The Meera girl herself, however; didn't particularly have anybody to do anything with. She couldn't play cards, she didn't feel like sleeping, and it was too hot to go out into the glaring sun – she was far too used to being in her shady village. She felt the urge to lick something; to clean it. She wanted to feel soft skin sticking to her tongue as she rasped the wet, sandpapery muscle over a stretchy cheek.  
"Mahh," the tawny-furred girl sighed. "Nyara miss Ark."  
She poked her tongue out from between her lips and licked the bridge of her nose – an impressive feat, considering that the _tip_ of the nose was the best most people could manage. Being a Meera, however; Nyara's had a certain advantage in the tongue-length department; a five to six inch advantage, to be precise – _if_ she stretched it out all the way. It wasn't something that she displayed particularly often since she didn't really need to…but it came in useful when her hands were full and she needed to get something off of her face.  
"Stupid Zeel," Nyara grumbled.  
The Meera girl wondered if the angry, black-haired girl would deliver the lock of hair to the green-eyed boy that dominated her thoughts. She hoped that it would help him to remember her – that it would keep her in his thoughts like he had been in hers. Nyara could still smell him. Ark's scent was that of the forests, the rivers, the earth, the grass…she could smell him wherever she went. But Ark's scent was somehow…purer than all of that.  
Nyara turned her attention to Fura as she huddled secretively behind her hand of cards, then she looked over at Zelda's sleeping form, and then, finally, up at the ceiling – on the other side of which Link was lounging about with Talen and Saria.  
Fura, Zelda, and Link; an odd trio by anyone's standards. The two girls exercised a good deal of control over the blonde-haired boy, but when situations called for it, Link was definitely the one in charge. But the thing that _really_ interested Nyara was that funny mouth-to-mouth thing that the two girls seemed to enjoy doing with Link. The funny thing was, Link didn't seem to like it at all and he seemed to make a great deal of noise and fuss whenever it happened. It was called a kiss, Nyara remembered, and the Meera were somewhat unfamiliar with the practice. Instead, the race of cat-like people nuzzled and licked each others' faces – the tail was important too and was used to coil around a partner's own tail as a show of closeness and affection. Still…perhaps maybe…when Ark came back…it would show him just how much he meant to her…maybe. And then one day, maybe…a Meera and a non-Meera becoming mates was not unheard of…  
"Nyara want Ark back!" she suddenly yowled out loud.  
Florella sat up with a start and blinked sleepily, her wealth of dark-purple hair hanging in a horrible tangle around her head. Similarly, those around the table were startled by the girl's sudden outcry – Erran even going so far as to drop his cards. Fura wasn't above cheating by looking at his hand.  
"We know, Nyara," Impa smiled. "But really, he's a lot safer in Zeel's hands than out on his own. Ark is brave, but he isn't a fighter."  
"Nyara still want Ark back," she yowled, flexing her toes on the doorframe. "Nyara miss Ark sleeping on belly…Nyara miss being called "Miss" by Ark."  
"Nobody calls me "Lady" anymore," Florella sighed, flopping back down onto the floor. "Maybe I should start making Link call me "Lady Florella" from now on…"  
"I'm sure _that_ would go down well," Impa chuckled dryly.  
The door suddenly swung open and Saria staggered in with Talen and Link not far behind her. Nyara suddenly seemed to shake off her pining for Ark – though she didn't once put him out of her mind- and instead focused her eyes on the blonde boy below. Her pupils dilated, her teeth protruded from her top lip, and her tail whipped around like a snake attached to her backside.  
"Oogh, it's _hot_ out there," Link breathed, wiping his forehead with his floppy green cap. "Zelda would look like a lobster if she had gone out with us."  
It was a well-known fact that Zelda didn't agree very well with lots of sunlight. Every time she had tried sunbathing, her skin had gone a nice, bright shade of red and had been forced to spend the rest of her time in the shade where she could watch jealously as Fura paraded as much of her glowing, copper skin about in front of Link as possible. Not that the boy noticed, mind…he was either busy trying to eat something or sleeping. Besides; it was Link whom Impa would force into smearing some delightfully-cool salve onto the burnt skin.  
"Get some water to drink," Deia told the three children. "You'll dehydrate otherwise. The water-bags and kegs are in the cupboard underneath the basin."  
Unfortunately, before Link could so much as take a step in the right direction, Nyara dropped down from above and flattened him. She bit his ear, slapped his face several times, and then scampered over behind the table, leaving her bushed-up tail visible from behind Erran.  
"Well at least she's in high spirits again," Saria sighed pleasantly.

Demon-Zeel stared at her hand as she walked back to the room in which her other half was waiting. Her hand had been stained red before – red with Ark's blood. She could still feel it tear through his flesh…but with that same hand she had cleansed his wound and tried to make things better.  
"And I could hear him," she sighed, closing her eyes as she reached the door behind which her other half lurked. "Begging us not to fight…but we didn't listen and look what happened."  
With another sigh, she pushed the door open, but a very unusual sight greeted her on the other side.  
Zeel stood on not a wooden floor, but a carpet of moss and flowers. The walls and ceiling were covered in creepers that grew curtains of white, sweet-smelling flowers. For a brief instant, the demon-girl though that she had wandered into her own room by mistake.  
"What in the _world_ happened here?" the green-skinned girl asked as Zeel turned around.  
"It all grew here," she murmured, indicating to the greenery surrounding her. "It happened quite fast."  
"How did this all happen!?" the demon-girl asked, floating around the room. "I've only been gone a short time."  
Zeel seemed to forget that she hated her "twin" and instead lifted her hand up for her to see. The demon looked at it closely.  
"What am I supposed to be looking at?" she asked.  
"It was his blood," Zeel told her with just a hint of bite evident in her tone. "All of this grew from Ark's blood. It started as a little flower…then it just spread to all of this."  
"What!? That's stupid," the green-skinned girl snorted. "You can't grow plants from blood –"  
"Well then maybe his blood made it all grow from seeds or something!" Zeel snapped. "I _have_ just been in a jungle, you know. There are all kinds of tiny seeds and spores floating around." She pursed her lips and scowled. "So it's not only his energy that's so…full of life. It's all through him; even in his blood."  
The two of them stood there for a while until demon-Zeel spoke.  
"You should go and see to the cut on his face, you know," she told her other half.  
Zeel regarded her slowly with a small crease in her brow. Rather than give any worded response, she muttered some kind of half-grunt-half-snort and left the room, leaving the demon behind to look at the transformed room.  
"But…he's bled before and this hasn't happened," she murmured to herself, sitting amongst the small, scented flowers. "Is Ark changing somehow?"

Zeel was very careful not to make any noise as she entered her demon-half's room. Ark was there; sitting on the grassy floor while he buttoned up his shirt that seemed just a little too big for him. It appeared that his huge cut had stopped bleeding – more proof that he did indeed heal very fast – but his face was still encrusted with a great deal of dried blood that was beginning to turn that horrible shade of black.  
"You're a mess," Zeel murmured flatly, looking at him dead-on.  
Ark, wholly preoccupied with carefully doing up the buttons on the collar of his shirt, was not prepared for Zeel to be there so suddenly. He gave a squawk of surprise, flinched horribly, and ended up popping one of the buttons off its thread. The still-surprised boy stared up at her with his big, green eyes while she regarded him calmly.  
"M-miss Zeel!" he squeaked. "I didn't hear you come in…"  
"That's because I didn't make any noise," she told him snippily.  
Ark blinked and suddenly looked rather embarrassed. "Oh…" he mumbled. "Erm…"  
"I'm here to take care of your face," Zeel told him, ignoring the boy's stammering. "I was the one who did it after all, so just stay still and I'll try not to make it hurt."  
Ark did sit still – very still – while Zeel proceeded to dab away all the dry blood on his face. He was quite unused to her being so close without threatening him in some way and it made him a little nervous. Zeel looked as grim as ever; her lips pursed together tight, her brow furrowed, and her eyes somewhat hard…but there was no malevolence or anger about her. Whenever he could keep his eyes open, Ark would look at her. She didn't seem to care if he did or not, but her eyes kept flicking up and meeting with his every so often.  
"I didn't mean it, you know," she said suddenly, dabbing at the cut.  
Ark looked at her questioningly.  
"About being a broken toy…I didn't mean it. I was angry and it just popped out," she muttered. "It was a cruel thing to say."  
Ark lowered his gaze. "But…you wouldn't have said it if a part of you didn't believe it," he murmured. "But I don't mind…I guess I kind of agree with you."  
Zeel didn't know what to say to that and continued to clean his face.  
Ark suddenly squeaked as the warm, wet cloth grazed over the gash across his face.  
Zeel clicked her tongue. "Sorry," she mumbled, almost too inaudible for him to hear.  
"It didn't hurt that mu – _ahh!_" Ark squawked as Zeel stung him again.  
The girl swore angrily and Ark saw one of her pointed teeth pop out from under her top lip. Ark flinched and Zeel poked him fair in the eye with her finger, eliciting another yelp of pain from the boy.  
"Augh!" Zeel growled in frustration. "Accident."  
"I know," Ark winced. "I didn't mean to –"  
"Oh stop!" Zeel snapped.  
Ark fell silent.  
"What are you apologizing for? _I_ was the one who nearly split your head open," she growled.  
"Well…you probably have something better to do right now," Ark mumbled. "And doing this is probably an inconv –"  
"I wanted to do it," Zeel told him brusquely, lifting his head so she could continue dabbing at his face. "I told you before that I didn't…that I didn't want to cause you undue harm. I did and now it's my responsibility to make sure you're all right."  
Ark didn't say anything for quite some time. Zeel was a tough person to talk to a lot of the time and Ark was uncomfortable when there wasn't something going on around him. He liked it when people were speaking – not necessarily _to_ him, but around him – because it let him know that he wasn't by himself. Zeel's manor, however; was always quiet and dark…but at least the demon-girl was a fairly talkative person –  
"Why did you do it?" Zeel asked suddenly.  
"Uh? Do what, Miss Zeel?" Ark asked cluelessly.  
"You _know_ what; jumping between us like that. You could have been torn to shreds," she murmured, pressing a wad of gauze up against the top half of his cut. "It was really rather a stupid thing to do."  
Ark watched her as she concentrated on binding the mass of bandage to his face. He wouldn't be able to see out of one eye for a little while, but it wouldn't be for long. His odd healing ability would make short work of the wound on his face, as well as the one on his back. But…a stupid thing to do? Why was stopping the two Zeels from killing each other stupid? Ark didn't understand…it was almost like Zeel was…concerned for his well-being. But…no, not Zeel. Zeel merely tolerated Ark's existence – him still being alive was due only to her sense of honor and duty…nothing else. Still…Ark felt the need to clarify something.  
"It wasn't stupid, Miss Zeel," he murmured, looking her dead in the face.  
Zeel paused in her bandaging and gazed back at him, her eyes holding an almost questioning look to them.  
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"  
"What's stupid about trying to stop two people from killing each other?" he asked with just a _tiny_ bit of defiance in his voice. "You and the other Miss Zeel have both been good to me…what's stupid is trying to kill the only other person who understands you – I mean…erm…"  
Zeel had leaned in to an uncomfortably-close distance with her eyes narrowed. Ark began to get very, _very_ nervous.  
"_Please_ continue," Zeel told him slowly.  
Ark, fending off a heart-attack, swallowed loudly. "I just…"  
"You just what?" she asked, quirking her eyebrow even higher as she continued to bandage his head.  
Ark focused on his feet. "I didn't want you to die…that's all," Ark told her quietly  
Zeel faltered suddenly as she went to wrap a strip of bandage around his head to keep the gauze in place, but instead ended up poking him in the eye again. She swore as Ark yelped in pain, bringing his hand up to cover his now-watering eye.  
"Sorry, sorry," Zeel muttered. "Let me have a look at it."  
She peeled his hand away, hoping that her fingernail didn't scratch the surface of his eye. Thankfully it hadn't – his eye was just a little red and not seriously damaged.  
"Well?" Zeel asked impatiently.  
Ark blinked and looked at her with the one eye not covered with gauze and bandages. She was glaring at him as if expecting some kind of answer…but he wasn't exactly sure of what the question was.  
"Erm…well what?" he asked timidly.  
Zeel snorted. "Why didn't you want me to die? I can understand _her_, but why me? I'm not particularly nice to you and I'm pretty much the cause of at least ninety percent of all your problems," she grumbled. "So go on; why not?"  
Ark blinked. "A-are you being serious?" he stammered.  
Zeel's flat stare told him that she definitely _was_ serious.  
"W-well...underneath everything, Miss Zeel…I believe you're a good person," he managed to mumble out. "And like I do with the others…I guess I've grown to…like you in some strange way."  
Zeel, to say the least, was taken aback. Like? _Her?_ Had Ark gone funny in the head? Had his corrupted memories altered his sense as well? Zeel believed herself to be perhaps the _least_ likeable person in the universe…and yet Ark; the boy who she had threatened to kill, maim, and had eventually imprisoned had told her that he actually _liked_ her?  
"Miss Zeel…are you okay?" Ark asked.  
Zeel blinked and stared at him. A slight wave of nausea swept over the black-haired girl and she plonked herself back on her bottom for a few moments.  
"I'm fine," she grunted as little dots of light flickered in front of her eyes.  
She blinked them away and shook her head before furrowing her brow resolutely and finishing up her task of bandaging Ark's head. She moved back to look at her handiwork, but noted with a slight twinge of disdain that he looked really quite ridiculous.  
"It'll do," she grunted, standing up. "You're all patched up now…so I guess you're free to just do whatever. I'm going to have a bath."  
She turned and strode towards the door, but stopped halfway. She turned back to face him as if remembering something.  
"Oh…here," she murmured, tossing something towards him.  
Ark fumbled, but manage to catch whatever it was Zeel had thrown.  
"Hair?" the boy blinked, looking closely at it.  
"From that Meera you used to go around with," Zeel told him indifferently. "She wanted you to have it."  
Ark's eyes went wide. "Th-this is from Miss Nyara?" he breathed, holding the lock of hair very carefully. "You…saw her?"  
Zeel nodded. "When I went to find out more about you," she said flatly. "She made me promise to give it to you."  
Ark's eyes were watery with tears, but they were also filled with immense gratitude. He nodded at her and smiled sadly.  
"Thank you, Miss Zeel," he said. "Thank you."  
Zeel watched Ark as he cradled the lock of tawny hair as if it were a precious treasure and a tiny pang of pity went through her at the sight of it. He looked so happy at just the sight of a piece of that girl's hair…and with his deteriorating memories…it was almost too much for even Zeel to bear.  
"I'll go then," the black-haired girl murmured quietly, opening the door. "And again…I apologize about before."  
Zeel left the room with the sight of Ark clutching that small bundle of hair so tight his knuckles had gone white. Once again, Zeel felt a swell of pity for the boy and she told herself that she _would_ tell him what she discovered back at his village as well as the strange properties of his blood…but not yet. He looked too happy.

Meanwhile; the silver-haired demon sat atop the highest point on the manor's roof. She was gazing at the stars and moon and trying to figure out why they had appeared so suddenly. For the life of her, however; she couldn't figure it out and she resigned herself to the fact that it was probably beyond her.  
"But Ark…" she whispered to herself.  
She was worried about him – his safety. The clash she and Zeel shared before wouldn't be the last altercation between them…no – they were perhaps only just beginning and Ark would try to stop each and every one that he could.  
"And what if he dies in one of them?" the girl asks herself. "What then?"  
Ark truly was important to her; the first to ever treat her like a real person. She was indebted to him for that simple act and it was with a heavy heart that she realized that she may even end up killing him.  
Her eyes began to water and a tear dribbled its way down her cheek.  
"And now I'm crying?" she asked herself. "Ark…how could I live with myself if I killed you? Does prolonging my own life justify the horribly risk you're at?  
And then her mind was made up. She knew that she and Zeel would eventually die without the reward offered for the death or capture of Ark, but she also knew that she couldn't let herself _or_ Zeel kill or harm him again…he was far too important for that. He couldn't stay around her any longer, he couldn't stay around Zeel any longer…Ark could no longer stay in the manor.  
"I'll miss you, Ark."


	74. Taken

**Chapter 73 – Taken**

"We're here," a gruff voice sounded from outside the wagon.  
"Huh?" Fura grunted, sitting up from where she had been snoozing over the table.  
The remnants of the card-game lay scattered about the Gerudo – one card was even stuck to her forehead, leaving a small, rectangular imprint in her skin.  
"We've arrived at Bosha," Deia informed her as she clattered about in the kitchen in search of something to eat. "It's a little town just on the coast."  
A look out the window confirmed what Deia had said. The wagon had left the jungle not too far behind and currently sat on the crest of a small hill. The little town lay before them, nestled on the edge of the sparkling, blue sea. The buildings were mostly white – perhaps to help reflect the sun and keep them cool indoors – and had neat little tiled roofs and balconies covered in potplants. The jungle sat in the background and had been cut back in a kind of giant semicircle to allow the town some farmland and general space. There were two other roads present other than the one the wagon had just traveled down; one that led on along the coast and another that headed straight back into the deeper reaches of the jungle.  
"It's a sleepy little place," Fiera said. "We come here every year before and after we head out to the Meera village."  
"We'll head to the inn and spend the night there," Deia told Impa. "You can get a fresh start in the morning." She yawned. "Ooh…I'm feeling tired from all the traveling."  
Link, who was sitting patiently on the floor as Saria ran her comb carefully through his hair in an attempt to neaten it, gave Deia a highly amused look.  
"From all the _what?_" the boy snorted incredulously. "You've just been sitting in this wagon the whole way. Other than staggering off to bed each night, what exactly have you done to wear yourself out?"  
Deia's face twisted into a long-suffering expression. "And to think I stopped myself from smothering you in your sleep each night…"  
"Link, be nice," Saria sighed, thwacking him on top of the head with her comb. "We're parting ways tomorrow, so please just be nice, all right?"  
Link mumbled an apology as the Kokiri girl continued to neaten his hair.  
"There _are_ baths here, aren't there?" Zelda asked hopefully. "I'm feeling decidedly…icky…after going through that jungle in all this heat."  
Fiera laughed. "Don't worry; they have some nice public baths," she assured the Princess before casting Zen a rather dark look. "Separate for men and women."  
The young man in question sunk low in his seat and covered his head with his hands.  
"All right then," Deia nodded as she walked up to the wagon door. "Chop-chop, Fien. To the inn and then the baths – I can smell you from in here."

If there was one thing that Zeel enjoyed, it was a long, hot bath. It was perhaps the only place she could truly relax and let all of her cares drift away in the steam…except _this_ time she had Ark on her mind.  
"Oh God," Zeel groaned, sinking low in the water. "Just let me forget about that for now…please?"  
She breathed in deep and – with her added buoyancy – floated up to the surface of the bath and drifted around aimlessly on her back. Ark, however; refused to leave her thoughts alone. There was so much she didn't understand about him and she found herself driven to uncover his secrets. To any other person he would have appeared to be completely unremarkable – just a shy, quiet, slightly small and skinny boy with messy hair. Zeel, however; knew that was far from the truth. Granted; he was certainly all that, but he could heal much, _much_ faster than any normal person could, his blood had grown a veritable forest in her manor from just seeds and spores stuck to her boots, and very powerful people were after him. But that wasn't why she couldn't stop thinking about him.  
"He said he liked me," Zeel murmured to herself.  
But why? She had nearly cleaved his head in two and she had said things to him that had been unspeakably cruel – given his current situation. Still…he had said it.  
"What is it about him?" she murmured, being careful not to accidentally sink herself. "Why am I…less angry around him?"  
True – she had been utterly livid at her demon-half…but the second that Ark's blood had splashed upon her…  
"It was like water being thrown on a fire…extinguished in an instant," she sighed.  
Zeel then thought back to when she was patching up his cut face. She had been very close to him then and the urge to just sink her teeth into that deliciously-soft neck of his had been quite strong…but considerably less so than usual. It was as if the very thing about him that kept her boiling anger under control had been concentrated in his blood.  
"Aagh! And now his village can't remember who he is…and that voice in the graveyard…when did things get so complicated?" Zeel grumbled. She splashed herself upright suddenly. "Damn Ark…he's messing with my head!"  
Zeel sat up to her neck in the warm water for some time and listened to it lap up against the edge of the bath.  
She sighed. "And now I have to tell him everything."

Talen sat mending one of Florella's sandals quietly in the roof-garden of the quiet little inn the party had set themselves up in for the night. It was still late-afternoon, so everyone had gathered in the garden to enjoy the last bit of sunlight together before they had to part ways with the performing troupe in the morning.  
"You're so dependable, Talen," Florella giggled rosily from where she sat next to him against a low, creeper-covered wall. "You always know how to fix things."  
"That's what I'm here for," the smith murmured.  
Talen highly suspected that Florella had broken her sandal on purpose for the sole reason of being able to sit at his side to watch him mend it. Truth be told; it was – the very thought of Talen working so carefully to make her happy sent little shivers down the Great Fairy's spine.  
"Here you go," Talen said, handing Florella back her repaired piece of footwear. "Good as new."  
"Ooh! I can hardly tell where it was broken!" she squealed, admiring Talen's handiwork. "Talen, you're amazing!"  
Link looked up from a game of checkers he was playing against Deia and made retching sounds just loud enough for the fairy to hear. Florella bristled, but refused to react.  
"Talen?" she asked sweetly. "Can you put it on for me?"  
"Oh, that's just _sickening_," Link groaned quietly as he beat the red-haired woman before him for the fifth time that evening. "Florella, don't you think you overdo it just a _little _sometimes?"  
"Leave her alone," Saria scolded the boy lightly. "It's sweet."  
Link looked back over at Talen as the smith carefully slid the sandal back onto Florella's tiny foot and strapped it in place. The little fairy-girl wiggled her toes and smiled coyly, though Talen didn't seem to notice it and simply went back to plucking grass from around himself.  
Zen and Fien were doing lightly in the afternoon sun underneath a small tree while Erran and Fiera sat and murmured sweet nothings to each other by the roof's edge. Neju, on the other hand, was having a polite conversation with Impa about this and that, though their conversation invariably came back to focus on amusing little anecdotes about the various people they traveled with.  
Nyara frowned to herself and scratched her nose. It was nice to be able to just sit and relax somewhere…but the feeling of having Ark absent from her side only became more pronounced when she wasn't busy. But…the more his absence pained her, the more she realized how attached she had become to him. However…she wasn't sure just how far her feelings reached. Was Ark the person who could someday become her mate? For that matter; did she love him in _that_ way? She liked Ark a lot, more than a lot…but love?  
"Nyara confused," she mewed softly.  
Feeling the need for some company, she padded over to Fura and Zelda and plonked herself down between them.  
"Ah, Nyara," Zelda smiled. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"  
"Nyara need company," the Meera girl said, flicking her tail.  
"I see," Zelda frowned, cottoning on. "He'll be back, Nyara. You don't need to worry."  
Nyara simply sighed and drooped her ears…but then she twitched them back up again.  
"Fura and Zelda," she said. "Nyara have question."  
Fura nodded curiously. "Shoot."  
Nyara looked just slightly uncomfortable, but asked anyway. "Fura and Zelda and…Link," she began. "You do that…kiss thing?"  
The blonde and redhead blinked. Fura suddenly grinned.  
"We sure do," Fura affirmed enthusiastically. "Not me and Zelda, of course…with Link."  
At the mention of his name, the blonde boy raised his head, but then immediately lowered it upon catching Deia in the act of cheating horrendously.  
"What is kiss like?" Nyara asked the two girls quietly. "And…how is kiss…done?"  
Zelda blushed and giggled. "Oh, that's just so _cute!_" she squealed. "Well, Nyara…a kiss isn't something that's easy to teach to somebody…it's more a spur-of-the-moment thing."  
Nyara blinked.  
"You just need to put some gusto behind it," Fura grinned. "Show them you mean business and sear 'em with a kiss they'll never forget." She poked her tongue out. "A bit of this never hurt either."  
Nyara frowned and stuck her own tongue out, allowing it to extend to its maximum length.  
"Oh my goodness!" Zelda exclaimed.  
"Jeez," Fura whistled. "I can tie cherry stalks together with mine…but you could lace up boots with that thing, Nyara."  
"Ahem," Zelda coughed politely as Nyara's five-inch tongue shot back into her mouth. "Being rough isn't always the best way to go, Nyara." The Princess eyed Fura. "A soft and gentle kiss is something special too."  
Nyara looked a little confused. "Nmm?"  
"Demonstration!" Fura exclaimed suddenly, causing Zelda to wince. "Oh _Liiiiink!_" Her voice was honeyed.  
Link flinched horribly and turned his head to look at her.  
"What?" he asked, seeming to shrink before their eyes.  
"Now why do you always sound suspicious when I call you?" Fura pouted.  
"I can think of a few reasons," Link told her.  
Fura's left eye twitched. "Just get over here," she snapped.  
Link frowned and glanced at the checkers board between himself and Deia. With a sigh, he skipped his piece around and thoroughly trounced the red-haired performer, much to her dismay.  
"What, again!?" she wailed. "How?"  
Link paid her no heed and approached Fura, Zelda, and Nyara with just a _little_ bit of apprehension showing on his face.  
"Is this about Florella smelling of ham and socks the other day? Because I _swear_ I didn't touch her pockets when I hung her clothes out to –"  
"_No_ Link," Zelda assured him, her voice grating slightly. "We need your…_expertise_ on something."  
"Oh…what?" he asked.  
"Kissing!" Fura declared.  
"Oh," he frowned. "No."  
With that, he turned on his heel and strode away, or he would have done if Fura hadn't gracefully tripped him up.  
Come on," she sighed, dragging him back by the Key's straps.  
"What do you need me for?" he protested. "You know how to _inflict_ them!"  
Fura ignored that. "Not for us, for Nyara," she told him.  
"Oh…wait! No! You don't expect me to –!"  
"Hey!" Nyara growled.  
"_No_ Link," Zelda sighed again. She eyed him strangely. "Link, do you have _any_ idea of what you're _supposed_ to say when a girl wants to kiss you?"  
"Feets, do your job?"  
"Never mind," the Princess sighed.  
Nyara, in the meantime, was feeling prickly over Link's reaction. "Is it bad for Link to kiss Nyara?" she bristled indignantly. "What wrong with me?"  
"You keep threatening to eat me! I'm not going anywhere near those horrible, sharp teeth of yours."  
"Oh be _quiet!_" Zelda groaned, rapping her knuckled across the back of Link's head. "Link, we're not asking you to kiss Nyara –"  
"Good," Link grunted.  
"You get to kiss us instead! Nyara wants to know how to kiss somebody, and we thought it would be a good idea to show her how to smooch softly or a little more _rough_," Fura grinned.  
Link's face blanched. "Deia wants me to beat her senseless in checkers again, I gotta go –"  
"Link…" Zelda sighed.  
"– Saria needs to brush my hair –"  
"Link!"  
"– I have to ham up Florella's pockets again –"  
"_Link!" _Zelda cried sufferingly.  
"I don't want to!" the boy cried. "Everyone's looking!"  
By this time, nearly the entire populous of the roof was staring over at the little group.  
"Augh! I _knew_ it was you who put those wet socks and bacon in my tunic!" Florella growled indignantly. "I stank all day!"  
"Ham, Florella," Link chided her. "Your people go all crinkly and dark when cooked – _that's_ bacon. Ham is soft and besides; you kinda have a wafty odor about you all the ti – ack!"  
The enraged Great Fairy came charging towards him, prompting Link to beat a hasty retreat. Nyara, Fura, and Zelda watched – and heard – the two of them run around the roof garden  
"I guess the lesson's off for now," Fura sighed. "Sorry, Nyara."  
"Another time," the Meera girl shrugged as Florella started hurling the pieces from the checker-board at the fleeing Link. "This interesting to watch too."

The weary travelers slept fitfully in their comfortable beds that night. The night was quite warm, so open windows were almost a necessity, as was a lack of covering. Talen and Link dozed peacefully in their room; their arms and legs hanging limply over the edges of their beds while Navi lay sprawled on Link's pillow. Impa and Florella enjoyed a similar level of restfulness, but without the decidedly haphazard sleeping positions. Saria, Chat, and Nyara snoozed away next door to Talen and Link, but Nyara had instead chosen to sleep curled in a tight ball on top of the covers – a position that Saria found uncomfortable to even _look_ at. Fura snored loudly in the room she shared with Zelda – her legs and arms tangled hopelessly in the sheets and a nice little rivulet of drool soaking her pillow. Zelda herself, however; was not sleeping as fitfully as all of her companions.  
She couldn't see anything, but the muffled shouts of people around her were loud in her ears. She was being jostled and bumped about while pins and needles tingled uncomfortably in her arms and legs…as if she were being carried by something with her hands and feet tied.  
"…got these two…" a voice laughed menacingly. "…should bring him…angry…"  
Everything else was too garbled for her to understand. She started kicking and she tried to call out to somebody for help, but the only sound she managed to make was a muffled scream. The gag used to silence her dried her mouth, making it hard to speak, but even so; she continued to scream at the top of her lungs; hoping that someone – Link – would come to her rescue.  
And then she was awake – sweating and gasping for breath in her tangled sheets. Fura lay snoring across the room without a care in the world; her tremendous mane of red hair bound tightly in a single, solid ponytail.  
"F-Fura?" Zelda whispered. "Fura?"  
The Gerudo rolled over with a groan and completely ignored Zelda's hushed whispering. In the end; the Hylian girl tossed her pillow at the sleeping redhead.  
"Huh? Mmgm…" Fura mumbled. "Wha- Zelda? What is it?"  
Zelda bit her lip. "Are…are you okay?" she asked cautiously, peering across the gloomy room.  
Fura blinked sleepily and tossed Zelda's pillow back to her. "Yeah, I'm fine," she murmured. "Why? Something wrong?"  
Zelda frowned. "No…no, don't worry. It was just a dream," she sighed. "Sorry for waking you, Fura…goodnight."  
Fura gazed at Zelda through bleary eyes before nodding her head. "Yeah…sure," she yawned. "Any time."  
Zelda watched as Fura flopped back down onto her back with a steady stream of snores rumbling from her throat almost immediately. The blonde girl stayed in a sitting position for a few moments, listening to the sounds of the night from outside the window. Finally; she lay back down and closed her eyes.  
"Getting worried over nothing," she sighed to herself. "Link's right next door…nothing to worry about…"  
She lay still for several minutes while she tried to will herself to sleep…but she wasn't having much success. Suddenly; she heard the creak of a floorboard fairly close by. Zelda's eyes snapped open and she looked about.  
"H-hello?" she stammered nervously. "Is anyone there?"  
The chirping of crickets from outside was her only answer. Feeling slightly silly, Zelda lay back down, but she pulled her covers up to her chin…just because she felt a little safer in doing so.  
"Oh dear…if I don't get to sleep I'll have big, dark circles under my eye –"  
Several figures suddenly scuttled out of the shadows. One of them went straight for Zelda and slapped a hand over her mouth, silencing her. She thrashed about in a panic in a desperate attempt to get Fura's or anyone else's attention. But, to her dismay; the shadowy figures had already subdued the Gerudo witch.  
"These are the two we want," one of the figures rasped in a harsh whisper. "Tie them up quickly – we want to get as far away from here as possible if what Lord Gaul says is true."  
And then Zelda felt something being slipped over her head and she could no longer see. Her feet and hands were bound and a gag was shoved rather roughly between her teeth. She began to writhe and cry out in a panic, but the only sounds she managed to make were severely muffled by the cloth in her mouth. And then she was lifted and carried quietly from the room with Fura not far behind her. She couldn't move and she couldn't cry out…but there was, perhaps; one last thing that she could try.  
Link was standing in the middle of a green field. Snow-capped mountains rose in the distance to glow brilliantly in the sunlight. A lush forest broken only by a babbling brook surrounded the green field, around which patches of small, white flowers bloomed. The air was crisp and fresh and the sky was a brilliant blue with small wisps of puffy, white cloud hanging against it.  
Link walked slowly through the long, green grass with the scent of everything around him strong in his nostrils. The sun was warm against his back and he felt as if all his cares had evaporated. But then he noticed his dark arm…the shadow was spreading from it to the rest of his body. It flooded across his other arm, up his neck, and over his clothes until he was standing in his fully-demonized form…but it didn't stop there. The shadow began to spread into the ground; killing the grass, drying up the stream, withering the trees and the flowers, and stripping the mountains bare. He watched in horror as all of it changed – even the sky was turning a cloudy, turbulent shade of dark grey. Then, finally; everything was either dead or dying – and it was all because of him. The air no longer carried the scent of the trees, grasses, mountains, and streams, but instead it carried no scent at all.  
"_Link!"  
_The blonde boy whirled around and suddenly found himself face-to-face with Zelda. The scene that had been before him only moments ago was gone; replaced instead by the near-blinding light of the place where their souls met. Fura was there, but like before; she wasn't moving.  
"Zelda! What's going on? Why are we here?" Link asked the girl.  
"_Link!__ Help me, please! Fura and I have just been attacked in our room!"_ she cried desperately. _"They're taking us from the inn, but I cannot see where. Please hurry!"  
_Link lurched awake in his hopelessly tangled bed. He sat up quickly and rubbed his forehead to rid it of the tiny beads of sweat that had settled there. For a few seconds he simply sat there like a stunned mullet, but as the events of his strange dream trickled back into his consciousness; panic overtook him.  
"Talen!" he barked. "Wake up!"  
The smith stirred, but did not wake. Not wasting any time, Link vaulted out of bed and whipped the Key's straps over to his friend. They coiled around the bed and tipped it violently, hurling Talen onto the floor.  
"Huh? What?" Talen mumbled sleepily. "What's going on?"  
"Get moving! Zelda and Fura are in trouble!" Link called, bolting out the door with his sword and shield already scooped up from the ground and Navi clinging to the tail of his hat.  
Within seconds he was at the door to Zelda and Fura's room, but to his dismay; it was already open. A quick check of the room with the help of Navi's glow revealed that there had been something of a scuffle near Fura's bed, but both girls had disappeared without a trace. Link's blood boiled. He burst back into the hall and threw open the doors to his companions' rooms.  
"All of you! Wake up! Fura and Zelda have been taken! Come on!" he shouted, rousing them from their slumber.  
Where were they? He had no idea…but he could feel something tugging at his consciousness from somewhere outside.  
"Link? What's wrong?" Impa asked, appearing rather quickly in the hall.  
"Fura and Talen have been taken," he told her. "Wake the others and tell them to get outside. I'll go on ahead."  
Impa's expression immediately darkened and she nodded just as Talen skidded to a halt at her side. Link dashed to the end of the hall and leaped out the window – his wings sprouting from his back as Navi shot down into his tunic.

With a full-moon high in the sky, it was easy to see, but locating the girls' exact location was something else. Focusing his thoughts on the pulling sensation on his consciousness; Link swooped low through the streets and followed it as best he could. He soon left the town behind him and was flying low across the farmland cut into the dense jungle. Zelda and Fura were close.  
"Where are you…?" Link murmured to himself, sweeping his eyes over the ground.  
Whoever had taken the two girls would most likely be staying in the shadows; the tall, thick rows of fruit trees grown by the town providing them with excellent cover.  
Suddenly; a whistling sound caught Link's attention and he twisted his body just in time to avoid being struck in the chest by an arrow loosed from somewhere down below. It didn't miss him entirely, however; but had lodged itself right through the wrist of his dark arm – for which he was grateful for; being that it had certain regenerative properties. He clenched his fist and the arrow snapped in half and fell free from his arm, allowing the puncture mark to heal over. Link dove straight down and into the trees, landing softly on the cultivated earth. Navi popped out of his back and immediately dulled her glow to reduce the odds of being spotted by the hidden assailants.  
"I can't see anyone," Navi whispered from his shoulder.  
Link cocked his head as if hearing something, but Navi was oblivious to whatever it may have been.  
"I can feel them…that way," Link whispered, pointing off into the darkened trees before him. "They're moving very slowly –"  
The snap of a twig caught Link's attention and he leaped back almost out of reflex. A long dagger, followed by an arm and the body attached to it came lunging out of the darkness with a hoarse cry. It missed, luckily; allowing Link to counterattack with a deft thrust from his sword. The assailant doubled over and collapsed and then a series of shouts and cries erupted from all around.  
"He's here!" a voice shouted. "Get them as far away as possible!"  
The sound of a rapid retreat followed and Link immediately zeroed in on it and took off in hot pursuit with his dark arm and the mark on his face tingling hotly. More of the mysterious kidnappers appeared before him – darting out from behind trees as the boy passed. However; the Key came into the foray quite effectively. The straps snaked out and smashed the figures out of the way as they jumped out in front of him; the solid metal rings at the tips very near knocking them out cold.  
"Zelda! Fura! I'm coming!" Link shouted.  
It didn't matter if the enemy heard him – they already knew he was there. He kept running with the Key's straps slamming into foe after foe until, finally; he burst out onto clear land. With the moon bright and full overhead, it was easy for Link to see the kidnappers fleeing across the open stretch of grass. Two of them held Fura and Zelda over their shoulders while about twelve others kept up the rear.  
"Hold it!" Link called, increasing his speed.  
They Key straps billowed out behind him like long ribbons blowing in the wind; their ring-tipped ends clinking together quite loudly.  
"Stop him!" the figure carrying Fura ordered the others. "Lord Gaul will not accept failure!"  
Gaul! Link's mind nearly exploded in rage at the mere mention of that man's name. As the abductors dropped back to face him; he leaped into the fray with his sword swinging wildly. One of the men fell instantly to his blade, but the next blocked his strike with a small single-edged sword. Link pushed against him and knocked him back, and then followed through with and overhead strike while the man was off-balance. Before his enemy had even hit the ground, Link was off again; running as fast as he could with a furious expression on his face. He lashed out to the left and felled another attacker, and then unleashed a sword-spin and cut down another that had tried to circle around behind him.  
"They're fast," Link growled.  
They were fast; abnormally so. They scampered through the grass like the wind itself with quick, jerky movements. With tight-fitting leather clothing that left only their eyes visible, it was easy to see that they had been trained to attack with quick, precise movements.  
Link, however; didn't have time to be impressed. He slammed into a particularly hardy opponent – Key and all – driving him back through the grass for a short way before grinding to a halt. With two long daggers, he held Link's sword locked between them. Suddenly; a loud cry from behind him made Link whip his head around. Another one of the leather-clad abductors was in the air – bringing is dagger down upon him with full-force. Link swore, but a tawny-coloured shape shot out of nowhere and hit the man in the side, plucking him neatly off his trajectory.  
"Nyara!" Link exclaimed in relief.  
The Meera girl gave a ferocious growl and delivered a series of blisteringly-fast punches and kicks to her target's chest and head before she had even landed – following up with a savage strike with her claws, severing the man's jugular. Then she was off again, leaping from enemy to enemy like a trained acrobat and felling them by either cutting them down with her claws or snapping their necks with deft twists of her arms.  
"Link hurry!" she told the boy as his pace slowed slightly. "We take care of these. Go after Fura and Zelda!"  
Link glanced over his shoulder as he resumed running at full-pace and saw Talen and Impa arrive on the scene. Talen, with his awesome strength, knocked the fast-moving enemies about with ease, and Link heard a number of bones snap loudly before he was out of earshot. Impa, on the other hand, moved in very much the same manner as the leather-clad men – darting about and lashing out with her long dagger like a tightly-coiled spring.  
Link was almost upon the two men that carried the girls over their shoulders – he could even hear the blonde and the redhead's muffled cries. But then, suddenly; the two men skidded to a halt. They dumped the girls on the ground and rounded on Link, drawing their weapons as they did so.  
"Face us!" they demanded.  
Link dug his heels into the ground and stopped too. He frowned and readied his sword and shield before charging with barely enough time draw breath. The two men, however – their clothing a little more decorated than the rest of their kind – blurred out of view.  
"Wha –?" Link gasped as they vanished before his eyes.  
But then, with not warning, he was struck from behind and sent sprawling on the ground. He rolled onto his back and saw the two men standing over him with their long daggers raised.  
"For Lord Gaul!" one of them declared.  
They both lunged for him, but then Impa was suddenly there. She blocked their simultaneous strike with some rapid flicks of her own dagger and then sent them into a brief retreat by lashing out herself.  
"Sheikah," one of them hissed.  
They stood there; sizing Impa up carefully as if she were a far greater threat than Link ever was.  
"Link," Impa murmured. "Go to the girls and make sure they're unharmed." She narrowed her eyes. "I'll take care of these two."  
"B-but –" Link stammered.  
Impa raised her hand cut him off. "Trust me," she said firmly.  
Link didn't bother to argue as he watched the Sheikah nursemaid crouch in a low, sinuous, battle-ready position that would have probably snapped a good deal of Link's muscle should he try to copy it. As per Impa's instructions, Link dashed over to where Fura and Zelda lay sprawled on the ground. He tore their blindfolds and gags off first and was greeted with expressions of panic mingled with relief. Next came the gags and then the bindings on their hands and feet.  
"Are you two all right?" Link asked as the girls hauled themselves into sitting positions.  
"Yes…I think so," Zelda murmured, rubbing her wrists. "I'm just feeling a little…sore from being carried so roughly. It'll pass."  
Fura, on the other hand; had sustained a nasty bump to the head when her kidnappers had subdued her back at the inn. Her speech was a little slurred and she had trouble focusing her eyes, but she was coherent enough to recognize Link as well as being able to crawl drunkenly along to flop gracelessly over him.  
"My head hurts," she groaned, moving her arms feebly as Link knelt with the Gerudo girl held comfortingly. "What happened?"  
"You were kidnapped from your room," Link told her, patting her awkwardly on the back. "You're safe now; we managed to catch up to the people who took you."  
"Oh…that's good," Fura sighed.  
"The men…they wanted to get the two of us specifically," Zelda frowned.  
"Gaul," Link growled. "He's behind it…they said so." He pursed his lips. "But why the two of you? Why not Saria or Nyara?"  
"Because the two of us are the trigger for your transformation," Zelda murmured. "If he can find some way to suppress it through using us…then you won't be able to change."  
"Coward," Link spat.  
Zelda rubbed her face with her hands. "Ooh…I feel a little dizzy after being carried so roughly by those…" The Princess trailed off and then her eyes widened. "Those men! Where are they? What happened to them?"  
"Erm…" Link mumbled. "Impa said that she would take care of them…but I'm a little worried. Those two men can move very fast or change their location in the wink of an eye."  
"Impa!?" Zelda squeaked, her face going quite ashen. "Oh, I hope she's still as good at fighting as father said she used to be…"

Impa watched the two men carefully from her low stance. They were eyeing her cautiously – not quite sure whether she was much of a threat or not. They obviously decided that she knew what she was doing, because they too assumed battle-ready positions.  
"So it's the maid's turn to fight," one of them sneered. "What chance do you have if the boy was nearly killed by us?"  
"_Nurse_maid," Impa said coolly. "I don't clean sheets or dust…and anyone can beat anyone if they have enough tricks up their sleeves."  
"It will take more than tricks to beat us," the second man laughed in a cold, rasping voice.  
Impa chuckled lightly. "Oh, _I'm_ not going to show you any tricks," she told them amusedly. "I was merely referring to how you got the better of Link before." She held out her palm and wiggled it towards herself. "Now…come at me…if you want to se how a Sheikah fights, that is."  
The men charged, their daggers flashing in the moonlight. Impa watched them come either side of her, but didn't get out of the way. In a flicker of movement, she snaked her head from one side to the other and flicked her dagger about in two short, sharp movements. The men came to a halt behind her, leaving the Sheikah unharmed, but the men themselves had sustained long tears along the sleeves of their clothing.  
Impa stood up slowly and turned to face them. "Surely you can do better than that," she scoffed, waiting for a response. "No? Then let me finish things for you."  
And then she was dashing towards them at an impossibly low angle with her dagger held out before her face like a snake ready to strike. The men tried to spring away, but Impa was too fast. She slashed across the side of one of them and then swung her leg up behind her and kicked the other solidly in the chin. The man she had cut lashed out with his own foot and tried to kick her in the side, but Impa caught it and twisted her hands sharply and sent the man spinning to the ground, whereupon she flipped over forwards and brought her whole leg down across his torso before flipping off of him again with her hands. Impa crouched low again and held her palm out flat and sideways from her nose while the other man came at her again. He lashed out with his dagger and Impa caught his arm, delivering a sharp jab to his gut with the tips of her fingers, prompting the man to double over in pain. Then; in another fluid movement, she straightened and smashed her knee into his jaw and sent him flying backwards.  
Link and Zelda watched the older woman fight with awe stamped across their faces.  
"W-wow!" Link exclaimed. "Look at the way she fights!"  
"She moves like quicksilver," Zelda gasped. "And she's so fast!"  
Impa blocked a dagger-strike aimed at her neck by grabbing the man's arm and swinging her hand around, hitting her attacker in his own neck with the edge of her hand. But while she was occupied, her second enemy snuck up behind her and lunged with his dagger. Impa, however; was not concerned. She swung her leg up backwards and kicked the man's dagger out of his hand before flipping the man in front of her onto the ground. Then; she swung her body about and unleashing a devastating side-flip-kick to her ambusher's head that sent him flying. Impa landed in the same crouched as when she had started while her two foes picked themselves up slowly.  
"Have you had enough yet?" she asked casually, snaking her dagger in front of her face. "Because if you give up now, I'll let you go."  
"Never," one of them spat. "Lord Gaul would never allow it. Prepare to die, Sheikah dog!"  
Impa's face hardened and the two kidnappers advanced once more, but before they reached her, they vanished.  
"Impa!" Zelda screeched. "Watch out!"  
With a movement so fast that Link and Zelda barely saw it, Impa whipped her arms straight up with her dagger held out flat between them. There was a loud clang and a shower of sparks, and then Impa was kneeling on the ground with the simultaneous attack from behind stopped short.  
"What!?" one of the men breathed. "How –?"  
"You forget," Impa growled. "That I am a Sheikah _dog_ – as you so eloquently put it." She swept around and kicked both men back. "Now allow _me_ to show you how it's done!"  
Before the two men could react, Impa hurled something at her feet. There was a blinding flash of light, after which Impa had disappeared. The two men looked around in confusion before one of them let out a gurgling scream and collapsed to the ground with his throat slit open neatly.  
"Show yourself!" the other roared. "Face me!"  
"I'm right here," Impa said in a low voice.  
The man whirled around to find the tall woman standing right behind him. He uttered a startled oath and tried to attack, but Impa beat him to it. She elbowed him square in the nose and then whirled around and kicked him clean off his feet. As the man sailed back, however; he flickered and vanished. Impa immediately went on-guard and nearly got her neck cut as her opponent appeared behind her. She jerked out of the way just in time, but still scored a scratch along her cheek.  
"Die!" the man bellowed, rushing her.  
Impa vanished in another flash of light and appeared off to the man's side and smashed her foot into the side of his knee. He fell with a grunt, but disappeared as Impa lunged with her weapon.  
"Look at them go," Link murmured in amazement as Impa and her opponent appeared and reappeared all over the grassy ground.  
They occasionally traded blows, but for most of the time they barely missed striking each other. Suddenly, the man appeared directly in front of Impa instead of behind her in an attempt to surprise her. Impa, however; reared her hand back and produced six long needles from between her fingers before hurling them at her attacker with startling accuracy. They embedded themselves in the man's hands, shoulders, and neck like pins being thrust into a pincushion. He cried out in pain and dropped his dagger as his arms seized up.  
Impa straightened slowly. "Give up," she said coldly. "You can't win."  
"Never!" the man spat. "Sheikah dog! Lord Gaul will be your end! He'll be the end of you all! All of you will die –!"  
He stiffened suddenly and dropped limply onto his back – a single long needle protruding from his temple.  
"Fool," Impa growled. She looked over to where Zelda, Link, and Fura were. "Are you all right?"  
"Impa!" Zelda squealed. "That was amazing! Where did you learn to fight like that?"  
"Come now, Zelda," Impa said, wagging her finger at her charge. "Your father wouldn't have given me the task of being your nursemaid and protector without knowing how to properly defend you, now would he?"

Talen and Nyara arrived shortly thereafter. Both seemed a little out of breath from fighting, but had sustained no injury thanks to Nyara's quickness and Talen's strength. They too had witnessed Impa's impressive display of battle-prowess and expressed their amazement to the tall woman.  
"That's all well and good," Impa murmured, trying hard not to look just a little pleased with herself. "But we should be getting back to the inn. I'm certain that Saria and Florella must be worried about us by now." She turned to Link. "Are you all right to carry Fura?"  
Link nodded. "She's not too heavy," he said. "I'm more worried I'll catch fire – she's gone all hot."  
"Is it a fever? They didn't poison her, did they?" Talen asked.  
"Fura overheats when she sleeps," Zelda said, shaking her head. "It isn't a fever. Come on, let's go."  
They had barely gone several steps, however; before Link suddenly stopped dead. The others kept moving for a short way before realizing that Link was no longer moving.  
"What's the matter?" Impa asked curiously. "Is there something wrong?"  
Link blinked and looked up at her with his eyes slightly wide. A trickle of blood was slowly dribbling out of the corner of his mouth.  
"L-Link…?" Zelda gasped.  
"Run!" he shouted. "It's Gaul! He's near!"  
Link could already feel his body quivering as it began its attempt at changing. Talen relieved the blonde boy of Fura and took off across the grass with everyone else. Unfortunately; they didn't make it far.  
"Talen! Look out!" Impa called.  
The smith turned his head just in time to see a blurry shape slam straight into his jaw. He was thrown back – losing Fura in the process – and onto the ground with considerable force where he lay groaning. Fura, on the other hand, hung in the air as if held by an invisible force.  
"Link! Impa! Help!" Zelda suddenly shrieked.  
She was being lifted off the ground by the same force until she was floating right next to Fura. The air behind them wavered and warped, revealing Gaul.  
"Well, well, well…" he drawled. "What have we here?"  
"Gaul!" Link snarled furiously. "Unhand them!"  
"Now why would I want to go and do a thing like that?" the man asked with a slight chuckle. "I have a proposition for you and it involves these two lovely ladies."  
Link stood quivering as patches of black began to flow and ebb across his body. Gaul laughed amusedly s the unconscious Fura and the screaming Zelda were drawn in behind him.  
"Leave them out of this!" Impa demanded. "Let the girls go, why take them?"  
"Why else?" Gaul chuckled. "To make the bearer angry, of course."  
"What!?" Link growled.  
Gaul suddenly narrowed his eyes and cast off his whimsical exterior. "Here's the deal, Bearer," he said slowly. "My Master grows tired of hearing of your constant victories over his loyal servants, so I have been instructed to bring you to my castle for a final duel of sorts. Now, under normal circumstances you probably would not agree to this and go about your merry business and collect those little Locks of yours..." He gestured behind him. "But now _I_ have the women, which creates something of a necessity for you to do as I say, correct? Come to my castle and face me, Bearer…let us see who is the strongest."  
"I'll fight you right here and now, Gaul!" Link roared. "Leave Fura and Zelda alone!"  
"No, no, I can't do that," Gaul said, shaking his head. "You see, when I leave, these two girls will no doubt be in a lot of danger – I'm going to kill them both if you don't arrive at my castle within three days – which means that you'll have no choice but to transform." He smiled coldly. "Now I'm just wondering what kind of an effect staying in your demonic form for en extended amount of time will have on your body. Aren't you curious too? Ah, but I feel I've gone on for long enough. Farewell, Bearer, I shall see you at my castle in three days or less!"  
The air surrounding Gaul and the two girls began to warp once again.  
"No!" Zelda screamed. Stretching out her fingers towards the people on the ground. "Link! Impa! Anybody! Don't let him take us!"  
"Zelda, Fura, no!" Link called.  
He charged towards the two girls and vaulted into the air with the aid of the Key…but before he even got close, they were gone.  
"Oh no…" Nyara murmured in disbelief. "What we do now?"  
"We have to get to Gaul's castle, like he said," Talen groaned, sitting up and clasping his head in his hands. "Or else –"  
But a horrible sound from Link cut him off. The blonde boy was on his hands and knees with his head hanging low.  
"Hrrr…_Gaul__!_" he bellowed furiously.  
The blackness from his arm began to bleed throughout the rest of his body – his clothing too – as he knelt there groaning and growling. His hair darkened until it was black, his boots and tunic changed too, and the Key's straps fell away to be replaced by black chains. Little arcs of black energy lanced over his body and sizzled across the ground as he tore into the earth with his fingers. Finally; his back bulged and a set of black, tattered wings burst into being, billowing like sails. With a howl of anger, Link reared up and extended his wings out as far as they could reach, his blue eyes glowing angrily.  
"_Gaul!"_ he roared. _"The next time we meet…I'll kill you!"_


	75. Going Back

**Chapter 74 – Going Back**

"I'm worried…" Florella moaned as she paced the room restlessly. "What if…what if something terrible has happened to them?"  
Saria and Florella had been ushered quickly into the room that Deia and Neju were sharing by Impa when the others had quite suddenly torn out of the inn after Fura, Zelda, and their captors. Deia and Neju had been asleep at the time, but had awoken to watch over the two girls without any complaints. Fien had joined them shortly thereafter to provide some physical protection in case any more aggressors decided to show themselves. Fiera arrived a short while later having been awake and hearing the commotion – she was a little vague as to why she had been awake at such a late hour, but the fact that she _did_ share a room with Erran was rather self-explanatory.  
Saria yawned from her spot in Neju's lap. "I'm sure they'll be all right," the sleepy Kokiri girl murmured. "And I doubt Talen will get himself hurt. You know him, Florella; he's as tough as nails and sensible to boot. There's nothing to worry about."  
"I know, but…" Florella sighed restlessly. "I can't help myself from worrying."  
"As far as I can remember, Talen has only been seriously injured once," Saria told the worrisome fairy. "And it took a monster the size of a small mountain to do it. They'll all be fine, Florella."  
"Saria's right," Deia told the Great Fairy. She held her arms out. "So stop pacing and come sit down."  
Not being one to pass up an opportunity to sit in somebody's snuggly-warm lap, Florella plonked herself down none too delicately on Deia's knees. She squirmed a bit to get comfortable – making Deia significantly less-so – and then sighed and flopped back against the woman's stomach.  
"I just hope they're all sa –"  
The door suddenly burst open, drowning out the rest of Florella's sentence. Saria squealed in fright, as did Florella; who sat up straight and headbutted poor Deia under her chin.  
Fien rounded with a start. "What in the world –?" he grunted.  
Link, pitch-black, stood in the doorway with his unfurled wings hanging down onto the floor along with the black Key's chains. His eyes flared briefly in the gloom, casting an eerie glow about his blackened face.  
Saria was the first to speak. "L-Link!?" she squeaked. "You…you're…"  
"_That's_ Link?" Deia asked incredulously. "What in the name of the Golden Goddesses happened to you?"  
"He took them," Link growled, stalking inside.  
His wings dragged along the floor like torn pieces of cloth. Fien was still staring at Link's odd appearance, as were Fiera, Deia, and Neju.  
"He? Them?" Florella blinked. "What in the world are you talking about? Wait – are Talen and the other all right?"  
"Talen is fine…but Fura and Zelda…_Gaul!_" Link exclaimed heatedly. "He took them!"  
His dark form seemed to seethe with tiny black particles that sizzled from his skin and then dissipated in the air.  
"Link please calm down!" Navi trilled, spiraling around his head. "You might hurt somebody."  
Link focused on her. "I can't calm down…Zelda could make me stop…but she isn't here to do that anymore," he said as calmly as possible. "I'm stuck this way…and there may be a limit to just how long my body can last."  
Saria looked horrified. "Then we have to find a way to change you back!" the girl squeaked. She turned to Deia, Fiera, and Neju. "You can do it, can't you?"  
Fiera scratched her head and looked Link over speculatively. "Well…I'm not sure," she frowned. "I guess we could try, but I'm afraid it could take time."  
"Time is what we don't have," Link said, folding his arms across his chest. "I have three days to get to Gaul…or else Fura and Zelda are dead."  
"No!" Florella exclaimed.  
"So I'm leaving now," Link continued. "I can still feel them…faintly…which means I can follow them."  
"Now!?" Saria exclaimed. "You're going now? You can't! You'll be by yourself!"  
"Which is the way it should be," Link told her firmly. "Gaul is powerful, Saria…and the last thing I want is for any of you to be injured, or worse; killed. No…I'm going to face Gaul by myself, but I need the rest of you to keep searching for the Locks."  
The occupants of the room exchanged glances, at which point Link reached into his tunic and pulled out the four Locks collected thus far. He placed them in Florella's lap before turning on his heel and marching determinedly towards the window.  
"Wait!" Saria called. "You…promise me you'll be careful…"  
Link turned his head and looked at the Kokiri girl's pleading expression before nodding.  
"Bring them back safe, Link," Florella told him quietly, pocketing the Locks.  
"Take the Locks and Compass begin searching for the remaining two first thing tomorrow morning," the boy murmured. He looked over at Deia, Neju, and Fiera. "Thank you for everything you've done for us…I'm in your debt."  
And with that, he pushed the window open and dove out as Navi clung to his shoulder. His wings straightened and caught the air, and Link swooped out over the town, field, and jungle towards the faint pull of Fura and Zelda…and towards his final confrontation with Gaul.

Demon-Zeel tiptoed quietly into Ark's room and closed the door behind her. She was pleased to find him sleeping – he hadn't been getting enough as of late and she had been beginning to worry. Standing at his bedside, she could see the lock of hair from the Meera girl clasped tightly in his hand – so tight, in fact; that his knuckles had gone white. Zeel's demon-half felt a slight pang of jealously twinge at her stomach…but at least he seemed peaceful. Maybe he wasn't having any nightmares this time.  
The girl sighed. "But now I have to wake you up…just when you're getting the rest that you need."  
She reached out and shook him gently, eliciting a quiet murmur from the slumbering boy. Ark rolled over and yawned before his uncovered eye blinked slowly open.  
"Hmm?" he mumbled sleepily. He noticed the demon-girl standing over him. "Miss Zeel! I'm sorry; did you need me for something?"  
The girl winced. "You know…it shouldn't be you apologizing for anything, Ark," she told him guiltily. "If anything, it should me and Zeel…" She shook her head. "Erm…how are your injuries?"  
Ark sat up. "Oh! They're much better, Miss Zeel," Ark told her. "Thank you for dressing them for me."  
"Ark…please don't thank me," demon-Zeel winced. "It makes me feel guilty."  
"But –"  
"Oh, don't worry about it," the girl sighed in exasperation. "I have something…important I need to discuss with you."  
Ark was immediately at attention. Demon-Zeel rubbed the bridge of her nose with her finger while the gears in her head clicked away as she tried to find a way to begin.  
Ark frowned. "Miss Zeel? Are you all right?" he asked.  
The girl nodded. "Yes, yes…I'm fine," she sighed. "Ark…you _do_ realize how close you came to death before…right?"  
Ark nodded slowly. "But…I'm still here," he said in a small voice.  
"But you nearly weren't!" Zeel cried suddenly. "Ark, we're a danger to you! Do you understand?"  
Ark flinched and blinked in surprise. "But –"  
"No! No buts! Ark…you cannot stay here any longer!" she told him, thrusting a backpack into the stupefied boy's arms. "I've filled that with things that you'll need to get by with…so keep it with you at all times, okay?"  
Ark was too stunned to react at first. What was she talking about? A danger to him? Couldn't stay any longer? She was speaking as if…  
"M-miss Zeel? What are you talking about?" Ark asked. "I don't unders –"  
"I'm sending you back," the demon-girl told him, interrupting. "I'm sending you away from this place…to somewhere you'll be safe."  
Ark gaped at her. Was she serious? Would she really send him away? But of she did that…  
"But…you'll die if I'm not your prisoner…you _and_ your other half! I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to do that, Miss Zeel," Ark told her firmly, shuffling away from her. "Besides…I can't go back to the others…and I don't have a home anymore. What would I do? They'll die if they ever find me!"  
Demon-Zeel closed her eyes. "Ark…could what you were told…about losing everything…could it have meant something else?"  
"I don't know, I –"  
The demon-girl interrupted him by thrusting his staff into his already-overloaded arms.  
"Then I'm afraid you'll just have to believe that it does," she smiled apologetically. "You may need to protect yourself, so I took your staff back from where it was mounted on the wall. Zeel's busy in the bath right now, so she won't know you're gone until it's too late…but Zeel will detect me if I go with you, so I must send you alone." She pointed to the silver band around his ankle. "As well as keeping you hidden from your friends' sensing abilities, so it will too keep you hidden from Zeel's; so hopefully she won't be able to find you."  
Ark floundered and began stuttering. "B-but Miss Zeel…you can't send me away!" he protested. "You'll die! Both of you!"  
The grey-haired boy dropped everything, jumped off the bed, and ran for the door so that he could perhaps hide somewhere in the manor so he wouldn't be sent away. The door, however; was locked tight – a precaution the green-skinned girl had taken upon entering. Ark rattled the handle and pounded on the wooden surface, but somebody of his strength had no hope of breaking through the thick surface. He slumped hopelessly against it, still clutching at the handle.  
"You…you'll die – your life will run out," he murmured sadly. "And I don't want that to happen…I like you both…you're two of the few people I have left."  
Ark suddenly felt a pair of arms encircling his shoulders, followed closely by something soft brushing against the back of his head. He turned his head in surprise and saw the demon-girl's face hanging over his shoulder and he realized that he could feel one of her oversized ears against his hair. The girl squeezed Ark tight, drawing him into a slightly unbalanced position and forcing him to put one of his legs out behind himself to keep steady.  
Demon-Zeel moved her mouth towards Ark's ear. "But you know?" she began. "Such a thing doesn't bother me anymore. I finally managed to find a person who liked me; a friend...and if I were to die right this second, then I would have no regrets."  
Ark stood staring wide-eyed towards the floor as the girl spoke; her usually-harsh voice soft and soothing.  
"I like you too, Ark," the girl murmured into his ear. "I like you a lot…you're different to everyone else…"  
Ark's face grew slightly flushed as he felt the warmth from the demon-girl's body spread into his. He scarcely dared to breathe as she held him tighter and continued to whisper into his ear.  
"You've done more for me than any other person ever has, so that's why I'm doing this for you. Knowing that I'd be keeping you safe would make me happier than I've ever been before…" She trailed off and then tilted her head even farther towards his face. "…and besides; how could I imprison the boy who gave me my first kiss?"  
Ark's eyes went very wide as his head was suddenly turned to face the demon-girl. The next thing he remembered was her lips brushing feather-like against his own. His breathing stopped as the girl's nose brushed against his own and blew puffs of warm, tickly air against his cheek. Like her other half; the demon-girl's lips were very soft and warm. The boy blinked several times as his breaths came out in quick, short little puffs. Ark's whole body trembled as well; perhaps out of nervousness or maybe even a strange sort of fear – a fear of what, he did not quite know. They stayed like that for only a short while – with Ark's face angled around to the girl embracing him from behind – before the girl pulled her lips away. She did not let him go.  
"Look after yourself, Ark…and do what you think is right," demon-Zeel told him, smiling. "Please don't forget us."  
The girl pressed something into his hand and Ark suddenly felt himself pitch forward. The wooden door before him blurred and vanished, and was replaced instead with millions of particles of red light that swarmed and streaked towards him at blinding speeds. Reflexively, Ark raised his arms protectively in front of his face and closed his eyes tight as the red light swept past him in a blizzard. The unmistakable feeling of rapid motion followed as Ark lurched from Zeel's dark realm back to his own. His ears were filled with a roaring sound that steadily got louder and louder as if he were moving faster and faster until, suddenly; there was stillness and silence.

Nyara awoke with a start. Sunlight ghosted through the windows of the inn and played through the semi-transparent curtains and onto the far wall. The Meera girl uncurled herself from her sleeping position and sat on her haunches before bending her leg up and scratching the back of one of her ears with her toes. The sound of birds chirping outside made Nyara's stomach growl, but she resisted the urge to race out and gobble them down.  
"Ooh…" a voice groaned. "Morning already?"  
Nyara's attention shifted to Florella. The Great Fairy had just wobbled herself into a sitting position beneath her covers, disturbing Saria as she did so. After what had happened during the night, Saria, Florella, Nyara, and Talen had all been squashed into the same room. Talen slept in the room's second bed – quite soundly after the hit he had taken from Gaul. Florella had been hysterical upon hearing about his little knock, but Talen's assurance that it had merely winded him temporarily had quelled her fears.  
"Talen?" Florella called softly across the room. "Are you awake?"  
A muffled groan and a shifting of blankets told that he was.  
"So you're all awake," Impa murmured from the door.  
The Sheikah woman had stood guard all night without nodding off even once, despite the fact that Florella and the three performing women had placed a magical barrier over the door and windows.  
"Come on; time for breakfast," Impa continued. "We need to get going as soon as possible so we can begin searching for the remaining Locks like Link told us to. Nyara, you have the Compass?"  
The Meera girl nodded and held up the blue ball.  
"Good," Impa nodded. A faint smile played about her lips. "Hold onto it…it'll be your job to guide us with it, just like Ark did."  
Nyara almost seemed to swell upon hearing Impa's words and she hopped down from the foot of the bed she had shared with Saria and Florella. Talen groaned again and practically rolled out from under his covers and onto the floor with a loud thud.  
"I'm up," he mumbled sleepily, climbing to his feet and rubbing his eyes. "Did somebody say something about breakfast?"

Fura's head wasn't throbbing, but it was sore enough to be teeth-grindingly irritating. She could hear somebody speaking…speaking to her.  
"…ura!" the voice called urgently. "Fura! Are you all right?"  
"Ugh…what?" the redhead grunted.  
She opened her eyes and saw Zelda's face peering down at her. It took a few moments for her to recount what had happened, during which she simply stared up at the Princess. Finally, however; things clicked into place.  
"Zelda?" Fura grunted, sitting up. "What…? Where are we?"  
The two girls were in what appeared to be a large cage suspended above a massive lava-pit that boiled and bubbled endlessly at the bottom of a deep shaft. The cage was bolted onto the rock wall of the shaft, with its solid steel door the only visible access point. Looking up; the shaft was lost in the darkness above, leaving the girls in a decidedly lonely and hopeless situation.  
"We're…at Gaul's castle," Zelda told Fura. Her bottom lip trembled and she suddenly threw her arms around the Gerudo girl and sobbed into her chest. "Th-thank goodness! Thank g-goodness you're a-all right! Y-you wouldn't w-wake up for such a long time! I've been h-here by myself in this horrible place!"  
"Gaul's castle!? What happened to Link!?" Fura demanded.  
She immediately regretted her sudden outburst as Zelda began sobbing anew.  
"Oh…h-hey, it's okay, Zelda," Fura smiled comfortingly, putting her arms around the Hylian girl. "I'm awake now, so you're not on your own anymore." She pursed her lips. "But…how did we get here?"  
Zelda peeled herself away from Fura and rubbed her eyes. "You passed out before it happened…but Gaul appeared and took us on the way back to the inn," the Princess explained. "Link tried to stop Gaul…but he took us away before he could do anything."  
"Oh," Fura frowned. "So…"  
"We're Gaul's prisoners," Zelda said. Her eyes began to water. "And h-he says if Link isn't here in three days…then he'll kill us!"  
Fura winced. "Well…that sure puts a damper on things," she murmured. "But I guess all we can do is sit tight, Zelda. Link won't let us down, so all we have to do is sit here and wait for him to show up and kick Gaul's miserable butt."  
"But…Link may not last that long," Zelda murmured. "Gaul said something…and I got the feeling that maybe…Link's body won't be able to survive being transformed for so long-"  
Fura pinched Zelda's mouth shut with her thumb and forefinger. "Tut-tut, Zelda," the Gerudo chided her. "Thinking that way will _not_ help us in our current situation. We need to keep ourselves occupied until Link gets here and he _will_ get here, and when he does; we'll be leaving this armpit of a cell with him – I absolutely _won't_ hear otherwise."  
Zelda sniffled loudly and nodded as she rubbed at her eyes. Now was one of those times that Zelda was truly grateful to have Fura as her friend – in fact; Fura was perhaps her closest female friend. It was strange though…they were both vying for the affections of the same boy, but they were both very close to each other. Maybe it was because Fura was so different to Zelda that the Hylian Princess got along with her so well – she was such an interesting person to listen to sometimes. Fura's strong risqué streak often led to some rather interesting conversations that – despite their questionable nature – captured Zelda's attention like nothing else – after all; she couldn't read about anything of _that_ nature in any of the books in Hyrule Castle's library.  
"So…I guess all we can do is wait," Zelda murmured, feeling a little better about things.  
Fura pursed her lips and nodded. "Three days in here, hmm?" the Gerudo frowned. "Not to worry! I have a veritable treasure-trove of stories with which to entertain ourselves with. Get comfortable, Zelda…I'll start with a good one…"

Ark opened his un-bandaged eye slowly. The first thing he saw was a grey sky fringed by the tops of very tall trees. Thunder and lightning clashed across the dark clouds as a torrential downpour hammered down upon the earth and the boy lying upon it. Ark did nothing about his situation for some time – he merely lay there with his eye half-open as if too tired to even move.  
"Miss Zeel…" he murmured slowly.  
The demon-girl…why had she done that? Why had she condemned herself and her other half? To protect him?  
"_But you know? Such a thing doesn't bother me anymore. I finally managed to find a person who liked me; a friend...and if I were to die right this second, then I would have no regrets."  
_Demon-Zeel's words echoed in the back of Ark's mind. She had called him a friend and then she had kissed him…and then she had sent him back to this realm.  
"But why?" Ark almost sobbed. "She'll- they'll…die…both of them."  
He laboriously got to his knees, not bothering with the rain-soaked ground – he was already dripping anyway.  
He looked down at his hands. "I'm not worth it…I'm just a broken toy who can't even remember his own life…or his parents' names."  
But then, something caught his eye. They were in his right hand; three small tufts of hair – tawny-brown…silver, and black. He stared at the three locks of hair for some time, gently stroking them with his thumb – one from Nyara, one from Zeel, and one from the demon-girl.  
"I won't forget you…" Ark told himself. "Never ever…and I'll find a way to keep you both alive."

Talen, Nyara, Impa, Saria, and Florella stood on the street outside the inn as the small performing troupe packed up their little wagon and prepared to resume their travels from town to town.  
"Ah, it's a pity we're not heading in the same direction," Deia sighed. "But it appears we each have our own concerns."  
Impa nodded. "That we do," the Sheikah woman said gravely. "We must keep looking for the Locks and hope that Link is able to retrieve Zelda and Fura from Gaul's clutches." The tall woman smiled wryly. "I would have liked to have gone with him to retrieve my charge…but I doubt I would be much help against a being like Gaul."  
"The lad seems to be more resourceful than he appears," Neju said quietly as she prepared to climb aboard the wagon. "Your fear is understandable…but I believe it may be misplaced."  
Impa blinked and then laughed. "Hah, yes…I suppose you may be right," she chuckled.  
Fiera stepped out from behind the wagon with Erran in tow. The two of them had been paying the innkeeper and had just arrived outside.  
"We're all here, hmm? Well…almost all of us," the green-haired woman said, correcting herself. "Sorry…ahem…will the five of you be all right?"  
"Talen and Impa are with us," Florella assured her in a bubbly kind of way as she clung to the smith's arm. "They can fend off any nasties…besides; Gaul is occupied right now, so he won't be coming after us."  
Fiera grinned. "Well we wish you the best of luck in your journey. It's been a pleasure meeting and traveling with you."  
"Likewise," Florella smiled rosily, her cheeks depressing with dimples. "Oooh! I'm going to miss you all!" The Great Fairy coughed. "Even Zen."  
Zen frowned while the others laughed. Fien made a coughing sound, indicating that he was eager to get going  
"Be quiet," Deia snapped at the man. "We're only saying goodbye…speaking of which; you haven't said a single word!"  
Fien flinched and regretted making any noise at all. "Erm…goodbye…everybody," the big man mumbled.  
Deia stared at him with such intensity that her right eye began to twitch.  
"I mean...it has truly been an honor meeting all of you…and I dearly hope that we meet sometime in the future," he murmured, finishing with the best smile he could manage.  
"Good," Deia snorted.  
Talen winced at poor Fien and gave him a sympathetic look. Fien nodded dejectedly and his shoulders drooped. Erran and Zen said their goodbyes and hopped onto the wagon…or rather; Zen was actually thrown in by Deia when he asked if any of Fura or Zelda's underwear was available to keep as a memento.  
"Good luck!" Deia called out of one of the windows as the wagon trundled off. "And Nyara! Whatever you do, make sure you find Ark!"  
"And don't let him leave again!" Fiera shouted, shoving Deia out of the way. "Then you can be a great couple like Erran and me! Don't hesitate to try anything new in the bedroom either! And good luck to the rest of you!"  
Nyara hopped up and down and waved with a huge grin across her face.  
Talen flinched. "Wow…I don't think the people across town heard her," he sighed. "Well…are we off as well?"  
"Off!" Nyara declared. She held up the Compass. "Into jungle again! We find Locks and then find Link, Zelda, Fura, and Ark!"  
"Link! You should rest!" Navi jingled in the boy's ear. "You've been flying all day and it's getting dark…you need to put the least amount of wear on your body as possible."

Tree after tree passed beneath Link as he flew over the vast jungle with Navi nestled in the collar of his dark tunic. They had been flying all day long without any respite – the tugging sensation in Link's consciousness drawing him towards where he believed Fura and Zelda were being held.  
"I can't stop, Navi," Link told the fairy flatly. "You know what'll happen to them if I don't get there within three days' time. I have to keep going."  
"But what if your body can' take the strain?" Navi asked. "I thought Kokiri were supposed to listen to what their guardians said."  
"I'm not a Kokiri, Navi," Link told her.  
"Of course you are," she snapped. "Now land right this second and find somewhere to rest for a few hours…or else I'll take matters into my own hands!"  
"Oh really?" Link asked, sounding rather unimpressed. "You'll forgive me for not immediately bending to your will, Navi…your hands are a little small to take matters into them."  
The little fairy glowed and irritated pink before climbing up and sitting on the bridge of Link's nose.  
She grabbed his eyelids and held them open. "You asked for it!"  
Navi suddenly cave out a terribly bright flash of incandescent light. Link squawked in surprise and spiraled out of the air. He crashed through the jungle canopy below before coming to rest rather haphazardly on the soft ground. Spots blinked away in front of his eyes and he fought to clear them…but to no avail.  
"Navi!" he cried in anguish. "What did you do!?"  
"You'll be able to see again in a while…just enough time for you to get some rest before you head out again," the fairy told him. "Now follow me; there's a place you can rest over here."  
She took hold of one of the Key straps and led him along like a dog on a leash until he came to rest at the base of a large, knotted tree.  
"Now stay here and sleep," she told her partner firmly. "I'll keep watch and wake you when you can go."  
"But-"  
"No, you'll stay put!" the little fairy snapped. "Would you like to see what else I can do?"  
"No," Link murmured sullenly.  
"Good." Her expression softened. "I know you're worried about them…but if you tire your body out – as powerful as it is right now – then you have no hope of saving those two girls. Play it safe, Link…you'll still reach them in time."  
"I hope so," Link muttered darkly. "Or something _far_ worse than death will await Gaul."

Ark shivered miserably – not because he was cold, but because he was soaking wet and night had fallen. The forest was vast and filled with the eerie sounds of unknown creatures calling out in the darkness. Huddling as close as possible to his staff's tip and the glowing sphere given to him by Zeel, Ark sat inside a small tent that the demon-girl had stowed in the pack she had given him. The dark, foreboding place that was Zeel's realm seemed like a delightful alternative to what he was experiencing currently, but he couldn't get back…and he couldn't go against what demon-Zeel had told him…what if girl-Zeel got into another fight with her over it?  
"Stop feeling sorry for yourself, Ark," the grey-haired boy told himself. "You have to find a way to help them."  
Sighing; he began peeling off his clothing until he was clad only in his underclothes – a pair of white undershorts and a cotton shirt – before wrapping himself tightly in a thin – yet warm – blanket. Feeling a little more content, Ark allowed his mind to wander. The last time he had been caught in a mysterious forest in the rain had been when the Compass had scattered him and his newfound companions across the globe. Nyara had found him then – bringing with her a sense of relief like no other – and had taken care of his broken nose in a small cave. He blushed upon remembering that she had also stripped him of his soaked clothing – luckily he was able to retain his underclothes – and proceeded to snuggle up next to him for the night. He had felt so safe then, despite having not known the protective Meera girl for very long, and he found himself almost waiting for her to burst into the tent then and there to mercilessly lick his face and make all his worries go away. But she wouldn't.  
"She'd be in danger otherwise," Ark murmured to himself.  
But…would she? The demon-girl had made the suggestion that the terrifying warning that he would lose everything could…mean something else.  
"But what?" he asked himself. "Still…I can't take any chances. I have to stay apart from the others."  
After sitting silently for a short while longer, Ark felt his eyelids growing steadily heavier. He didn't want to sleep – the nightmares might come…and this time there wouldn't be anyone around to wake him up or make him feel better. He was all alone in the rain and the dark.

Or so Ark thought. From some distance away, a figure watched the dull glow emanating from the tent with suspicion and curiosity. They'd find out who the trespasser was in the morning…and then interrogate him as to why he was on private property.


	76. Trespasser

**Chapter 75 – Trespasser**

Fura and Zelda sat listlessly in their suspended prison. The heat rising from the lava way down below rose up and made the air almost hard to breathe for Zelda – Fura appeared unaffected. The whole time they had been there, nobody had come to see them at all – not even Gaul himself. Every now and then the sound of someone passing in the hall outside could be heard, but the door was never opened.  
Zelda sighed. "Why couldn't Gaul have kidnapped us when we were at least wearing our clothes?" the Princess groaned. "I must admit it's cooler in my nightie…but I can't help but feel just a little vulnerable like this."  
"I'm lucky I actually slept in something other than my underwear," Fura yawned, tugging on the neck of her rather loose-fitting night-dress. "But don't worry about feeling vulnerable. If anyone tries anything, you can count on me to set fire to them."  
Zelda smiled despite the heat. "I'll hold you to that."  
Fura stretched her arms out above her head as she sat against the wall of the cage, displaying a good amount of arm and leg. Zelda surveyed the Gerudo thoughtfully.  
Fura's massive crop of long, red hair was lustrous and rich, her copper skin positively glowed, and her golden eyes held that dangerous, exotic look to them and her body could only be described as perfect – with her long legs, shapely curves, and generous bosom. Zelda couldn't help but feel just a _little_ jealous of her as she looked down at herself.  
Well…she had curves, but not quite to Fura's degree and she was somewhat…smaller around the chest-area. She was generally thinner than Fura too…and the Gerudo almost flowed like liquid when she moved.  
"What?" Fura asked suddenly, noticing Zelda's gaze.  
Zelda went slightly pink in the cheeks. "O-oh! It's nothing…I was just-"  
"Comparing?" Fura asked, raising an eyebrow.  
Zelda blinked stupidly at her.  
"Hey, I do it too, you know," the Gerudo chuckled, putting her hands behind her head to cushion herself from the hard bars.  
"You…do?" Zelda asked incredulously.  
"Of course," Fura laughed. "Well, why wouldn't I?"  
Zelda frowned. "Well…you're so much more…"  
"So much more what?" Fura snorted. "_You're_ the Princess. How do you think it is trying to make yourself seen around that?" She grinned. "Sure, I have a bodacious set of-" She pointed at her bust. "-but look at you! You're graceful, you have wonderfully soft, porcelain skin, and your hair is like silk, Zelda. Look at these hands of mine: they're calloused more than Link's are, and I don't even know if he likes this Gerudo nose of mine – granted; it's probably one of the more slender ones you'll find…but it's still different to your delicate little Hylian nose."  
Zelda smiled sheepishly. "I guess I got a little panicky all of a sudden," she laughed. "I just suddenly…well…noticed all the bits and pieces I guess."  
"Happens to me too," Fura grinned. "But in the end…what does it matter? Link doesn't seem to care about any of that – which is why he's so special. He likes us because of what's on the inside…though it sometimes _does_ have its drawbacks. He doesn't seem to notice when we go to all the trouble to make ourselves look pretty."  
"I cannot argue with you on that point," Zelda chuckled. "He only seems to notice things when they're close enough to make him uncomfortable. It's really quite funny. His nose wrinkles up ever so slightly and his eyes roll up to look at the clouds…especially when you put on one of _your_ shows."  
"He's a strange one," Fura nodded. "But I guess that's why I like him. I think I've said this before…but if _he_ was the aggressive one out of the two of us, then I don't think I'd have ever developed as much interest in him as I have." She licked her lips. "You know; I couldn't believe it when he beat me in the duel we had…that's where it all began."  
"That was certainly an interesting event…and you'd just surprised him while he was having his bath," Zelda smiled. "He was a little dark at you about that…but look how much it's changed."  
Fura smiled fondly. "Ahh, yes…how our little man has grown. I think he even kept that birthday present I gave him two years ago…I don't think he'd let anyone see it, though."  
"Your underwear?" Zelda snorted. "I remember that. "Happy Birthday, Link. You can wear these yourself so we'll always be close. I've perfumed them as well," you said. I think that was one of those trying times he's had to put up with."  
Fura winced. "I guess we _have_ been a bit terrible to him," she sighed. "But it's all in fun."  
"For us, yes," Zelda agreed. "For Link? Maybe not so fun…but I suppose he has it a little easier at the moment while Ruto isn't around."  
Fura laughed out loud. "Aha, Ruto…I wonder how old Seagull-Food is doing right now? She's probably biting her nails in frustration."  
"You know…out of the three of us, Ruto is the only one younger than Link," Zelda frowned thoughtfully. "I'm about a year older and you're what? About two years older than he is?"  
"Sweet Sixteen," Fura nodded. "Link's _nearly_ fifteen, so it's about a year and three-quarters difference. Hopefully he'll be unable to resist the charms of us older women."  
"A year or two hardly makes us "older women", Fura," Zelda scoffed. "In some ways, Link is more mature than both of us. I think…when he fought Ganondorf…he had to skip growing up in a way, so you can't blame him for being a little jaded about some things." The Princess smiled. "But we can be thankful that some parts of him are yet to reach adulthood. No…I think he's taking his time – he's not ready to grow up all the way just yet."  
"Well he can take as long as he wants," Fura yawned. "I can wait…and then pounce as soon a he's ready! Right?"  
The two girls laughed, despite their grim situation. Fura definitely had a talent for lifting peoples' moods.  
Zelda stretched with a small groan. "I think I might try to get some sleep," the Princess murmured. "I haven't had any since we got here."  
"Good idea," Fura nodded. "I'm a little tired myself, but you get some shut-eye. I'll keep an eye on things in case anyone comes by with any funny ideas."  
Zelda smiled and curled up on the floor of the cage. "All right," she murmured sleepily. "And thank-you, Fura."

Ark awoke very early after a rather restless night's sleep. His nightmares continued to plague him – seemingly worse than ever – but there was not a great deal he could do about it. The mysterious voice that had protected him from such nightmares had vanished ever since Gaul had attacked his mind in the Meera village.  
"And I suppose the question now is…what do I do with myself?" Ark asked nobody in particular.  
Ark didn't know where to go – he didn't even know what he should be doing. He couldn't go back to Nyara and the others, despite the terrible longing he had to see her face again, and Zeel was out of the question as well. His rummaging through the pack that Zeel's demon half had given him had revealed a sizeable sum of Rupees…in fact; a huge amount of Rupees. She had no doubt pinched them from Zeel's great horde hidden beneath the manor.  
"I suppose the best thing to do is to find out exactly where I am," Ark mused, pulling on a second set of clothes stowed in the pack the demon-girl had given him. "Maybe there's a town nearby."  
Ark dutifully set about pulling his tent down. He folded it carefully, would up all the support-bindings, and cleaned the pegs off so they wouldn't rust – Talen had told him that damp earth stuck to them could cause that. He stowed the tightly-folded tent in its designated spot on his sturdy pack and then looked up at the patchy sky.  
"At least it's not raining anymore," Ark sighed. "But…which way should I go?" He frowned. "Oh well…I suppose any way is as good as another."  
Hefting his pack up over his shoulders, Ark set out at a rather leisurely pace through the tall trees. He took in his surroundings curiously as he went. The trees were rather big – huge even – and spaced far apart. They stretched up to blot out the sky with thick, straight trunks that seemed like they would have been impossible to cut down by any normal means. The odd firefly drifted through the air currents along with tiny particles of pollen that condensed into great shafts of yellow as they caught the light filtering through the gaps in the clouds and canopy. It was almost as if he were in a gigantic hall of some sort – the tall trees holding up the think canopy of leaves and branches like stone pillars supporting the roof of some grand cathedral or temple.  
"Those trees sure are big," Ark murmured to himself as he walked. "I wonder what made them grow so we-eeh!"  
Ark's surprised squawk sounded as an arrow thunked solidly into the trunk of the tree he was walking past. It quivered in front of his nose and he stared at it in horror. A few more inches and it would have been buried in the side of his head. He staggered back and turned to run in the opposite direction, but another arrow lodged itself on his other side, eliciting another terrified squeak from the boy.  
"Wh-who's there!?" he demanded, trying to sound as brave as possible.  
He dropped his pack and gripped his staff, eternally thankful that demon-Zeel had returned it to him.  
"Sh-show yourself!"  
"I'll ask the questions, trespasser!" a loud voice rang out from somewhere high up.  
Ark's eyes darted about until he finally found the owner of the voice. Framed against a gap in the canopy was a tall, slim figure with long, flowing hair. Ark's couldn't really see the person all that well, but he _could_ see the large longbow aimed right at him with an arrow notched, ready to loose.  
"Haah!" the boy gasped, pelting around behind the tree as fast as his legs would carry him.  
He heard the dull thud of another arrow striking the tree.  
"Wh-what have I gotten myself into now?" he breathed, dropping his pack and readying his staff. "And what do they mean by "trespasser"? Am I on private land?"  
"Don't hide! Come out and fight!" the figure in the trees shouted.  
Ark flinched and gripped his staff even tighter. "Ex-excuse me!" he called waveringly. "Have…have I intruded upon private land!? I'd be more than happy to, erm…take my leave…please don't shoot me!"  
Ark carefully inched around the base of the tall tree and peeked up at his mysterious assailant…but they had disappeared. Ark blinked and then he felt something sharp poke him in the back.  
"No sudden moves…or I'll run you through right here and now-"  
In a mad panic, Ark discharged a bolt of electricity behind himself. He obviously hit his mysterious assailant, because there was a yelp of surprise and the sound of somebody thudding onto the ground. Ark wasted no time in whirling around to face his formidable opponent…but instead he saw-  
"A-a girl!?" he squeaked.  
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" the fallen girl cursed over and over. "Who do you think you ar-!" She stopped short and blinked. "Hey! It's just some kid."  
Ark's mouth immediately erupted in a great torrent of apologies that fumbled over one-another in an incomprehensible babble. The girl merely started at him with a set of green eyes, looking just a little more than annoyed.  
"Jeez…it's just some kid," she frowned. "And a pretty banged-up one at that. What happened to your head? It's covered with bandages."  
He ignored that. "I-I'm so sorry, Miss!" Ark exclaimed, holding his hand out. "H-here; let me help you up!"  
Ignoring his offering, the girl stood by herself…towering over him in the process.  
She was tall – very tall – with long, waist-length auburn hair and was dressed in a brown tunic with a loose, long-sleeved white shirt on underneath. She also wore long, green, lace-up fingerless gloves and a pair of long, brown lace-up boots. To complete her ensemble; her head bore a green hat skewered with a long, red feather. Slung over her shoulder was a quiver full of arrows and her longbow. A small dagger lay discarded on the ground…she had probably dropped it after Ark had shocked her.  
She dusted herself off. "What a disappointment," the girl scowled. "I thought you were a bandit, but you're just some little short guy."  
Ark blinked. She was calling him short? Easy enough for somebody as abnormally tall as her to say.  
"A-are you okay?" Ark asked.  
The girl looked at him suspiciously. "I'm fine," she murmured, stooping to pick up her dagger. "No thanks to you."  
Ark opened his mouth in protest. "H-hey! You just started winging arrows at me! What did I ever do to you?" he frowned.  
"You were trespassing," the girl replied nonchalantly. "I wasn't trying to hit you…just scare you."  
Ark frowned. "You could have just told me I was trespassing, Miss. I would have gladly left your property," he mumbled.  
The girl regarded him for a moment before letting out a sigh. "So what are you doing all the way out here by yourself?" she asked. "Shouldn't you be you…at home or something?"  
Ark winced as a pang of sadness went through him. He didn't have a home anymore – Aarden's death had robbed him of that.  
"I…don't really have a place to go to," Ark murmured uncomfortably. "I'm just looking for a town…somewhere I can figure out where to go to next." He shifted on his feet. "There are some people I have to…find a way to help."  
The girl narrowed her eyes speculatively and put her hands on her hips. "Well, well…I guess you're like me," she snorted.  
The girl shifted her longbow and turned smartly on her heel and strolled off through the woods. Ark simply stood there and stared at her receding figure, but she suddenly stopped and looked over her shoulder.  
"Well!? Are you coming or not?" she called impatiently.  
Ark blinked. "P-pardon?"  
"Hey, I'm trying to be friendly!" the girl growled. "Leaving somebody as beat up and small as you out here by yourself just wouldn't be right. Now hurry up or else you'll get left behind."  
Ark didn't bother to argue, so he quickly picked up his pack and slung it over his shoulder before running haphazardly after the tall girl.  
"Where are we going?" Ark asked breathlessly as he caught up to her.  
"My home," the girl replied simply. "And take bigger steps. Those little legs of yours are slowing us down."

Nyara hummed a nameless tune as she walked through the jungle with her four traveling companions. It felt decidedly desolate without their whole number – particularly in the absence of Ark. The grey-haired boy would listen with open-faced appreciation as the Meera-girl hummed her little nonsense-songs, and it was always nice to have an appreciative audience – not that the others disliked her performance…it's just that it wasn't the same.  
"More jungle," Florella groaned. "It's so muggy in here…it can't be good for my wings."  
"Keep them aired out…hopefully then they won't get mould growing on them," Talen told her. "You don't want them falling apart."  
"Talen!"  
"Sorry."  
Florella shook her head and sighed. "You're beginning to sound like Link…and that's _not_ a good thing." Her antennae twitched. "As worried as I am about him, Fura, and Zelda…it's nice to be without his smart little quips every now and then. I'm sure Saria understands."  
The Kokiri girl nodded. "Ahh yes; the little trips he goes on to visit Fura in the desert and Zelda in the castle provide me with some much-needed relief," she chuckled before frowning. "And then it gets a little too quiet without him around…and I get a little bored because my playmate isn't around…lonely too – Link and I always eat dinner together at my house." Saria winced. "Sorry, Florella…it stinks when Link isn't around."  
The Great Fairy made an odd grumbling sound. "I suppose," she murmured. "As difficult as he is…he _can_ be amusing."  
"He thinks you're pretty," Saria smirked, nudging Florella in the ribs.  
"Ha!" Florella laughed. "Who doesn't? Nobody can resist a being as adorable as me! Right, Talen?"  
"I'm sorry, Florella," Talen frowned. "I couldn't hear you properly with your head suddenly growing so big and all."  
Florella scowled at him. "Har-de-har-har," she grumbled. "You're sounding like him again, Talen."  
The smith gave her an apologetic little shrug and flicked one of her antennae. It wobbled back and forth several times before Florella stopped it between her thumb and forefinger. She sighed and watched the brown-haired boy as he walked with his eyes fixed on the road ahead of him.  
Talen's expression didn't really give much away, but then; nothing that Talen did was ever tremendously expressive. He was a mixture of Ark and Link, yet he drew less attention than his two friends did – probably because he was always so calm and quiet. The downside, however; was that Florella never really knew what he was thinking. Despite knowing him for years, Talen was still something of a mystery to Florella, but she still persevered in trying to worm her way into his heart. Every now and then he'd make a small gesture of affection towards her, but she could never be sure if it actually _was_ affection or just friendship…which led to Florella's greatest fear. Florella was terrified that Talen felt nothing for her – that he didn't love her at all. She loved him dearly – with every fiber of her body, even – and if, in the end-  
"Look out, Florella," Talen told the fairy in a calm voice, snapping her out of her thoughts.  
Florella blinked as a sturdy arm steered her out of the way of a sizeable, water-filled pothole in the middle of the road.  
She blinked and looked up at the smith. "Oh! I didn't see it. Thank-you, Talen," she said.  
Talen simply nodded and turned back to the road ahead. "You never seem to watch where you're going when you're – ahem – off with the fairies, Florella," the smith murmured.  
The others groaned at Talen's rather terrible pun and the corners of his mouth curled up into a self-congratulating little smile.  
"Leave the humor to Link," Saria said, wrinkling her nose. "Puns are the most awful form of joke there is."  
Talen faked a hurt expression. "But it was funny," he protested dryly. "Florella was daydreaming…off with the fairies…Florella _is_ a fairy…it's pure comedic genius."  
Florella's antennae wiggled together. "It was terrible," she said flatly.  
She had to admit, though; Talen's dry sense of humor _was_ amusing…in a terribly dry kind of way.  
"Wait," Nyara said suddenly.  
They all stopped and looked at her.  
"Compass not follow road anymore," the Meera girl frowned. "We have to go through jungle."  
Florella's face fell. "Oh…no…" she groaned. "I _hate_ bush-bashing."  
Saria giggled. "It's not all that bad," she said to the Great Fairy. "Just make sure you don't sit on any ants this time. There may not be a river nearby for Talen to hurl you into."

Ark was looking at a small house nestled comfortably in a small clearing amidst the deep forest of tall trees. It was a cozy little place with a small, neat fence running around it and two little vegetable patches on either side of the door, from which led a small path to the front gate. Smoke puffed lazily from a squat stone chimney on the side of the thatched-roof cottage, wafting up through a clear patch in the forest canopy above.  
"Well? Stop gawking and come inside."  
Ark blinked and saw that the unusually-tall girl was already at the door. Mumbling an apology, Ark skittled over and followed her inside.  
"Welcome to my home…I guess," the girl said nonchalantly. "You hungry?"  
"O-oh…a little…I guess," Ark stammered, surprised at her hospitality. "Thank you."  
The girl wandered over towards the fireplace and began to stir at a steadily-bubbling pot hanging above the flames, leaving Ark to observe the interior of the neat little house.  
Like the outside, the inside was meticulously tidy. The ceiling was somewhat high, but Ark supposed that was to accommodate the second floor, which rose up about a quarter of the way along the single-roomed building. Rather than actually being built as a separate story, the second floor looked out over the rest of the cottage like a balcony, with a set of spiral stairs leading up to it. The lower floor was relatively simple. A table and chairs in the center, two armchairs and a settee, and a kitchen-area. However; there was perhaps one unusual thing about the cottage. The back wall on the upper-floor was adorned with a near-countless number of bows. There were crossbows, longbows, and recurve bows – all of different shapes and sizes. Some were plain and simple, whilst others were ornately decorated with carvings, stones, and pieces of shaped metal. It was like an entire armory up there.  
"I see you've noticed my babies."  
Ark squeaked and jumped in surprise as the tall girl suddenly appeared behind him carrying a bowl of thick soup.  
"You're a jumpy little thing, aren't you," she said, raising an eyebrow. "Anyway, here's something to eat."  
Ark accepted it gratefully. "Thank-you, Miss," he breathed, getting over his little surprise.  
"So what's your name?" the girl asked him, plonking herself down in one of the armchairs.  
"O-oh!" Ark exclaimed. "I'm sorry; I should have introduced myself properly. I am Ark; it's nice to meet you."  
"Robin," the girl muttered quietly, as if not wanting Ark to hear it.  
"That's a nice name," Ark said, seating himself at the table. "Like the bird?"  
"Yeah, like the bird," Robin grumbled.  
Ark frowned. "You don't like your name?"  
"It's stupid," Robin grunted. "Being named after a little bird…why couldn't I have been given a name that was a little more…un-girly?"  
Ark blinked at her and she swiveled her eyes up at him. "Not what you expected, am I."  
"Well…you're similar to somebody I know…but…"  
She was a tomboy, plain and simple. She was perhaps a little like Fura…but Fura was decidedly more "girly" than Robin. Fura wore the clothes and prettied herself up…Robin's clothes were strictly utilitarian.  
"But what?"  
"Nothing, Miss Robin," Ark said quickly. "Erm…Miss Robin…do you mind if I ask why you live out here all by yourself?"  
"Doesn't bother me," Robin shrugged. "Well…my mother died when I was young and then it was just my father and me living here…but then he just disappeared one day. I've lived here on my own ever since, but at least my father left a few things to protect myself with."  
Ark glanced up at the weaponry upstairs. "So…you're an archer?"  
She nodded. "A pretty good one, if I do say so myself. I can hit almost anything."  
"A friend of mine has a nice bow that he sometimes uses…but he's mainly a swordsman, so he doesn't use it that often," Ark murmured.  
"Who are these friends of yours?" Robin asked curiously. "Wouldn't they take you in?"  
Ark winced. "They…can't," he said guardedly. "Things are complicated…but they'll be safe so long as I'm not near them."  
"I thought you were trying to help them," Robin frowned, confused.  
"Well…I am," Ark murmured. "There are two that…they're dying…and I need to find a way to stop it, but the others…the others will die if I'm near them."  
Robin looked even more confused as she tried to fathom what Ark had told her. Frowning, she stood up and fetched herself a bowl of soup for herself before sitting across the table from Ark.  
"Tell it all in full," She told him. "I don't get much in the way of conversation out here…and this sounds like a very interesting story."

"Ooh…I'm so hungry," Fura groaned. "Now I know how Link feels all the time…I could eat a horse."  
Neither Fura nor Zelda had been fed for the entire length of time they had been imprisoned within the suspended cage. In fact; nobody, not even Gaul, had come to see, menace, or threaten them at all. They had simply been thrown into their prison and left to rot.  
"If only my mother could see me now…the Gerudo Fire Witch stuck in a cell."  
Zelda blinked tiredly from her spot on the floor of the cage. She had met Fura's mother several times and found her to be almost identical to her daughter in terms of personality. She was a little brusque, had a good sense of humor, and was no stranger to making the odd little lewd remark…just like Fura. She was also quite tall – perhaps the same height as Impa – and was very lean, but not quite as generously proportioned as her daughter. But still…she was quite beautiful in an exotic kind of way. Zelda also knew that Link was positively terrified of her. Whenever Link found himself trapped in a conversation with Fura's mother, she invariably got onto the subject of how many children he intended upon having with her daughter…which then broached the subject of "techniques" to help ensure that he was able to last the night whilst simultaneously maintaining maximum fertility. Link was usually out the door by that point, having given up on several fruitless and flustered attempts at changing the subject.  
"Hey, Zelda," Fura yawned, interrupting the Princess' train of thought.  
Zelda glanced over as her stomach made a rather loud grumbling noise.  
"Yes?" Zelda asked, holding her aching belly.  
"Do you think Link's a butt-man, a legs-man, or a chesty-man?"  
Zelda blinked. "A what?"  
"You know," Fura began, shifting herself into a more upright position. "Do you think he's attracted to girls' legs, backsides, or breasts?"  
Zelda snorted amusedly. "Your guess is as good as mine, Fura," the Princess laughed. "Have you _ever_ known Link to actually show _any_ interest in the female anatomy? Perhaps if your legs were actually legs of ham and so on, _then_ he'd be mildly interested."  
"Hah, I suppose you're right," Fura chuckled.  
"Besides; I think you have me beaten in all three categories," Zelda smiled. "You have some wicked curves, Fura."  
"Now, now," Fura chided the Princess lightly. "Let me tell you a story."  
"A story?"  
Fura nodded. "Yes, a story." She cleared her throat. "Anyway, there was once a man who was traveling across the desert to sell his wares in a city somewhere on the other side. The man was a merchant – a rather well-off merchant to boot – and he was ambushed in a Gerudo raid. Now the Gerudo decided to take half of his wares and money, but left him with all his provisions and the like so he'd still be able to make it through the desert…but he didn't want to go down without a fight. He jumps out of his wagon and prepares to defend his cargo and is told that he can keep everything if he wins against the best fighter there – a fairly tall, but not particularly ladylike Gerudo. He agrees, but is beaten. He did, however; put up a good fight and the woman he faces is quite impressed. So, when he returns from selling his goods, she follows him through the desert and back to his home. A little shocked to see the same Gerudo that robbed him at his home, the merchant thinks that she's there to pick his house clean, but she insists that she isn't and the merchant agrees to let her stay for a little while – after all; what gentleman would leave a lady out on the streets by herself. She sticks around for a while and the two of them become quite good friends – despite the fact that she robbed him in the desert. She makes him laugh and he is kind and hospitable to her…and then the Gerudo meets a young noblewoman whom is vying for the affections of the young merchant. She's raven-haired with soft skin, violet eyes, shapely figure, and all of that stuff – a veritable vision of loveliness. The merchant is quite friendly with her, having known the noblewoman for a good portion of his life…and naturally; the Gerudo feels a little threatened. She doesn't have a figure in the same league as the noblewoman; she has a fair amount of muscle on her – something generally thought to be a little unattractive in a woman – she doesn't have a slender nose, her ears are rounded instead of pointed, and she isn't particularly ladylike and proper. So – fearing the worst – she professed her feelings to the merchant who had shared his home with her and left to return to Gerudo Valley, heartbroken."  
Zelda blinked. "That's…a little sad," she frowned. "So he ended up with the noblewoman?"  
Fura scratched her head. "Well…shortly after returning home, an intruder was captured trying to gain entry to the fortress. The merchant had read the letter and traveled all the way to the fortress to find the Gerudo woman and ask her why she had disappeared. She told him about the noblewoman and how she couldn't compete with her appearance and all that…and the merchant laughed at her."  
"That doesn't sound very ni-"  
"He laughed at her and said that in the time she'd spent with him at his home had been perhaps the best time he'd had in his life…and that he'd much rather love a wild, desert-worn woman who knew how to make him laugh rather than somebody whose idea of a good time was gossiping with the neighbors. Besides…he found copper skin and lean muscle quite attractive on a woman," Fura told Zelda with a grin. "And that's the story of how Fura's parents met."  
Zelda blinked stupidly. "They were your _parents!?_" Zelda gasped. "Oh _wow!_ That's so romantic!"  
"My point is that bigger doesn't really mean better," Fura grinned, pointing from her chest to Zelda's. "Some men prefer a smaller bosom, some prefer them bigger." She frowned. "But I don't really think that Link cares one way or another…he wouldn't know what to do with 'em anyway."  
Zelda giggled. "That's true."  
"Which is why he needs guidance," Fura nodded resolutely.  
The Gerudo grasped Zelda's hand fiercely.  
"Zelda, promise me that if it's you who ends up with that stump of a boy…you'll turn him into a man who knows his way around a woman!" she declared.  
"Hah," Zelda laughed. "Only if you promise too, Fura."

A small flock of birds hopped about on the grassy ground as they poked about looking for seeds and insects. The jungle grove they busied themselves in was absent of anything that resembled a threat, so they were able to go about their foraging in peace…until a black shape descended from the sky. The little birds scattered, their tiny wings drumming madly as the black being crunched into the ground. It watched the birds scatter before stalking off through the jungle, cleaving through anything that happened to get in its way with a massive black blade.  
"Link…do you really have to do that?" Navi asked her partner as he hacked clean through an offending tree.  
She received a grunt in response.  
"Hey! Listen to me!" the fairy jingled. "You've been getting moodier and moodier ever since you went all…dark and stuff. I'm getting worried…"  
"I'm fine," Link sighed, ghosting his sword away, opting instead to move around trees and shrubs instead of through them. "And I think we're making good time…we traveled all day yesterday and today nearly non-stop. I can feel them…we're getting closer."  
He broke into a fast run, ducking and dodging under branches and swinging through more open areas with the Key. Navi rode on his shoulder the whole time, clinging to the black material of his tunic.  
"Are you sure you don't need to rest again?" she asked. "I mean…you _did_ say we were making good time…I don't want something to happen because you're straining yourself."  
"I have to keep going, Navi," Link told her. "Fura and Zelda need me…I have to get to them before Gaul does something…" He paused and his black skin almost seemed to fizzle with tiny particles. "I'll kill him a thousand times over if even a _single_ hair is out of place on either of them."  
With a near-bestial growl, Link reared his arm back and clawed an approaching tree clean in half. He picked up the pace, rushing through the jungle at surprising speed with his teeth clenched in an angry grimace.  
"Oh dear," Navi squeaked, clinging onto his collar as tight as her tiny hands could manage, lest she be thrown off. "Link! Calm down!"  
"I'll kill him! I'll-"  
Link's head snapped around and he zeroed in on a shape following him parallel through the jungle. His eyes gave a brief flicker as the shape drew closer and he received a small glint of red light, as if in response. Then, almost as if he knew it were coming, Link shot straight up into the air as a burst of unseen magic crashed through the jungle and shattered a number of trees. Still moving at high speed, Link formed his black sword and shot back down into the trees. Seconds later, there was an eruption of black power, and a section of jungle was decimated in an instant, with entire trees twirling into the air like toothpicks.  
"Ahh!" Navi cried, gripping Link's tunic tighter than ever. "What's going on!? Who's attacking us!?"  
Link merely growled in response and charged off to his side, smashing through another tree in the process.  
Navi suddenly saw their attacker. "Link! There he is!"  
Their mysterious ambusher appeared to be a young man in a similar guise as the ones that had taken Fura and Zelda from their beds at the inn at Bosha. This one, however; appeared to be markedly different. Rather than having a full-body leather suit, this one wore one that was similar to Impa's, but it covered his torso completely and left his arms bare. His skin was discoloured and mottled with patches of red of various sizes. Half of his head was also red, including one of his eyes, which was the source of the red glint that had caught Link's attention beforehand. His remaining eye was dark – almost black, as was the half of his hair that wasn't red.  
"I bring a message from Lord Gaul," the stranger said in a steely voice.  
Link narrowed his eyes. "What?"  
"He says that you're taking your time in getting to the women. At this rate they'll be dead long before you reach them."  
Link's eyes flared and he took a flying lunge at the mottled stranger, but he missed as the red-stained man flitted out of the way.  
"Link, he's only trying to make your angry!" Navi warned. "Don't listen!"  
But Link was already furious. He tore after his opponent as he raced ahead through the trees. Red wings suddenly billowed from Link's opponent's back and he took flight, bursting through the canopy and into the air. Link followed suit and swept through the air after him, launching volley after volley of shadow-magic at him.  
Navi narrowed her eyes and peered at the fleeing figure before them. He was similar to Link in both appearance and feel…she could sense something akin to Link's power emanating from him, though it appeared to be somewhat…incomplete.  
"Link!" Navi jingled shrilly in her partner's ear. "Be careful, his power is similar to yours in the same way that Gaul's is…but it feels incomplete and unstable. Despite that, he could still pose a significant threat. Be careful."  
Link growled in response and gave a great surge of power through his wings, speeding himself forwards. His mottled opponent looked over his shoulder in time to see Link rise over his shoulder with his large sword at the ready. Link swung, but missed as the stained figure twirled out of the way to fly alongside the Hylian boy. They glared at each other and then came together in a mighty clash, displacing vast amounts of air as their respective energies sizzled off one another. They came apart and then came together again, then again and again and again – each one bouncing off the other in a burst of conflicting magic. Again they went for each other, but the red-stained man fainted and went low before rising sharply and striking Link in the stomach. Link grunted in discomfort and somersaulted up, sending the Key's chains tearing through the air after his enemy. They clinked through the air, snaking this way and that as the red-mottled man spun and twisted with astonishing speed to evade their grasp. Thinking he had slipped through their spiraling and constricting movements, the man smirked to himself in triumph. His elation, however; was short-lived as he turned his head and saw Link hurtling straight at him. The Key had served only as a diversion. He barely had time to swear as Link wound his arm back and then smashed his fist hard into the man's face, sending him reeling back through the air. In mere seconds Link was on him again, swiping at him repeatedly with his hands like a wild beast. Gaul's subordinate managed to shake him off before wheeling away with a rapid change of direction. Link followed and the two of them raced from point to point in the sky like a cat chasing a mouse.  
"Link! Keep yourself together!" Navi shrieked. "You're losing control!"  
Link paid her no heed and continued to chase his red-stained adversary through the air. But suddenly, the mottled warrior jerked to a stop and somersaulted rapidly, catching Link off guard with a powerful kick to his jaw. Link's head snapped up and he rolled backwards in the air. He managed to right himself, but only in time to catch a thunderous detonation of his opponent's invisible power fair in the chest.  
"Link! Get back up!" Navi shouted into Link's ear as he fell like a stone. "Hey! Snap out of it!"  
The ground was fast approaching.  
"Argh! Link! If you fail here, the Fura and Zelda will die! Do you understand!?" Navi screeched. "Gaul will kill them and it won't be quick! They'll be in pain, Link! Lots of pain! So pull your finger out and fight!"  
With a splintering of wood, Link crashed through the upper-branches of the jungle below.  
"Hmph," the red-stained man snorted smugly as he hovered in place. "That wasn't so difficult…so how could he possibly have injured Lord Gau-"  
A sudden displacement of air ripped through the jungle below, shaking the trees and stirring up a cloud of dirt and dust. Branches, twigs, and leaves erupted upwards as Link burst through the greenery below with a ferocious bellow.  
"Back for more? Heh, your defeat will earn me high praise from Lord Gaul! Die!" the red-stained man laughed triumphantly.  
Another un-seeable wave of magic ripped through the air at the rapidly-approaching Link, but the Hylian boy swatted it out of the way with his Triforce-emblazed hand as if it were no more than a bothersome insect.  
The red man flinched. "What!?"  
Link spun and swung his arms up, aiming his palms at his enemy and launching three powerful blasts of shadow. The red-stained man managed to evade the first two, but the third impacted with a powerfully-concussive blast that sent him flying back through the air. But Link was already behind him, moving at blinding speed to grab his opponent. Link's black hand clenched around the mottled man's neck and then his wings billowed and beat the air powerfully, rocketing them both through the air at tremendous speed. The jungle below was but a green blur as the two combatants raced along. The red-stained man flailed about madly, but Link's grip on his neck was relentless.  
"Now!" Navi trilled.  
Link's black blade appeared in his hand, at which point he hurled it ahead of him. It windmilled through the air until stopping dead, its hilt driven deep into the trunk of a particularly tall tree while its blade stuck straight out towards the rapidly-approaching duelists.  
Link brought his face right up to his enemy's and ground his teeth together. "When you're sitting in the afterlife, make sure you reserve a place for your Master…because he'll be joining you by the end of tomorrow."  
The red man's eyes took on near-crazed look. "Your threats mean nothing to me! Lord Gaul is almighty! He'll crush you like a bug and then the Eternal Ark will be free for him and his exalted Master to open…they'll reshape the world – the entire universe! They'll-"  
"Both die," Link finished for him.  
The last thing Link and Navi heard of him was a long, shrill cry before Link – still moving at a staggering speed – slammed the mottled-warrior into his sword with tremendous force. The tree splintered and teetered back, but managed to remain more or less upright. Link's opponent hung against it, the large, black blade emerging from his chest like an exclamation point to his death. Link stared at him in a kind of detached manner. His breathing had become labored and it almost appeared as if he were having trouble keeping himself in the air.  
"Link…?" Navi spoke up quietly. "Are…you okay?"  
The boy nodded and watched as his weapon vanished, allowing the body impaled upon it to slide down the tree and fall into the jungle below.  
"I'm just…a little worn…" Link murmured breathlessly.  
He winced and coughed several times. "I'm getting tired…run-down." He closed his eyes and searched for the familiar pull of Fura and Zelda. "This way…we're getting close – I can detect their pull much clearer now. Navi, I'm counting on you to help me reach them."  
Navi jingled an affirmative and settled on the boy's shoulder. "Just try to keep calm, Link…and perhaps a rest would do you good. There's still half of today left," she suggested.  
Link nodded and began to glide down towards the jungle below.  
"And don't worry…" Navi assured him. "I'll keep an eye on you."


	77. Back To Her Side

**Chapter 76 – Back to Her Side**

Florella gazed up at the full moon from a rather comfortable spot on a moss-covered tree that had fallen against another of its kind. The night was quiet, the silence broken only by the odd croak of a frog or chirp of a cricket. A short distance behind her lay the tents, pitched around the remains of a dying fire that Talen had dutifully set and lit hours earlier. The rest of Florella's companions slept fitfully back there, all cozy and warm underneath their blankets…but sleep hadn't found Florella easily and she had left the tent she shared with Nyara to wander by herself.  
"Oh dear," the Great Fairy of Spring sighed.  
For a being that thrived on love and happiness, Florella appeared decidedly glum. Her antennae twitched listlessly as her large, dark eyes gazed wistfully up at the full moon.  
She sighed again. "Maybe…maybe we're…"  
A horrible pang went through the girl's chest and she shook her head. "No…no, I can't think like that. It won't do me any good."  
"What won't do Florella good?"  
Florella squealed horribly and slid from the tree, but her descent was stopped as somebody grabbed onto the back of her nightie. The fairy looked up to see Nyara peering cheerfully down at her.  
"Oh thank goodness," Florella breathed in relief. "Nyara…don't scare me like that."  
"Sorry," the Meera girl apologized, placing Florella back on her original spot with little show of effort. "So…what is Florella doing out here?"  
Florella blinked. "Oh…well I was just thinking about things," she said evasively. "And what about you? Why are you up and about at this hour?"  
Nyara plonked herself down next to the Great Fairy and flicked her tail about. "Nyara no like sleeping on her own," she murmured, shrugging. "It not the same as…mmm…"  
"Ark?" Florella offered.  
Nyara's ears drooped and she nodded. "Having Ark close meant that Nyara sleep well at night," she mewed. "Ark not a very big person…but he cuddly like teddy-bear. When Nyara was Bloodcat, Ark could curl up on tummy and sleep."  
Florella giggled. "I don't think that Ark would find being called a teddy-bear very flattering," she chuckled. "But it certainly was a strange sight seeing him snoozing away on your stomach."  
"When Nyara near Ark her tummy fill with butterflies," she grinned. "But Nyara like butterflies in tummy…though butterflies not visit Nyara for a while now."  
The Meera girl's ears drooped again and she sighed audibly, swinging her tail up so she could stare at its pom-pom tip.  
"Nyara hopes that Ark is thinking of Nyara…and Nyara also hopes that Zeel is looking after him," she murmured. "Even if Zeel is grumpy and mean."  
"I'm sure Ark's thinking of you, Nyara," Florella smiled, patting her friend on the back. "How could he do otherwise? You're the prettiest girl he knows."  
Nyara simply beamed at the thought. "Ark think Nyara pretty?" she asked eagerly.  
"Of course! He _adores_ you, Nyara," Florella gushed. "He gets this look in his eye when he watches you…like he's being completely overwhelmed. Did you see his reaction when you got all dressed up at Aurora for the ball? I think that spoke in volumes greater than anything he could have stuttered out."  
Nyara rocked her head from side to side as her tail followed suit – an extremely pleased looking smile gracing her open face, displaying her pointed upper-incisors.  
Florella's face suddenly grew thoughtful. "Nyara…" she began slowly. "Do you…do you think that you and Ark have some kind of future together?"  
Nyara blinked at the fairy girl. "Future?"  
"You know…after all this fuss and bother dies down do you think that, well…"  
"Mates?" Nyara offered.  
Florella nodded and Nyara shrugged in response.  
"Nyara doesn't know…Ark sometimes hard to understand," the Meera girl frowned. "Ark is very nice to Nyara…but Nyara just want Ark to be happy around Nyara. It like Ark trying to be so careful, but Nyara doesn't want him to be. Nyara doesn't even want Ark to call her "Miss". Nyara just want to be called…Nyara."  
"A fair request," Florella smiled. "It might be a bit of a mood-killer if he keeps calling you "Miss Nyara" whilst you're trying to – _ahem_ – make little Arks and Nyaras."  
Nyara's ears twitched up and she curled her lips inwards in a little display of embarrassment.  
Florella giggled at her. "Hah, I know _I'd_ be a little put off if Talen had Ark's funny little habit…but I guess it could be strangely _kinky_ in a way…" the Great Fairy mused. "Though if kinky is your thing, then talk to Fura. That girl knows about things that I think the Goddesses don't even know the body can do."  
Nyara mewed and thwacked Florella lightly in the arm. "Florella tease Nyara," the Meera girl accused. "How would Florella like Nyara teasing her about Talen?"  
Florella's little smile faded and she sighed, garnering Nyara's attention. The Meera blinked curiously and leaned closer to Florella so she could watch her face carefully.  
"What wrong with Florella?" she asked.  
"Oh…I'm just being a little worrywart," Florella said, waving off Nyara's concern. "Don't worry."  
"Florella sure?" Nyara pressed.  
"Florella sure," Florella nodded. "I was just thinking about…Talen and myself."  
Nyara nodded. "Oh, all right," she said. "Nyara like Talen…he big and strong. Florella have healthy babies if she and Talen become mates."  
It was Florella's turn to grow embarrassed and she fidgeted uneasily on the tree. Nyara grinned and patted the Great Fairy gently on the head.  
"Florella go back to bed soon?" she asked. "Nyara tired, but can't sleep if she by herself."  
Florella nodded absently. "Yes…yes, I'll be along shortly," the fairy murmured as Nyara sprung to her feet.  
The Meera girl swished her tail and began to clamber down the tree. "Florella no take too long."  
"No, I won't," Florella assured her. "Goodnight, Nyara…"

"…and that's how I ended up here," Ark sighed.  
The grey-haired boy took a deep breath after retelling the events leading up to his meeting with the tomboyish Robin. He relived it all in that cozy little house in the woods, even his most traumatic experiences – the ravaging of his memories, his flight from Nyara in the jungle, and the news of Aarden's death. Robin listened patiently through it all with an unreadable expression on her face.  
"Erm…and that's it," Ark mumbled, tapping his index fingers together.  
He waited for Robin's response and flicked his un-bandaged eye up to meet hers fleetingly. The tall girl raised an eyebrow and then her lips – previously held thin and flat – contorted into a pout.  
"You expect me to believe _that?_" she scoffed loudly.  
Ark blinked. "Ah- pardon?"  
"That's the most far-fetched, fanciful, and _ridiculous_ story I've ever heard!" Robin laughed. "The Eternal Ark? A mansion owned by a scythe-wielding girl in a realm under a never-ending night? A boy that turns into a being made entirely out of shadow? And a girl that turns into a giant, wind-controlling cat-beast?"  
Robin shook her head and laughed again. "Whatever, you sure have a _big_ imagination for such a little guy. If you don't want to tell me why you're out here, then that's fine. At least I got a good story out of you."  
Ark looked almost horrified. "B-but I'm not lying!" he protested. "It's all true!"  
"Of course it is, Dinky," Robin smirked patronizingly. "You still hungry? There's more soup if you want it."  
"I'm telling the truth! Please believe me, Miss Robin!"  
Robin gave Ark a funny look as she slid her chair back and stood up. With a long and languorous stretch or her arms, the archer staggered over to the door.  
"Stop calling me "Miss Robin", okay. You make me sound like your teacher or something," she yawned. "Anyway, I'm going outside to tend to my vegetables. You seem like the trustworthy type, so I'm going to let you poke around in here unsupervised until I come back. Just remember that if you _do_ steal anything and make a run for it…I'll hunt you through these woods and fill you so full of arrows you'll look like a porcupine with too many quills."  
Ark's face blanched.  
"I'll be outside if you need me, Dinky," Robin chuckled, her voice fading as she went through the door. "Dinky…that's a good name. I think I'll call you that from now on…"  
Ark sighed and stood, picking his empty bowl up as he did so. Robin had told him that he could have more to eat, but the broth had been so thick that it had left him with very little room in his stomach. Instead, the grey-haired boy washed the bowl in the kitchen's basin and then proceeded to take a closer look around the house.  
"Not upstairs, though," Ark told himself out loud. "That's her place."  
He picked his way around the kitchen and the rest of downstairs, noting with some surprise that it was surprisingly tidy – Robin didn't seem the type who was a stickler for cleanliness. She was quite blunt…and a little insulting, but she seemed to be a genuinely good person at the end of the day. Ark continued his wandering and – as if pulled by some gravitational force – found himself standing in front of a rather large bookshelf built into the wall beneath the second-storey overhang.  
"Hmm," the boy frowned. "I didn't pick her as the type who read much…what have we here?"  
Ark's question was answered in the form of row upon of-  
"Romance novels?" Ark coughed in surprise.  
The bookshelf was full of them; those terribly-written and horrifically sickening piles of mush that depicted men with bronzed-muscled chests and women whose clothes just didn't seem to be able to stay in one piece…the type of garbage that Florella enjoyed losing herself in. Despite her brusque temperament, it appeared that Robin was quite the romantic.  
It was at that point that the tall girl in question burst back inside, a grimace of horror on her face.  
"Wait!" she shouted. "Just don't look at the book-"  
The brown-clad girl trailed off upon seeing Ark standing before her extensive collection of books with a puzzled look plastered across his face.  
"…shelf," the girl sighed. "Damn…I forgot about those."  
"I'm sorry," Ark apologized. "I didn't know you wanted these kept a secr-"  
"Augh! It's true!" Robin wailed dramatically. "Dresses and pretty, girly things are like rusty nails on a chalk-board for me, but…"  
She clasped her long, slender fingers together and swept herself up dramatically, her woeful expression changing to one of bitter longing.  
"To feel sweet, true love filling this lonely heart of mine is that which I desire most! The sweet caress of a handsome, dashing rogue on the high seas…the demanding, passionate kiss of a brave, mysterious hero!"  
Robin staggered and swooned about like she was possessed, unnerving Ark just a _little_…or perhaps more than a little. He stared at her, not quite sure what to say or do…the girl was still rambling on and on about men with muscular torsos and questionable origins…  
Ark winced as Robin collapsed over the settee.  
"Erm…"  
The girl sat up suddenly and fixed the grey-haired boy with a pitying look.  
"I know what you're thinking," she said, shaking her head. "But I'm afraid you're not my type. You're just too, well…_dinky_, Dinky."  
Ark pursed his lips with an expression of surprised indignation.  
"Oh…" Robin began, as if suddenly remembering something. "Tell anyone about this and I'll pop you in the face."  
Ark blinked. "Ah…all right."  
"Good," Robin nodded, standing up and composing herself. "And we shall never speak of this again, got it?"  
"Y-yes," Ark squeaked, feeling rather intimidated as the tall girl loomed up over him.  
"Even better," she smirked. "Now…tell me that story of yours again – the part with that blacksmith and the Great Fairy of whatever. I like that part."  
"It's not a story!" Ark protested.  
"Look, Dinky," Robin chuckled. "You have to see it from my point of view…doesn't it seem just a _little_ fanciful-"  
"I'll prove it to you!" Ark declared suddenly.  
He dashed over to his pack and hauled it back over to where Robin stood. He opened it up and dug around inside it for a while.  
"What's a pack going to do to convince me?" Robin asked skeptically. "Do you have a Great Fairy hidden awa-hahahaaaa!?"  
Ark pulled out a jewel of a sizeable proportion and dropped it into Robin's hand. The girl stared at it and then at Ark as he began to dig out Rupees and other assorted treasures from the depths of the pack until a small fortune was sitting on the floor.  
"H-holy…where'd you get all of _that!?_" the girl gasped.  
"All that," Ark said, pointing. "Came from the chamber beneath the manor I told you about. Miss Zeel's demon-half gave it to me."  
Robin merely stared.  
"Now…hand me your dagger," Ark told the girl.  
She did as instructed, though her attention still appeared to be drawn by the pile of valuables on the floor.  
"Watch closely," Ark murmured.  
He began to draw the tip of the blade across the palm of his hand, inflicting a small cut – not terribly deep – upon his skin.  
"Hey! What do you think you're doing!?" Robin demanded. "What's the matter with you? Don't just cut yourself for no reason-"  
Ark held his hand up and showed her the cut – her second big surprise for the day. The thin line of red slowly began fade away as the skin knit itself together…and then it was gone altogether. Ark flexed his hand several times for extra emphasis.  
Robin shook her head. "No way!" she exclaimed. "That's some kind of trick!"  
"It's no trick," Ark assured her. "It's no story, Miss Robin. What I told you was-"  
"Aha!" Robin shouted in triumph.  
She bolted towards Ark and yanked him into the air by his ankles. The boy squawked in surprise and began to flail about madly.  
"Ack! What are you doing!? Please put me down!"  
"If that part about the two Zeels – or whatever they were called – is true…then…"  
Robin deftly tugged on Ark's shirt so that it flopped down over his head, exposing the bandages wound around his back. Carefully, Robin eased them away from his skin and peered at what was underneath.  
"Yeek!" the girl squeaked, releasing her grip on Ark upon seeing the claw-marks. "You have…_marks_ there!"  
Ark groaned and sat up, rubbing his head after it connected rather roughly with the floor.  
"Owww," Ark tutted with a pained wince. "Miss Robin…what I told you was the truth. I don't lie."  
Robin flopped back onto her settee and stared at him in disbelief. The treasure, the claw-marks on his back, the cut on his hand that had healed…they all corroborated with Ark's incredible tale.  
"You really _weren't_ lying!" the tall girl blurted, leaping up. "Which means…"  
Ark blinked. "Which means…?"  
Robin's expression suddenly twisted into sheer outrage. With a menacing air about her, she advanced upon Ark and belted him solidly upside his head.  
"Which means you're the biggest artard on the face of the _planet!_"  
"P-pardon?" Ark squeaked, rubbing the back of his head.  
"You just went and ran off on that Nyara girl and left her all alone!? How could you!?" Robin raged.  
Ark inhaled sharply and stared at her, hypnotized with fear as Robin drew herself up to her full height and verbally-berated Ark to the best of her ability.  
"The first rule of romance is to never, _ever_ run off on the girl! It was the _stupidest_ possible thing you could have done!" she raged. "You should have stayed by her side! Rrgh! And then there are those Zeel girls as well!"  
The auburn-haired girl drilled her fists into the sides of her head. "Augh! You've made a real dog's breakfast of things, haven't you!?"  
Ark's mouth opened and closed. "I-I didn't mean to…" he squeaked pathetically.  
"Well what are you going to do about it!?" Robin demanded crossly.  
"Do?" Ark parroted.  
"Yeah, _do!_" Robin growled.  
"I-"  
"Augh! You're hopeless!" Robin blasted. "_This_ is what you're going to do: you're going to find Nyara – or whatever her name is – and you're going to stick by her side, got it!?"  
"But-"  
"_And_ you're also going to something about Zeel and Zeel. You've pledged yourself to helping them already, so you're not _completely_ hopeless," Robin sighed.  
"But…Miss Nyara will die if I go back…the others will too," Ark murmured. "How could I live with myself if that happened? Isn't staying away the best thing to do?"  
"Of course…" Robin nodded.  
Ark breathed a sigh of relief.  
"…if you're an _idiot!_" the girl finished loudly.  
Ark flinched horribly.  
"Look…what were you told _exactly_ about them dying?" she asked in a tone that carried a little more softness to it.  
Ark thought for a few moments.  
"_If you stay with them, you will lose…everything."  
_Ark shuddered at the recollection of those horrible words. With some hesitation, he repeated them to Robin, who pursed her lips thoughtfully.  
"You know…" the tall girl began quietly. "It doesn't specifically say that they'll die…does it."  
Ark looked at her sharply. "But…it says I'll lose everything…and they _are_ everything to me. What else have I got?"  
"Perhaps it means something else – like your possessions, the rest of your memories…or your life."  
Ark continued to stare at her.  
"Look; I want you to make your decision by tomorrow. Decide," Robin told him simply. "Decide whether it's your life or theirs…then either run from them for the rest of your days, or go back to that Nyara girl's side…regardless of what may happen to you."  
Ark stared at the tall girl as she stood before him. She was absolutely correct – Ark had to choose. Keep running, or risk everything he had to help Nyara and the others.  
Ark nodded. "Thank-you, Miss Robin," he smiled gratefully. "I shall leave tomorrow…and return to her side."

Zeel was slumped on her knees. Her arms lay idly at her sides and her head hung down, spilling her fringe down over her face. Clasped loosely in one hand was her large scythe, its purple blade shining softly in the moonlight that had managed to poke through the tangled mass of vines and creepers that filled the room the girl occupied.  
"Gone," she murmured in a dry voice. "Taken from me again…"  
The black-haired girl turned her head slowly and fixed her angry, purple eyes on the doorway. Her other half stood there, leaning against the wood with a pitying frown on her face.  
"You look terrible," the green-skinned demon said.  
Zeel laughed bitterly; a harsh, mocking sound. "Look who's talking."  
The demon raised an eyebrow. "I didn't mean it like that," she muttered. "Your eyes are all red-rimmed and puffy."  
Zeel said nothing and allowed her head to hang back down. Minutes passed before the black-haired girl spoke again.  
"I'll find him again," she growled. "Even _with_ that band around his ankle…I'll hunt him down and bring him back here."  
"Zeel…" the demon-girl began.  
"What!?" Zeel snapped. "Don't tell me you wouldn't want him back here…I know about your soft spot for him. You were too useless to prevent him from being stolen a _second_ time."  
The black-haired girl sighed. "Are you sure you didn't get a look at who took him?"  
Demon-Zeel's face betrayed no hint of guilt as she quite readily told Zeel that she hadn't.  
Being killed by her other half was not the way in which she wished to expire…but she couldn't bring herself to leave Zeel all alone either. Therefore; the demon-girl had torn up Ark's room to make it look like a fight had occurred, and then she had told Zeel that Ark had been taken from the manor by some unknown intruders. It had worked, surprisingly; but only due to the fact that the silver-haired demon had struck herself with her own attacks by bouncing them off of a mirror.  
"Zeel…" the demon sighed sadly. "Maybe you should just…let it go. It's wrong to keep hounding that boy. He's innocent in all of this…"  
"I don't care!" Zeel snapped, smashing her fist into the floor. "I want to live! Ark's the key to my survival! If I don't find him…then I'm dead! No reward!"  
She stood up and hammered the butt of her scythe onto the floorboards.  
"I don't want to die! Do you!? You'll die too!"  
The demon smiled sadly. "Zeel…don't you realize that you already got your wish?"  
Zeel looked a little unsure of herself.  
"I'm a demon, but Ark didn't care. He became my friend…and in doing so, he fulfilled my greatest wish. I have no regrets."  
"Well I do!" Zeel roared. "I want the life that I never got! If I have to lock Ark away in a cage forever…then so be it!"  
Demon-Zeel shook her head and laughed wryly.  
"I won't help this time, you know," she said, wandering into the plant-choked room. "I think I'll stay here and just sit in this room. It smells of Ark…I'll be happy in here."  
"Fine," Zeel snarled, curling her lip. "Then I'll be the one to live…and you'll be the one to die."  
"I don't care," the demon smiled, breathing in the scents of the room. "Because I'd rather die happy than live being miserable."  
She lay back on the grass and moss-covered floor and closed her eyes.  
"I won't bother wishing you good-luck, Zeel," she chuckled. "Because I really hope you don't catch him again."  
With a silent scowl, Zeel vanished and left her demon-half alone in the room.  
Demon-Zeel smirked and crushed a handful of flowers into her face, breathing in deep, and then sighing placidly. The scent of Ark was all around her – in the plants grown from his blood that she had spilled. She was happy.  
"But I have a feeling we'll meet again, Ark," demon-Zeel smiled. "And I wonder what will happen in that meeting…"

"My butt hurts."  
Fura stood up and beat her fists against her backside several times to restore blood circulation.  
Sitting on a metal-grille for several days wasn't particularly comfortable, especially if you didn't have much clothing to cushion yourself with. Still, Fura and Zelda had hung in remarkably well…even if they weren't being fed at all.  
"I'm so hungry…" Zelda groaned, rolling onto her back. "The second Link gets us out of here I'm going to eat and eat until my stomach bursts."  
"Pah, the second Link gets here I'm going to sink my teeth into his backside," Fura snorted. "I'm so hungry…"  
"Fura…" Zelda sighed reproachfully.  
"What?" Fura blustered indignantly. "It's the hunger…I could even eat one of Link's disgusting snacks right now. Ick…butter covered in sugar…"  
"It's so wrong…but seems so delicious right now," Zelda whimpered, her stomach growling loudly.  
The two of them lay in silence for a while, not really having the energy to do anything besides stare up into the darkness of the shaft they were stuck in.  
Fura scratched her forehead as her stomach growled even louder than Zelda's.  
"Zelda?" the Gerudo asked.  
"Mmm?"  
"Do you think that Link will be…_difficult_ for the rest of his life?" Fura queried.  
Zelda blinked several times. "Difficult? How do you mean?"  
"Well when it comes time to, hrmm…go to bed but not sleep – as it were…" the Gerudo murmured. "Do you think he'll actually, you know…want to?"  
Zelda was about to give an answer…before realizing that she didn't actually _have_ and answer. She was hardly surprised that Fura had asked it, however; seeing as how things in _that_ area were Fura's favorite topics of conversation.  
"I don't know," Zelda murmured tiredly. "I think that most boys around Link's age – perhaps a little older too – think about it a fair bit…but I think that our little man's more concerned with food, playing, and sleeping. In fact; I do believe he encompasses the entire topic of making babies, kissing, and all of that under the heading of "ick" or "disgusting". You know how it is."  
"It's almost depressing," Fura agreed with a dejected sigh. "Maybe if we covered ourselves with assorted baked goods he'd find us more appealing."  
"He's so…_restrained_," Zelda said, frowning. "Passion isn't in his vocabulary…and perhaps it never will be. Affection, yes…but Link doesn't seem to have the makings of a Romeo."  
Fura pursed her lips in thought and rolled her eyes about as the wheels and gears clicked around inside her head.  
"I bet he'd change his tune it we were Meera," Fura murmured.  
"Pardon?" Zelda frowned.  
"Maybe…deep-down…Link's got a kinky streak running through him. I can think of a billion kinky things I could do if I were a Meera."  
Zelda rolled her eyes. "And what difference would being a Meera make?"  
Fura proceeded to tell the Princess exactly what the difference would be…in great detail. When she had finished, Zelda looked just a little pale.  
"_Fura!"_ she hissed. "You can't do that to a _boy!_"  
"Why?"  
"Because…because isn't it supposed to be the other way around?"  
"It'd be _both_ if I were a Meera. Think about it."  
Zelda did, despite her best efforts not to.  
"Fura!" Zelda gasped. "I don't want to hear anymore!"  
Fura frowned. "You're no fun."  
"I'm plenty of fun," Zelda coughed politely. "But that sounded just a _little_ outrageous, didn't it?"  
"I'd do it," the Gerudo said with a shrug.  
"That's why I sometimes fear for Link's safety. You'd tear him apart."  
Fura grinned and then the two fell silent for a while.  
There wasn't much sound in the dark shaft in which their cage hung. The bubbling from the lava far below didn't quite reach them, and there was no howling of wind or anything either.  
"How long do you think we've been here?" Fura asked, shifting on the hard floor.  
"It's hard to tell," Zelda murmured. "There's no way to see the sky…but it feels like two days at least."  
"One left then," Fura yawned. "Link…hurry up and save us."  
"He's coming," Zelda assured the Gerudo. "Can't you feel it? Lie still and reach out with your soul…Link is close."

A black, swiftly-moving figure flitted through the dark, pre-dawn forest. A tiny light flickered briefly on its shoulder and – as if in response – the black figure slowed down to a run.  
"Link…you don't look too good," Navi jingled in concern.  
"No…I don't feel too good either," the boy panted, keeping up his pace. "I'm wearing down fast."  
"Maybe you should stop for a while…" Navi frowned.  
"No! This is the last day!" Link growled. "I can't afford to take any more rests…this is it."  
There wasn't any arguing with him, Navi decided. Instead, the fairy jingled softly and huddled in under her partner's tunic.  
The forest around them was strange. Tall, widely-spaced trees blotted out most of the sun above, but it only seemed to make the place even more ethereal, with fireflies and pollen drifting aimlessly through the air to occasionally catch the odd shaft of light.  
"Can you…tell if we're close?" the tiny fairy asked her partner.  
"We are," Link replied. "The sensation is much stronger…they're…"  
At that point, the Key's chains twisted down and launched Link up through the forest canopy. For a few, fleeting seconds, the two of them were able to see a dark shape off in the distance. It rose above the forest on a barren, craggy outcrop of rock situated on the very edge of a cliff. The outcrop itself seemed to have been carved and fashioned into a tremendous fortress of staggering size complete with soaring towers topped with parapets, tiny, arched windows, and a huge, steel portcullis barring entrance. Dark, churning storm clouds boiled turbulently above, their insides flickering with bolts of lightning.  
"…There," Link growled. "And so is Gaul…"  
Upon the mention of the man's name, tendrils of black energy began to crackle over Link's body and, for a brief instant, his eyes flickered a smoky-red colour.  
Navi, however; failed to see the brief change before Link crashed back through the forest canopy and thundered on towards his destination, his mind bent on the destruction of Gaul.

"This is it then," Talen murmured as he poked around the remains of the previous night's fire, trying to coax the few remaining coals to ignite the twigs and leaves he had placed upon them.  
Impa – incidentally the only other person up and about – shifted her gaze from her book to the young blacksmith.  
"Hmm?"  
"This is Link's final day to find Fura and Zelda…and I have to admit that I'm rather anxious," the brown-haired boy sighed.  
The fire began to pop and crackle as the leaves and twigs caught alight.  
"So am I," Impa admitted, closing her book slowly. "So much so that it has been keeping me awake these past few nights. But I have to keep my faith in Link strong – it's what keeps me most at ease."  
The Sheikah woman ran her fingers through her hair and then scratched the bridge of her nose.  
"Still…by the end of today-"  
"Big breakfast for Nyara!"  
The Meera girl burst out of the tent she shared with Florella and bounded over to the fire with a great swish of her tail. She knelt there, tapping her hands on her knees excitedly until she realized that breakfast had not yet been made.  
"Nyara hungry," she mewed. "Nyara get own breakfast."  
And with that, she bounded out of the camp and off into the undergrowth to hunt out some poor little animals.  
Talen shuddered. "Ick…I _really_ hope she doesn't bring her breakfast back here to eat it."  
"You're not alone with that sentiment," Impa murmured. "I do believe that Nyara would be quite capable of making a good living patrolling wheat stores."  
From the forest came the sounds of rustling, feminine growling, and then a sharp squeak.  
"Got one!" came Nyara's victorious cry. "Ooh! Nice and big…"  
"Nyara! We don't want to know!" Talen exclaimed, covering his ears with his hands.  
The Meera girl returned to the fire a short while later with a satisfied smile on her face. She plopped down onto her backside and sat cross-legged in front of the sprouting flames.  
"You seem awfully happy today, Nyara," Impa noted.  
Nyara nodded.  
"Care to share with us?"  
"Link get Fura and Zelda back today," the Meera girl grinned. "Then we all meet up, get rest of Locks, close Eternal Ark, and then Nyara can see Ark again!"  
Talen blinked. "I…see."  
"Link is idiot-boy, but Link know how to fight. He not lose to Gaul," Nyara assured the smith.  
"Hah," Impa chuckled. "Well it's good to see that somebody here isn't letting current happenings get them down. Nyara, why don't you go wake Saria and Florella? We'll get some breakfast into ourselves and then head out to find the next Lock."

Robin had graciously allowed Ark to sleep on her settee for the night. It was quite comfortable, Ark had to admit, but Robin almost made more noise asleep than awake. She snored, talked in her sleep – which sometimes escalated into shouting – and even sleepwalked. Several hours of sleep at best was about all Ark managed, lying there with his glowing ball clutched against his chest and his un-bandaged eye open and slightly bloodshot.  
"C'mon, Dinky," Robin barked suddenly, rolling Ark off the cushions and onto the floor. "Time to wake up and start the day."  
Robin was evidently an early riser.  
"Wh-what?" Ark mumbled drowsily.  
"Wow, you're not really a morning person, are you," the tall girl frowned.  
"Morning?" Ark murmured.  
He peered at one of the windows and saw nothing but darkness outside.  
"That's right, morning. You know; that mysterious time of day that comes after night?" Robin sniffed, stumping into the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast?"  
Ark groaned and rubbed his eye clean of sleep. The day was already going downhill.  
Breakfast consisted of thick, lumpy porridge with absolutely nothing to sweeten it. Robin seemed to enjoy it immensely, but Ark was less than enthused. Still, he ate it all without complaint and felt decidedly bloated afterwards – porridge had a habit of doing that to people.  
Ark repacked his pack after breakfast and then followed Robin outside just as the sun was beginning to shine through the trees. The pollen in the air glowed golden-yellow and the birds in the trees began to sing and warble in the cool air.  
"So…" Robin began. "Do you know which way you should be heading?"  
Ark shook his head. "I don't," he admitted. "But regardless…I have to go out and find them."  
"You going to be okay out there?" the tall girl beside Ark asked, looking down at him. "You're awfully small…and not particularly robust. Yet I suppose you have magic on your side, as well as that weird healing ability."  
Ark smiled. "Thank-you for your concern, Miss Robin, but I will be fine."  
"Then the best of luck to you," Robin nodded, helping Ark hoist his pack onto his back.  
Suddenly, however; the tall archer yanked Ark around behind her and raised her longbow. In the same, fluid movement, she notched an arrow against the bowstring and drew it back.  
"M-miss Robin!?" Ark squeaked. "What-"  
"Shhh!" Robin hissed. "Something's coming…and fast."  
Ark held his breath and listened. The wind began to blow through the forest, creating a whole host of eerie noises from the trees creaking and groaning against each other.  
"There!" Robin whispered.  
From the depths of the forest came a black figure. Trailing behind it was what looked like two long chains, and upon its shoulder sat a tiny ball of light. It raced along at incredible speed, but seemed to completely ignore the small cottage and the two standing before it.  
Robin trained her bow after the dark figure, but upon seeing that it had simply passed by, she lowered it and sighed.  
"What in the world was _that?_" the archer frowned. "Never seen anything like it before."  
She looked at Ark and noticed – with some surprise – that the boy's expression seemed slightly joyful.  
"Th-that was Link!" he exclaimed. "Link and Navi!"  
"Link and Navi? Oh! They're two of your friends, aren't they?"  
"Yes!" Ark nodded. "Miss Robin, I have to go!"  
He started off at a run in the direction in which Link had gone, waving over his shoulder as he went.  
"Miss Robin! I will visit you again!" Ark called. "And thank-you for making me decide!"  
Robin smirked and waved back.  
"Don't worry, Dinky," she called. "I have a funny feeling that we'll meet again before too long."  
And with that, the tall Robin turned and headed back towards her cottage as Ark ran through the forest to once again stand at Nyara's side.


	78. Brother

**Chapter 77 – Brother**

"Need…food…" Fura groaned. "Stomach…eating itself…"  
As if to confirm what she had said, a tremendously-loud gurgle came from the girl's midsection.  
"I don't get it…" Zelda murmured. "What does Gaul gain by starving us?"  
"Well if it's to make me hate him even more, then he's succeeded," Fura grumbled, rubbing her belly as if hoping to quell its protests. "Link can kill him…and then I'll _eat_ him."  
Zelda laughed dryly, too exhausted to bother with chiding the redhead for her distasteful mumblings. "I wonder if this _is_ our last day in the land of the living?" she mused idly.  
"Huh?" Fura grunted. "Jeez, Zelda…what a thing to say. We can't die yet. Link still has his chastity. Once that's taken by either myself, you, or possibly even Ruto…_then_ we can die. Otherwise we'd be letting him off the hook too easily."  
Zelda turned her head and looked at her cellmate. "Fura…you think about those kinds of things a whole lot, don't you?"  
Fura shrugged. "It wouldn't be bending the truth to say that it _does_ cross my mind on a regular basis," the redhead frowned thoughtfully. "But then, that's just the way I am. A Gerudo's life-partner isn't permitted to live with her in the Gerudo Fortress…so we're taught that the time you _do_ spend together needs to be extra-special. If Link and I do end up together, he won't be able to live with me, so you can be certain that I want to make all of our…_encounters_ as memorable as possible."  
Zelda thought about that for a while and decided that it made a good deal of sense.  
To those that didn't know her as well as her companions, Fura would simply appear to be lusting after the hapless and rather stubborn Link…but it wasn't so. There was no denying the physical yearning that the girl held – she was sixteen and in the middle of blossoming into an adult after all – but Fura would never do something simply for the sake of it – there had to be nothing but love behind it, and love Link she did. She had stated before that she and the object of her affection would never "do the thing" unless they were of age and absolutely ready, but that didn't mean she couldn't _think_ about it…  
A sudden, loud clank from the door broke through the contemplative air of the cell. Something turned and there was the sound of metal scraping noisily against metal.  
"Zelda!" Fura hissed. "Get behind!"  
The Gerudo grabbed Zelda roughly by the wrist and yanked her over behind herself as the door began to slowly swing open. She then raised her palm towards the cell door, holding her wrist in her other hand to keep it steady.  
"Fura!" squeaked Zelda.  
"Hold it!" Fura commanded. "Stay right where you are! Otherwise you'll find out exactly what it feels like to be seared like a well-done steak!"  
The door continued its slow, steady arc until it banged solidly into the stone wall of the cell.  
Zelda gasped and Fura loosed a blast of flame, striking the figure in the doorway with a powerful, concussive blast.  
"Now what kind of a greeting is that?" a voice asked though the smoke.  
Gaul stepped into view, a smug little smile gracing his face.  
"You!" Zelda exclaimed.  
"Yes, me," Gaul chuckled. "I do hope the two of you aren't too hungry, because there won't be any time for meals now. We have a visitor."  
There was a muffled, far-off rumble and the shaft in which the cage hung shook ever so slightly.  
"A visitor? Link!" Fura gasped. "Hah! Now you'll get what's coming to you!"  
Gaul's lips drew back into a thin, chilling smile. "Perhaps, perhaps," the man chuckled. "But we'll just have to see what kind of shape he's in, hmm? Come along, you don't want to be late for his grand entrance."

The Lock was close – the Compass said so…but it wasn't terribly accurate when it was dealing with close distances.  
Nyara frowned and shook the blue sphere like a snow-globe, but it didn't really change much. The Compass point was still shifting slightly and not giving her a definite direction.  
"Compass is stupid," Nyara pouted. "It not point in right direction."  
"Thus defeating its purpose of being a compass," Talen murmured. "Maybe an animal has it. I remember the Lock we found at Windhill was being carried around by a rat. It took us a while to zero in on it."  
Florella shuddered. "A _rat?_ Oh yuck!"  
"Rats are very clean animals," Talen said thoughtfully. "My father used to keep one as pet. Its name was Filthy."  
"Rats are disgusting!" Florella insisted adamantly. "They crawl…and squeak…and all those little scratching noises…eww."  
"Rats taste good," Nyara said absently, still shaking the Compass. "Too big to eat whole, though."  
"Oh Nyara!" Saria squealed. "You're going to make me throw up! Enough rat-talk!"  
And that ended that.  
However; a few moments later the Compass-point began to flit about wildly within its blue confines. It jerked in one direction, then another, then down, and then off in another direction.  
Nyara mewed her discontent. "Compass is even stupider than before."  
Impa sighed and stopped walking. "Let's stop for a moment," she said, calling the little group in. "We'll rest a few moments and then have a look around. The next Lock is probably close, seeing as how the Compass is acting strangely. Put your packs down over here."  
They did what Impa suggested and placed their cumbersome packs in a heap at the base of a large, knotted tree. The roots provided them with knobbly seats.  
Nyara swished her tail from side to side and held her weary feet straight out in front of her with her toes wiggling like little caterpillars. They popped noisily and the Meera girl gave a sigh of relief.  
"No," Saria shuddered. "Don't do that. Popping joints and knuckles and what-have-you makes my skin crawl. Link does it all the time back home. He sounds like a pair of canastas."  
"It'll be music to my ears if I hear it again soon," Florella murmured, rocking back and forth. "I hope they're all okay."  
"So do I," Impa sighed. "So do I…but we'd best get to doing what Link told us to. Come on, the next Lock can't be far off."  
The tall woman hopped off the gnarled root she was using as a seat and headed towards the thicker jungle on the side of the road.  
"We'll have a quick poke around here. Look for recent disturbances – turned up earth and damaged plants and so forth. The Locks appear to have fallen from very high up and make a bit of a hole in the ground when they land. Leave the packs where they are."  
"Nyara sniff out Lock," the Meera girl said, leaping into the undergrowth. "Nyara's nose better than Compass."  
"I'll look on this side of the road," Talen said, stretching as he went. "Florella and Saria; don't wander to far from the rest of us."  
The young smith disappeared into the jungle, but he could still be heard brushing past plants and snapping twigs.  
"Ooh! Talen!" Florella called suddenly, dashing after him. "Wait for me! We can look together!"  
"We'll cover more ground if we split up, Florella," Talen's voice came from the jungle.  
"But I'm scared by myself…protect me!"  
"But Saria's with you."  
"_Taleeeeeeeeeeeen!"  
_Saria shuddered as Florella's horrible, whining note grated against her eardrums. Florella had a lovely voice, but when she began whining, her voice became unbearable.  
"I think I'll be quite happy by myself, thank-you," Saria murmured to nobody in particular.

With a deafening explosion, Link blasted his way straight through the huge portcullis guarding the fortress. Metal and stone sprayed back, and the inner-compound was coated with a layer of rubble and dust.  
Link burst into the grounds as the blown-out wall behind him began to collapse and crumble.  
"Ack!" Navi squeaked. "Would you like to make any _more_ noise!? The whole fortress has probably been alerted to our presence by now!"  
Link ignored her and instead focused his attention on the fortress' main entrance, charging towards it and smashing through with a powerful blast of shadow.  
Navi ducked into her partner's tunic. "Link!" the fairy jingled sharply. "Be _careful!_"  
Link, however; was focusing his attention elsewhere.  
Once the dust from his impromptu entrance had cleared, the once-blonde boy was able to get a clear look at the inside of the fortress.  
It was dark, illuminated only by a handful of burning torches stuck into iron rings on the walls. Red wall-hangings covered the dull stone and twisted, grinning gargoyle-heads sat atop the arched doors that led off to different sections of the massive structure.  
Link's head suddenly snapped over to a narrow stairwell and he went for it, his feet barely touching each step as he spiraled down into the depths of the fortress.  
"Slow down!" Navi squeaked. "Who knows what may be waiting for you? Link! Listen to me!"  
But Link didn't. He continued to travel down, down; down into the bowels of Gaul's domain until, finally, he reached a long, wide hallway. He looked from side to side and, picking a direction, ran off at top speed.  
"Do you know where they are?" Navi asked, poking her tiny head out from his collar. "Wouldn't there…be more guards if they were along here?"  
Again, Link stayed silent until he ground to a halt outside a stout iron door. He banged his fist against it once before summoning up his large, black sword and ramming it straight into where the door met the wall. Then, with one swift movement, Link ground his blade up and sheared straight through the hinges.  
The door fell out into the hall with a loud bang, and no sooner had it fallen that Link was dashing into the room beyond. He stopped inside and looked around the cell he found himself in, but Fura and Zelda were not there.  
"Where!?" Link growled furiously.  
He looked down through the mesh floor to the bubbling lava far below and then up into the darkness of the shaft above.  
"Link!" Navi jingled. "Look here!"  
The little fairy's glowing form jiggled above a thread so thin that it was nearly impossible to see.  
Link picked it up and held it close to his face.  
"Fura's hair," he said.  
"They were in here," Navi said. "Link! Can you feel where they are now?"  
Link narrowed his eyes and then slowly tilted his head back.  
Navi followed his gaze and stared up at the dark shaft above.  
"Up there!" Link barked.  
His wings billowed, his legs bunched, and Link rocketed up, plowing through the roof of the cage with little hindrance, up and up, faster and faster.  
"Oooh Liiiiink!" Navi wailed, clinging desperately to her partner's cap as the air rushed by her. "I hope you know what you're dooooing!"

Ark had never been a particularly robust boy, but running with a heavy pack weighing him down made things even harder. However; he persevered in his pursuit of Link and the forest finally began to thin out.  
"G-goodness!" the pack-laden boy gasped upon seeing what lay beyond the trees.  
It was a fortress; tall, dark, and brooding. It sat atop an outcropping of rock on the very edge of a cliff against which Ark could hear the pounding surf dashing itself far below. Thick storm-clouds boiled away overhead, blanketing the entire area under a gloomy shroud.  
"N-not a very inviting place," Ark murmured nervously to himself. "But…I guess that's where Link went."  
As the distance between Ark and the fortress decreased, he could see that a portion of the wall surrounding it had collapsed completely. The damage looked recent.  
Ark approached cautiously in case there were any aggressors nearby, but he found on closer inspection that the place was deserted. He clambered over the wrecked wall and into the fortress' grounds, stowing his heavy pack behind some rubble to make it easier for him to move.  
The main entrance to the fortress itself appeared to have been blown in, but the resulting hole had been blocked by more collapsed rubble. Whoever had made the way in had obviously passed through only to have it cave in behind them.  
"What do I do now?" Ark asked himself, looking around for another way in. "Maybe there's another door."  
He found none, but a different route presented itself to him upon a closer inspection of the wrecked main entrance.  
"Oh dear," Ark sighed, looking up. "See me through this…"

Surprisingly, it was Saria who gave the call to bring everyone together. Her search failed to yield anything at first, but a sharp jingle from Chat signaled the first step in a domino-type series of events.  
"Look out!" the fairy chimed.  
Saria jerked her head around, but instead of looking at what Chat was trying to draw her attention to, the Kokiri girl focused instead on Chat herself – the fairy rarely spoke, after all.  
"Wha- yeek!" Saria squawked.  
Her next step failed to meet the ground and she suddenly found herself tumbling head over heels down a sharp embankment, squealing shrilly all the way to the bottom. She came to a stop upside-down against a mound of upturned earth.  
"Ow…" Saria groaned, coughing as a cloud of dust tickled the back of her throat. "Chat, you _could_ have warned me a little sooner."  
Chat gave an apologetic jingle and settled upon Saria's shoulder as the green-haired girl picked herself up and brushed herself off.  
"Oh…I'm _filthy_," Saria sighed. "Why didn't I watch my step? I'm going to have to wash my tu- ooh!"  
The Kokiri had suddenly noticed a swarm of fairies fluttering around the center of the sizeable hole she had fallen into. The seemed slightly irate in their hovering, jingling and chittering around a mound of rock rubble.  
"Look at them all," Saria whistled. "What are they doing hovering about out here?"  
Chat drifted over towards her brothers and sisters and mingled with them briefly, changing her glow to a muted blue colour to let them know she bore no hostility – the fairies were obviously on-edge.  
"Their fountain collapsed," Chat told her green-haired partner upon returning. "That's why they're upset. Wild fairies prefer the safety of a fountain to floating around aimlessly outside."  
"It looks like it was blown apart," Saria frowned, casting her gaze about the crater. "What happened?"  
"They said that something fell from the sky," Chat said. "You can probably hazard a guess at what happened after that."  
"I'll go one step further and hazard a guess that a Lock did this!" Saria squealed in excitement. "This must be the place it fell! Chat, we've found it!"

The topmost chamber of Gaul's fortress was enormous. The walls reached up and up to a high, vaulted ceiling that held an impossibly-detailed stained-glass window that depicted a single figure standing atop the world. Lanterns burned smokily on the walls, casting their ruddy glow over the grey-black masonry. A set of ornately-carved doors provided the only means of access to the chamber, save for several small windows that provided the three occupants of the room with a view of the dark clouds outside.  
"Why are you doing this?" Zelda demanded.  
The Princess and her Gerudo companion were shackled to the wall farthest from the doors with two thick chains bound to their necks with metallic rings. Though it left their arms and legs free for movement, the chains were short enough that the two girls could only manage sitting on the floor, huddling against each other.  
Gaul turned away from a window almost lazily and gazed at the blonde girl. "Why not?" he asked.  
"_That's_ your answer?" Fura scoffed. "What kind of person does what you're doing simply for the sake of doing it? How many times did your mother drop you as a baby?"  
Gaul looked almost amused at her remark as he absently scratched at the long, wide scar that traveled along his arm and up underneath his clothing – the memento from his last battle with Link.  
"Well?" Fura pressed. "Are you going to answer, or are you just going to stand there and worry at your scar like a dog chewing itself?"  
Gaul ceased his idle examination of his scar and approached the two girls slowly. "I do what I do because it is what I am meant to do," he replied simply. "What my master wishes for, _I_ wish for. What my Master finds amusing, _I_ find amusing. What my Master dislikes, _I_ dislike."  
He turned away from the two girls and wandered back to the window.  
"So you're a puppet," Zelda said scathingly. "Anything for your "Master", right?"  
Gaul shook his head in amusement. "I suppose that's one way of putting it," he chuckled dryly. "But what alternative is there? In me there lies not one _shred_ of desire to do anything other than what my Master requires of me. If I were to be commanded to end my existence right this second…then I would do it in a heartbeat, because it is all I am meant to do."  
"Then I feel sorry for you, Gaul," Fura sighed. "You follow everything your almighty "Master" says at the drop of a hat without even considering what _you_ want…but I suppose you already said that what your master wants is the same as what you want, am I right?"  
"And again I ask: why not?" Gaul queried. "You may well tell me that it's "wrong" to do what I'm doing, but your definition of "wrong" differs greatly to what my Master sees as "wrong"."  
"And what does your "Master" see as "right", Gaul?" Zelda asked. "Why must your "Master" open the Eternal Ark? And why terrorize poor Ark in order to do it? It makes no sense."  
Gaul snorted. "Ark must be eliminated because of who he is and what he contains. However; I'm not going to tell you exactly what that is," he smirked. "In hindsight, perhaps you should have asked Aarden, seeing as how he knew everything all along."  
"A-Aarden?" Zelda gasped. "_He_ knows? He knows everything?"  
"Almost everything," Gaul shrugged. "He knows my Master, he knows why the Eternal Ark was opened, and he knows everything about that pathetic little mistake called Ark."  
"How!?" Fura demanded. "How does Aarden know!? And why didn't he tell us!?"  
"Aarden knew because Aarden was there when my Master tried to open the Eternal Ark," Gaul grinned. "And before you get it into your heads that you'll toddle off to the old man if you get out of here, then think again. Aarden is dead. I killed him myself – burned his house to the ground with him inside it."  
"D-dead…?"  
Fura and Zelda looked utterly gobsmacked. Ark's only family was dead, but not only that – Aarden had known all along why the Eternal Ark was opened and exactly who was behind it. But why hadn't he told them? Why hadn't Aarden told them everything from the start?  
"You look a little surprised," Gaul said. "Though that's to be expected. Aarden always was one for hiding things."  
Fura's expression darkened. "I suppose it doesn't matter for now, though. Link will soon see to you, Gaul. Let's see what you do when faced with the prospect of going against your master's wishes," she snarled.  
"Going against?" Gaul asked, turning around with a look of mild interest playing about his face.  
"Dying," Zelda told him flatly. "You're going to die, Gaul. You won't live through this."  
Gaul smirked openly. "And why, Princess Zelda, is that?"  
"Because Link isn't fighting to save his own skin this time, he's fighting for ours – and our Link is _very_ protective of us," the blonde girl said. "Besides…we forbid him to lose."  
Into Gaul's hand ghosted a stout, broad-headed lance. He twirled it slowly in the air as he walked slowly and deliberately towards the two girls and brought its tip against the soft skin of Zelda's neck.  
"Well then it looks like we're about to see if the Bearer goes against _your_ wishes."  
Gaul turned slowly and looked at the door with and expression that almost appeared to be anticipation as another low rumble reverberated through the fortress.  
Fura and Zelda huddled closer together as Gaul's mouth creased into a tiny smile.  
"Right on time."  
The room shook and the center of the stone floor began to crack as shafts of black energy punched through from below. With a sharp crack, the bricks and mortar of the floor burst upwards as a figure spiraled up and crunched down before Gaul with a clinking of chains. The smoke and dust began to clear and the figure became visible.  
"Link!" Zelda cried in relief. "Link, you're here!"  
Link stood there with the Key's chains coiled on the floor behind him. He was breathing heavily, like somebody who had just run a marathon. Tiny arcs of black energy snaked and sizzled between his fingers, wings, and over the rest of his body.  
Slowly, his blue eyes swiveled around to fix themselves on Fura and Zelda.  
"Link! Link! Yoo-hoo!" Fura waved ecstatically. "I _knew_ you'd come for us! Get us out of here!"  
"Navi," Link growled. "Go."  
Navi zipped out of her partner's tunic and fluttered over to the two imprisoned girls.  
Link turned his attention back to Gaul.  
"Well, well, well…" Gaul drawled slowly. "You made it in time. Somehow I knew that you would. You're not the type to disappoint somebody."  
"Gaul," Link snarled, curling the name over his teeth and lips.  
"Oh, I know," Gaul said apologetically, holding his hands up. "You're sore because I took your women away, aren't you. Perhaps even more so because you don't know if I did anything _awful_ to them, but you're going to assume that I did, right?"  
Link twitched reflexively and his hand suddenly clenched, his black sword forming instantly in his grip.  
"Temper, temper," Gaul chided him lightly, twirling his lance slowly. "If you rush I won't have time to decide exactly how I'll dispose of the blonde and the redhead. Should I gut them? Chop off their heads? Drop them into the sea below? Or perhaps I should simply run them through. How does that sound?"  
Link's head twitched sideways and his mouth worked its way back into a horrible snarl. His eyes flickered from blue to red and tiny black particles began to rise from his skin.  
"_Gaul!"_ the boy roared.  
Gaul raised an eyebrow.  
Link brought his sword up across his chest. _"I'll kill you!"  
_And then the battle began.

Ark's hair whipped at his face as the strong winds threatened to hurl him from the fortress and dash him upon the rocks that lay in the surf so far below. He was scaling the fortress. The mortar between the bricks was damp and well into advanced stages of decay, leaving wide gaps with which to use as finger-holds.  
A sudden boom of thunder made Ark hug the wall. "Heeh!" he breathed. "Why am I doing this?"  
But he kept going, climbing up and up as the clouds boiled away overhead and the surf growled and threw itself at the cliffs below. Ark didn't think that he could possibly be more terrified at that moment, but one thought managed to push through the fear and drive him on – the most comfortable, warm, and safe place that existed in the whole world.  
Nyara's belly.  
Sleeping on her stomach made everything okay, and if he could snuggle down against that warm, fuzzy stomach again…he'd be the happiest boy there ever was.  
"Climb, Ark," he said, grimacing as he willed himself onwards and upwards. "She could be waiting at the top."

Link and Gaul met with a force that shook the entire room. Their weapons clanged together loudly, showering sparks and particles of shadow in all directions. Sword raked against lance as they came apart, then smashed together once again in an equally spectacular display.  
"This is it!" Gaul laughed, lunging for Link as the boy rolled to the side. "Our last meeting! This is how it's supposed to be!"  
Their weapons continued to clang, clatter, and ring together as the two combatants battled furiously.  
Link sent the two chains of the Key snaking towards Gaul, but the man slid back and raised his lance, winding the two chains around its shaft before tearing Link towards him. Link grunted loudly as the lance's shaft was smashed solidly into his forehead, but he managed to unwind the chains and leap out of the way as Gaul swung its bladed tip down at him.  
"Come on!" Gaul bellowed. "Let me live! Let me feel pain once more! Strike me!"  
Link did, and hard. He ran at Gaul, ducking underneath the man's next swing and striking him solidly in the jaw. In the next movement – while Gaul was momentarily stunned – he stepped onto his knee, onto his shoulder, and then sprung off his foe and into the air. As Link came back down, he raised his black sword over his head and swung it vertically with full force.  
Gaul barely raised his own weapon in time to block the swing, and as a result he was not fully prepared to brace against it. The shaft of his lance was knocked back, hitting him solidly between the eyes, and Gaul was sent sliding back across the floor with a grunt.  
Link was after the man before he'd even hit the ground. He swept his sword along the ground, shearing through brick and stone, but Gaul was just as fast.  
Without a moment to spare, the square-jawed man thrust the butt of his lance out and caught Link fair in the gut. He levered it back, carrying Link with it before hurling him backwards and into a wall.  
"Not bad. Not bad at all," Gaul laughed, standing up and brushing himself off. "But let's not finish this fight without making things a little flashy for the ladies."  
The air around Gaul began to ripple and warp. He raised his hand and extended his palm, and then suddenly flexed his fingers. An orb of searing energy exploded from his hand and screamed towards Link.  
"Link! Get out of the way!" Zelda shrieked.  
Link leapt straight at the oncoming attack, but twisted just enough to avoid getting hit. As the spell burst against the wall behind him, Link skidded sideways along the floor and sent several masses of black magic roaring towards Gaul.  
The man avoided them, sliding to the side as if being carried by an invisible hand. He cast more attack spells, each one powering into the walls with a series of stattaco explosions.  
Then, almost as if they had rehearsed it, Link and Gaul pivoted and came at each other. Their weapons met with a terrific clash, and ribbons of energy began to snake and lash out from between them. The floor began to crack, the ceiling shook, and Fura and Zelda squealed in fright.  
"I've always dreamed of a battle like this!" Gaul grinned, pushing himself forward with all his might. "The power given to me by the Master…the being it was created to be used against does not disappoint! But be careful, Bearer. You wouldn't want your precious ladies over there to be hit by any backlash…seeing as how they've been starved for three days. They may not have the strength to survive and damage!"  
If at all possible, Link became even more enraged. He released a guttural roar and allowed one hand to release its grip on the hilt of his sword. The boy was forced back a short way, but managed to brace himself and hold his ground. Slowly, he brought his free arm back with his fingers splayed wide. His arm quaked and shook as dark energy began to coalesce around it. Then, suddenly, his fingers locked into a fist, and the energy surrounding his arm became black fire that burned so black it almost seemed to draw in all the light from around it.  
Link drew his fist back slowly. _"Rrrrgh…"_ he growled furiously.  
"Do it, Link!" Fura encouraged.  
"_Rragh!" _Link roared a second time, much louder than before.  
His arm suddenly snapped forward, and Gaul actually managed to look surprised before he was struck. He delivered three quick and powerful strikes within the space of about two seconds. The first blow struck Gaul on the side of the face, making him flinch his arms – and therefore his weapon – back. Link's other hand made a fist around the hilt of his sword before pounding it into the other side of Gaul's jaw, and then, finally, he swung his flame-encased fist up from below and crunched it under his opponent's jaw.  
Gaul's head snapped back almost faster than anyone could see, and he sailed – almost in slow motion – back across the room. He flew over the hole Link had made in the floor, along the length of the room, and straight into the wooden doors. Splinters burst out from them and spiraled into the air like water splashed from a lake.  
Link watched it happen with his burning red eyes glowing furiously, and then, exhausted, he dropped down onto one knee with his sword held tight in an attempt to keep him up.  
Fura, Zelda, and Navi watched Link deliver the three stunning blows to Gaul, and then watched as the cruel man flew straight into the doors. However; they also saw Link half-collapse.  
"H-hey…what's wrong with him?" Fura asked, suddenly growing very concerned.  
"Oh no!" Zelda cried. "_That's_ what he was doing!"  
"Fura turned to look at her. "That's what who was doing?"  
"Gaul! He's been trying to incense Link ever since he took us here, and now he's pushing Link as far as he can. Gaul knows that Link can't properly channel his magic abilities when his temper flares…the demon inside him gains too much control," Zelda explained. "The past three days coupled with the strain of his fight with Gaul has left him severely drained."  
"Then…what do we do?" Navi jingled in alarm. "Link can barely stand."  
"We're going to run away," Fura murmured.  
Zelda and Navi looked at the Gerudo sharply.  
"We'll _what?_" Zelda asked.  
"Look at him! He can barely stand. Zelda, you can calm him down while I try to break out of these chains," Fura explained. "Navi, can you do that wing-thing you do with Link to one of us?"  
"Oh…yes," the little fairy replied uncertainly. "Why?"  
"Because the second Link's back to normal I want you to wing me up. I'm going to grab Zelda, grab Link, and then take off out of here before Gaul can even blink."  
Zelda looked at Fura sharply. "But…you don't know how to fly. You've never done it before!"  
"You want to do it? You couldn't lift both Link _and_ me with those puny arms of yours," Fura told the Princess.  
Zelda paused and then nodded ruefully. "I'll try and get through to him. Get working on these chains."  
Gaul groaned and began to sit up slowly. "Eh…eh-heheh…" he laughed in a gravely tone. "Now that…that was something."  
Link raised his head and snarled at him. The boy stood, but he was very weak at the knees and was forced to prop himself up with his sword.  
"Oh, come now," Gaul frowned, walking towards Link with a deliberate slowness. "You're not tired already, are you? Such a shame. You really are a magnificent fighter."  
Link seethed and staggered forwards, sending the Key's chains whistling towards his opponent.  
Gaul, however; simply smirked cruelly and snatched the metal rings attached to their tips out of thin air. He wrenched his arm back roughly and jerked Link off his feet, swinging him through the air.  
"You-"  
Link smashed into one of the ceiling supports that lined the wall.  
"-can't-"  
Link hit another, spinning and flailing like a ragdoll.  
"_-win!" _Gaul finished, finally slamming Link into the floor.  
He lay there, breathing heavily and groaning as he struggled to at least roll onto his stomach as Gaul approached him again. His red eyes blinked and rolled in their black sockets. His pupils grew and shrank, and his fingers clawed at the stone floor.  
"My, my," Gaul chuckled haughtily. "How the mighty have fallen."  
Link gurgled something as he writhed on the floor.  
Gaul frowned. "Sad," he muttered. "Your head's probably so full of blind rage you can't even think properly anymore. No matter, I'll simply put you out of your mis-"  
With a ferocious bellow, Link sprouted his black wings and erupted from the floor. He slammed into Gaul's midsection and continued his ascent, and then finally plowed the man's head straight into the ceiling.  
Gaul let out a sharp cry of pain in response to the blow, and then he and Link began to exchange blows with magic. Messy, loud, black bursts of magic flared from Link's hands, impacting against the ceiling, far wall, and Gaul's own barrage of spells. Sword met lance again in a fantastic symphony of sound. They clashed, clattered, rang, scraped, and pinged against each other, and their owners added to the music with their own cries of anger, effort, and pain.  
"It's not working!" Zelda cried. "I can't break through…he's too angry!"  
"Keep trying!" Fura barked, concentrating a thin blast of white-hot flame at the chain connecting her neck to the wall. "You can do it, Zelda!"  
Zelda nodded and closed her eyes once more just as she heard Fura's chain crack apart.  
"Yes!" the Gerudo hissed. "Now for yours."  
"_Link!" _Zelda's thought cried out. _"Hear me, please!"_

Ark was approaching the top, and as he drew close, the sounds of muffled explosions and dull rumblings could be heard from within the thick walls. If it wasn't high enough already, Ark's fear level rose dramatically. He didn't know what was inside, he didn't know _who_ was inside…but the thought of Nyara continued to quash the near-unbearable terror rising from his gut.  
"Keep…going…" he whispered to himself.  
The top was in sight.

"Bearer…" Gaul breathed. "You never cease…to amaze me…"  
The two combatants had reached a stalemate. Link refused to yield, and so did Gaul. With each blow one received, the other had it returned. Arcs of black energy whipped and snaked over Link's body, showing his instability, while blood trickled freely down Gaul's from a multitude of deep cuts and gashes.  
"But it ends here," Gaul growled. "Your meddling, the constant threat of you and your Key…your very existence. Goodbye, Bearer. You have been a worthy adversary."  
What happened next all seemed to unfold in slow-motion.  
Gaul raised his palm and pointed it – not at Link, but at Fura, Zelda, and Navi.  
Link's eyes snapped open wide, and in a fraction of a second he was half-running, half-flying towards them.  
Fura looked up as Zelda's chain finally melted through.  
Link took a step.  
From Gaul's open palm roared a blinding sphere of light that seared towards the girls at a terrible speed.  
Another step.  
Zelda's brow was beading with sweat as her mind screamed out to Link.  
Another step.  
Navi flashed a panicked yellow and fluttered bravely out before the two girls.  
Another step.  
Link's expression became desperate, and his red eyes opened wide, draining of colour to become clear, crystal blue once more. In a moment that lasted an eternity, he skidded to a halt between Gaul's incoming spell and the three people he so dreadfully wanted to protect.  
"_No!" _Navi rang shrilly.  
And then Fura, in a last ditch effort to do something – anything – pinched her eyes shut and cried out to Link with her mind.  
"_Link!"  
_The sphere of Gaul's magic detonated with a reverberating _boom_ that shook the entire room – if not the whole fortress. Dust and fragments of stone tore out in all directions, bathing Gaul in a great plume of it.  
"Heh," the man chuckled darkly. "And that…is that."  
But suddenly, the dust and smoke cleared.  
"I-impossible!" Gaul gasped.  
Link, Fura, Zelda, and Navi were alive and well. The air about them rippled with an invisible aura that sizzled and crackled with intermingled energies of red, black, and white coming from the three children. Then, the runes of the Key around Link's neck glowed red and white, and Gaul's eyes nearly fell out of his head.  
Fura seemed to dissolve – melt away into billions upon billions of tiny red particles of light that swarmed and coalesced around Link's body. Then, like a kind of magnet drawing up an uncountable number of iron filings, the red light particles sucked into Link's dark form. The boy's eyes burned brighter than ever, and from the center of his chest spread many lines of red light. They traveled over his skin, working their way up to his face, down his arms, down his torso, and over his legs like some kind of bizarre runic pattern.  
Zelda dissolved next, her body becoming a blizzard of white particles of pure light. Like Fura's before her, Zelda's light swarmed around Link's body. However; instead of absorbing into it, they concentrated themselves around his left arm – spinning and solidifying into a sword with an enormity to match that of the boy's previous black blade.  
It was glass-like in appearance – a pale and white with a long handle and a long, wide blade that ended it something of a disc rather than a sharp point. All over its surface were glowing white lines similar to the red ones that blazed Link's dark skin. A golden chain ran from the point at which the sword's blade met the handle to Link's wrist, effectively joining him to it.  
"Wha-what is this!?" Gaul gaped.  
Link glanced at the man indifferently. "The three of us…have met at the place in which our souls can join."  
"No matter," Gaul spat. "Three in one, it doesn't matter. Give my regards to the afterlife!"  
Gaul sent a second blast of powerful magic whistling at Link, but with a mere sweep of his new sword, the attack was effortlessly brushes aside as if it were no more than a slight inconvenience.  
"No!" Gaul roared. _"NO!"  
_Spell after spell hurtled at Link, but his sword slashed to and fro, cutting them out of the air with ease.  
"I'll get you!" Gaul bellowed, charging towards the boy.  
As he raised his lance to strike, Link readied his own weapon and pushed off his trailing foot. The white, glass-like sword cut neatly through the air and sheared Gaul's lance in two like a hot knife through butter. And then, with grim determination, Link aimed his blade directly at Gaul's chest and lunged.  
Gaul's expression was one of utter disbelief as Link's sword pierced him. The broad, disc-like tip bit into his chest and the man stopped still. He looked down at the weapon protruding from his body with an open mouth, and then he sank to his knees as it was withdrawn. His eyes moved from his chest to Link, who stood before him with an expression of grim satisfaction on his face.  
"The world will be a better place without you, Gaul," Link told him quietly. "I'll let you go with the knowledge that your precious "Master" will be right along behind you."  
And then Gaul toppled forward, falling to the floor without another sound.  
Energies of red, white, and black crackled around Link as he sank to his knees. His sword became those white particles of light, and the runes covering his body returned to their airborne form. The colours swirled, condensed, and then became Fura and Zelda once more. Link's body drained of darkness, and black was replaced with green, skin, and messy blonde. Blue eyes blinked and met with gold, then with another blue.  
"W-we did it!" Zelda howled, throwing herself at Link. "We won!"  
"I _knew_ you could do it!" Fura sobbed, she too launching herself at the dazed Link.  
The combined force of the two girls sent Link sprawling back onto the floor whilst Navi jingled away excitedly overhead.  
"Oh! You came for us!" Zelda cried, kissing him loudly. "You really came!"  
"And you saved us; you saved us from that horrible man!" Fura blubbed, leaving tears and lipstick all over Link's face.  
"Urgle…" Link groaned, too exhausted to fend them off. "Let me…breathe…"  
"Oh!" Zelda squeaked, helping him into a sitting position.  
The two girls supported him while he caught his breath as it returned to him in slow, deep gulps of air.  
"Haah…ooh," Link breathed. "I have a headache in my whole body…"  
"But you were amazing," Fura smiled gently, hugging him tight with Zelda. "We couldn't have asked for anything more."  
"Let's get out of this place," Zelda suggested, standing up and dusting herself off. "We can rest once we're away from this horrible fortre-"  
"Not…just…yet…"  
Navi rang a shrill warning and the three children whirled around. Gaul was still alive.

The loud sounds coming from within the fortress suddenly went silent, but the wind, thunder, and lightning continued to clash in the sky. Ark's fingers were numb, his skin was red from the wind, and his arms ached…but he was almost there.  
"Nearly…nearly…"  
His hand slapped down on the very top of the fortress and a great surge of relief swept over the boy. He had made it. He had scaled the fortress.  
"But I'm not done yet," he murmured.  
Barely pausing for rest, Ark clambered over the battlements and scurried across the top of the fortress to look for a way in…and he found it.  
It was the window in the ceiling of the room below.  
Ark dropped to his knees next to the round panel of glass and peered down…and gasped.  
Link, Fura, Zelda, and Navi were there, but so was Gaul. They all looked worse for wear, especially Gaul, but the others were definitely in no condition to defend themselves.  
"Oh…what do I do!?" Ark squeaked, panicking.  
He looked back down and saw Gaul's palm extend towards his friends. Link made a feeble grab for his sword, but fumbled and dropped it.  
It was now or never.  
"Goddesses…" Ark pleaded with the sky. "Let this work."  
His staff came off his back and into his hand, and then the grey-haired boy jumped for the window.  
The glass smashed as Ark broke through it – the sound tearing at the air. He saw the people below him snap their heads up in shock, particularly Gaul.  
Ark raised his staff as he fell. _"Sky!"_ he shouted, drawing out the word.  
The jewel on the tip of his staff began to glow as the floor rushed up to meet him. Electricity began to snap and sizzle all around him.  
"_Breaker!"  
_A tremendously-powerful bolt of lighting tore itself from the clouds above, punching through the remains of the ceiling window and connecting with the jewel of Ark's staff.  
Gaul's mouth opened and he shouted out a single word. _"__Ark__!"  
_The butt of the grey-haired boy's staff cracked into Gaul's back and unleashed a great storm of electricity into the man. Gaul screamed and spasmed as lighting flashed and crackled through every cell of his body, until, with a bright flare of electricity, everything went silent.  
Gaul was still breathing, but his life was fast draining out of him.  
Ark nearly fell off the man and plied one hand away from his staff as he looked down at the once-dangerous man. Then, once he was sure he posed no more of a threat, he turned to face his shocked friends.  
"Are…are you all okay," he asked in a very small voice.  
The simply stared at him.  
"Ark?" Zelda asked, blinking stupidly. "Is that you?"  
Ark nodded and lowered his eyes.  
"You're back!" Fura crowed, leaping to her feet.  
Ark let out a squeak of surprise as the Gerudo lifted him up in a crushing bear-hug. She twisted from side to side before finally putting him down.  
"It's so good to see you again!" Zelda sniffed, going watery at the eyes. "Nyara will be utterly thrilled to see you back."  
Ark looked a little guilty at the mention of Nyara's name.  
"And it looks like we all owe you or lives," Link coughed. "It's good to have you back."  
"I'm…sorry for leaving you," Ark mumbled. "I-"  
A groan from Gaul garnered everyone's attention.  
"You!" Fura snarled. "You're _still_ not dead?"  
"Ark…" the man wheezed. "I never thought it…would be you who…finished me. Some kind of…poetic justice…I suppose."  
"After what you did to him?" Zelda spat. "It's more than you deserve!"  
Gaul chuckled at her remark. "I suppose you could…say that…"  
"Y-you…" Ark breathed. "Give them back! Give me back my memories! Don't let me forget any more!"  
"And why…should I do…that?" Gaul asked, coughing up a good deal of blood.  
"You're beaten, Gaul," Link told the man. "At least redeem yourself one tiny bit."  
Gaul began to chuckle, then he burst out laughing, finishing in a horrible, hacking cough. "Impossible," he smirked.  
Ark ground his teeth together before running to the man as he rolled onto his back. Ark knelt by his head and grabbed Gaul's collar, shaking him furiously.  
"Why!? _Why!?_" he demanded. "You took them away, just put them back!"  
"How…" Gaul began smugly. "Do you put back…what was never there in the first place?"  
Ark's took in a shuddering gasp of breath as time itself seemed to slow down.  
"Wh-what are you talking about?"  
Gaul smirked at him as his eyes grew murky. "Goodbye…"  
He grabbed Ark's tunic and slowly lifted his face towards his.  
His final word was nothing more than a whisper over his quivering lips. _"Brother…"  
_Time stopped completely, and Gaul was dead.


	79. A Measure of Protection

**Chapter 78 – A Measure of Protection**

"Oh…the poor things," Florella pouted as she watched the swarm of fairies drift around their ruined fountain. "It's enough to break your heart."  
The five-strong party had assembled amidst the ruins of the fairy fountain after being called in by Saria. The Kokiri seemed very pleased with herself for finding the location of the next Lock…but she left out the exact details of how she had – literally – stumbled across it.  
"So the Lock did this," Impa frowned. "Looks like we have a bit of picking around to do."  
"Erm…maybe that's not such a good idea," Florella coughed politely.  
The others looked at her curiously.  
"Oh? How come?" Saria asked.  
"Well…those fairies looked rather ticked off, don't you agree? Just imagine if your house had been demolished, and then strangers immediately arrive and start picking through and disturbing everything," Florella explained.  
"Oh. I see what you mean," Impa sighed.  
"Fairies may be small, but they can be frighteningly vicious," Florella murmured. "No offence, Chat."  
Chat gave a brief flicker of colour.  
"Then…what do we do?" Talen asked. "I don't want a swarm of angry fairies ouching me."  
Florella cleared her throat somewhat uncomfortably. "Well…as a Great Fairy I can restore their fountain."  
"Oh thank goodness," Saria breathed. "I thought-"  
"_But,"_ Florella interjected, eyeing Talen nervously. "Talen can't watch."  
There was a long pause.  
"Erm…what?" Talen asked, blinking in confusion.  
Florella waved her hands madly. "Please, Talen! You can't watch me do it…something will happen that I don't want you to see!" she pleaded. "Don't be insulted…it's just something that's important to me."  
Talen pursed his lips. "It's not dangerous, is it?" he asked.  
"No, not at all," Florella assured him. "It's just…I don't want you to see it yet."  
The smith watched Florella as she squirmed and shifted uncomfortably. Whatever the reason was, it was obviously important that he not see her restore the fountain. He shrugged. "Fair enough. I'll wait away from here a ways. Come and get me when it's all done." And with that he walked back up to the rim of the crater and disappeared into the jungle, whistling as he went.  
Florella watched him go with an expression that was a mix of relief and concern. She turned back to the others. "I'm not about to make the rest of you leave, but you cannot, cannot, cannot, _cannot_ tell Talen of what you're about to see," the Great Fairy pressed. "All right?"  
"Of course," Impa assured the girl. "May I ask what this is all about?"  
Florella faced the ruined fountain. "You're about to see." The Great Fairy's body took on a pinkish hue that spread to her clothing and the air around her. The crater became bathed in the warm, pink glow, and tiny petals began to blow about, seemingly from nowhere.  
"What in the world?" Saria squeaked, squinting as the pink light grew brighter. What's-"  
"Nyah!" Nyara squawked suddenly, jabbing a finger at Florella. "Look!"

Ark dared not breathe. He was still frozen – paralyzed as the shocking revelation Gaul had just exposed began to twist away at his insides. The boy twitched as Gaul slumped back onto the floor, the hand that had clutched at his collar moments before releasing its grip and descending with the body it was joined to. "B-brother?" he whispered. "Brother?" Gaul had no reason to lie in his last few seconds of life – he really was Ark's brother. And Ark himself had killed him. His own brother – family. That terrible truth hit Ark like a blow to the stomach, and he grabbed at Gaul's clothing and buried his head in his dead brother's chest. _"Brother!"_ he cried, his voice a long and despairing wail. _"Brother!"  
_Zelda, Fura, and Link watched on, completely stunned.  
"Ark and Gaul are…brothers?" Link breathed. "It's…not possible…"  
"Oh…Ark," Zelda said, choking back tears. "Somebody…go to him."  
Fura stood. "I'll do it." The Gerudo walked slowly over to where Ark was still sobbing over his fallen brother, and then she knelt behind him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Ark?" she ventured quietly.  
The boy continued to cry, his unruly grey hair matted messily over Gaul's front.  
A sudden shudder ran through the fortress, quaking from the topmost room all the way down to the ground. The shaking did not stop, but increased in severity until the stone walls and supports began to crack and crumble.  
"It's shaking apart!" Link shouted. "Everybody out!"  
Link and Zelda helped each other up and went for the main doors.  
"Fura, Ark…get moving!" Navi jingled shrilly.  
Fura nodded and began to pull at the grey-haired boy before her. "Ark…we have to go. Please get up."  
A small nod was all Ark could manage, and he released his grip on his brother's clothing. Fura yanked him up and ran, dragging the boy out the door as he gave his brother one last glance. They burst into the hall as Gaul's chamber completely collapsed with the dreadful sound of shearing stone. The Gerudo girl never let her vice-like grip unclasp from Ark's arm – should he fall, she'd drag him out if she had to.  
"Fura! Ark!" Link called from up ahead. "Hurry!"  
Zelda was running with the blonde boy, and Navi was flitting around them like an irate wasp.  
"The stairs!" Fura called forward. "Find the stairs!"  
Link found them, but found them un-climbable. "They've already started collapsing!" he shouted. "We'll have to find another way down."  
Another horrible rumble ground through the fortress, shaking the floor so much that Zelda tumbled back onto her bottom.  
"The window!" Fura called, pointing to a reasonably-sized glass portal at the end of the hall. "Out the window!"  
"Are you _crazy!?_" Zelda squeaked in terror. "We'll never survive that fall!"  
"Navi can wing me up, which means I can carry Ark out. Link, can you use the Key to somehow get down?"  
"I'll find a way…or Zelda and I'll get mashed into jam at the bottom," Link grimaced, already heading for the window with Zelda in tow.  
"Ack! Don't say that!" Zelda cried. "You're putting horrible thoughts in my heeeeeeeeeead!" The Princess' long, shrill wail reverberated loudly through the hall as Link smashed out the window's glass with the Key before leaping out into empty air with Zelda following close behind him. Fura and Ark came hurtling through the broken window only a moment later, and then the ground was rushing up to meet them.  
Fura flailed her arms. "Navi! Anytime soon would be just peachy!"  
The little fairy spiraled down into the Gerudo's night-dress and sprouted a pair of large wings from the girl's back. The night-dress was practically shredded, but Fura's new wings whirred to life, slowing her descent. She swung herself around and caught Ark in her arms, hugging him against herself in a more secure position.  
Link, in the meantime, had managed to grab Zelda in a bear-hug in the process of plummeting to the ground. The wind tore at his face, and the reverberations from the collapsing fortress boomed heavily in the air.  
Zelda was flailing her limbs about like a bird with no feathers trying to fly, and a long, piercing squeal of panic was following her all the way down from the window.  
"Zelda!" Link shouted through the rushing wind. "I've got you! Hold on!" Truth be told, Link wasn't entirely sure what he was going to do in order to prevent the both of them from becoming smears on the hard ground, but ever one for getting out of sticky situations, Link pulled through yet again. He wound the Key straps up faster than he ever had before. They spun and weaved around the falling children like a spider weaving a web, creating a protective sphere around them both.  
_Ahhh!_" Zelda shrieked on the inside of the sphere, clinging to Link as the excess length of the Key's straps bunched up to cushion the two. "Are you sure it'll hold?"  
"It's unbreakable, of course it'll hold," Link assured her. "Just brace yourself and prepare for the-" They hit the ground with a sudden, jarring impact that elicited a terribly loud shriek of terror from Zelda. They must have bounced, for seconds later they felt another impact which caused them to roll and spin like tumbleweed.  
"Nooo!" Zelda wailed. "Make it stop! Make it stooop!"  
It did, finally.  
Link allowed the woven Key straps to come apart, and the two youths found themselves lying sprawled on the ground some distance away from the collapsing fortress.  
Fura landed awkwardly with Ark close by. "Are you two okay?" she asked in concern.  
"We're fine," Link groaned, sitting up in the tangled mess he had created. "Dizzy, but okay. Are you all right?"  
Fura nodded. "Just tired. Flying is hard work. I think I'll leave it up to you from now on." Fura's wings receded and Navi popped out of her back, leaving her night-dress to hang over her underclothes as nothing more than a tattered rag.  
Link got to his feet and helped Zelda up. "Well," the blonde boy sighed, looking back at the collapsing fortress. "There it goes…and Gaul with it."  
The main tower began to topple, cracking the outcropping upon which it stood until, with a horrible splitting sound, it all fell away, crashing into the churning sea below. All that remained was a section of the outer wall, but the rest was gone for good. Ark came away from Fura and walked slowly to the edge of the cliff. He stared down at the dark water below as the tip of the tower slowly sank below the chop and froth. The others came up beside him and looked down with him in quiet contemplation.  
"Are you okay, Ark?" Link asked his friend.  
Ark was quiet for some time, but, finally, he spoke. "Gaul was a terrible person. He took my memories, he killed Aarden…but he was my brother all the same." He sniffed loudly and rubbed his nose. "It isn't fair."  
"No," Fura agreed, placing an arm around his shoulder. "It's not."  
"But what he said…my memories," Ark murmured. "I- no…I don't want to think about it right now. Let's leave this place. I don't like it here."  
"You read my mind," Link said with a nod. "Let's head back to the forest. It's sheltered in there, and we can hide in case there's anyone or anything out here that bears us ill will."

Saria couldn't quite believe what she was seeing. The sound of Nyara's squawk had snapped her eyes open instantly, and she then saw what the Meera had. Florella had, quite simply, grown up within the space of a few seconds. She wasn't particularly tall, but she was quite clearly a fully-grown adult with long, dark-purple hair, a slender, elegant body, and a pair of billowing, silk-like gossamer wings.  
"Oh my goodness," Impa breathed from off to Saria's left. "Florella…you're…"  
The Great Fairy raised a finger to her lips, rustling the flowing white dress she wore against her skin. "Shhh," she shushed gently. "I don't want Talen to hear." It was certainly Florella's voice, only it was much softer, and held with it a kind of infinite patience and compassion. In fact; not only did her voice radiate with that strange feeling, but the air around her was thick with it.  
"What _is_ this, Florella?" Saria asked, her voice bemused.  
"A measure of protection," she told the Kokiri girl evasively. "This body is what my other will eventually grow into, and as such, I do not wish for Talen to see it. I would prefer him to watch me grow up as I would watch him."  
The others simply stared at her.  
Florella smiled and turned to face the ruined fountain. "I suggest all of you vacate this crater. You will need to be off of damaged ground if I am to complete this successfully."  
Without waiting for further prompting, Saria, Impa, and Nyara scrambled back up the slope before turning back to watch Florella from the top.  
And then she began. Florella raised her hands and stretched out her fingers. "Come, little ones," she spoke to the fairies. "It's time to fix your home."  
The tiny fairies instantly gravitated towards Florella, spiraling around her like a carousel made of many points of light. They jingled and jangled in a strangely jaunty-sounding tune – ringing it out across the crater and into the surrounding forest. The fairies occasionally stopped, and then turned to spiral in the opposite direction as Florella – flicking her hands and fingers about – conducted them.  
The fragments of rock and cut stone that had made up the fairy fountain began to glow green as the fairies' song reverberated against them. They banged and scraped against one-another, and then began to lift ponderously into the air, fitting together like some kind of giant, three-dimensional puzzle. Clods of earth and sod then began to gravitate out of the surrounding forest, piling up around the cut stone as it reformed into the fountain.  
Florella's wings whirred to life, lifting her gracefully into the air as the crater began to gradually fill in. She continued to conduct the fairies, her movements becoming faster and faster, causing the small beings that orbited the dark haired young woman to blur into a set of encircling rings of light. "Here we go," Florella murmured. "We're nearly done, little ones. Just a little bit longer."  
Then, with a flash of green light, the crater was gone. The ground was instead covered with lush grass, small saplings, and a patch of white flowers. The fountain's entrance lay in the middle of the flower patch as a hole just wide enough for a person to slip through. The fairies fluttered about over their newly-restored home, jingling happily as they swooped around Florella, who had since returned to her smaller body.  
"Wow," Saria whistled, walking onto the soft grass. "This place…I can barely recognize it anymore."  
"Thank you," Florella puffed, leaning on her knees. "I take pride in my work…as tiring as it is." She took a few deep breaths and stood up. "Talen! You can come back now!"  
The smith returned from the forest and blinked in surprise as he saw Florella's handiwork. "Wow," he murmured, raising his eyebrows.  
Florella beamed, and then turned her head as one of the many fairies swarming throughout the area jingled in her ear. She held out her hand and the tiny, tinged being dropped an object into it before fluttering off to join the rest of its kind in celebration.  
"What is that?" Impa asked curiously.  
Florella held the object up for all of them to see.  
"Lock!" Nyara crowed jubilantly. "Now we only have one left!"  
"We're almost there," Talen agreed. "Let's just hope that Link is still around to activate this one and the next so we can close the Eternal Ark."  
"Talen!" Florella gasped. "Don't _say_ things like that!"  
"Sorry," the smith winced. He decided to change the subject. "Which Lock do you suppose this one is?"  
Florella frowned as they all peered at the relic in her small hand. "Well…so far we have Love, Chaos, Discord, and Tranquility. Hate and Order are the only two that remain." She twisted the Lock in her hand around. "This one hasn't been activated, locked, or whatever by Link yet, so it's hard to see what it's supposed to be."  
"Well," Impa said, dusting her hands together. "We can figure that out later. We should continue on along the road. If Link has been successful in his rescue, then he will be meeting us somewhere along the way with Fura and Zelda in tow."  
The others agreed with her, and Florella pocketed the Lock.  
"Well done, Florella," Saria congratulated the fairy. "I don't think we could have found it if you hadn't have repaired that fountain."  
"All in a day's work for the most be-yewtiful little cherub on the planet," the Great Fairy nodded.  
Talen snorted in amusement. "Beautiful, hmm? You forgot modest." He raised an eyebrow at her and then held out his arms. "Come on then, "cherub." You're obviously a little tired after doing whatever it was that you did, so how about a lift?"  
Florella squeaked in surprise as she was lifted up into the air and deposited on Talen's shoulders. Her surprise soon gave way to contentment as the smith took hold of her ankles to keep her steady, and marched out of the forest to where their equipment lay, waiting for them to resume their journey.

Luckily for the party that had just survived their last encounter with Gaul, Ark's hiding place for his pack had survived the geological disturbances, allowing the grey-haired boy to retrieve his supplies. He checked them to make sure that nothing was missing, and then carried them off to the forest with Fura, Zelda, and Link.  
After running for some time, the group of four stopped to rest between the roots of a particularly massive tree. Exhausted, the children collapsed onto the grass at the base of the enormous plant, allowing the relief born from their escape to wash over them.  
"I knew you'd come!" Zelda sobbed suddenly, throwing herself at Link. "I was so frightened."  
Link froze at first, but then reached down to pat the blonde girl awkwardly on the back. "Erm…but we're all okay now, right?" he said, trying his best to comfort her. "And Gaul's gone. He can't hurt you anymore – oh…sorry, Ark."  
The smaller boy nodded silently. He was still rather shaken by the whole ordeal, and Fura had taken to coddling him to provide some degree of comfort.  
Fura suddenly noticed the bandages wrapped around the boy's head. "Oh, Ark! What happened to you?" she asked, her voice full of concern.  
"Oh…" Ark mumbled. "I hurt myself…at Miss Zeel's manor."  
Fura nodded. "Let's take a look at it," she said, peeling away the bandages. "They look like they need replacing." She peeled away the stained bandages and grimaced. His wound had nearly healed completely, leaving only a faint line up his face, but it was easy to see just how bad it _had_ been.  
"That must have been nasty," Link said, peering at the wound. "You'd have a gigantic scar there if you weren't good at healing." He looked at Ark curiously. "How did that happen exactly?"  
Ark looked stricken for a moment. "Well…I tried to stop Miss Zeel from fighting, and I got caught in the middle of things. It wasn't her fault – she tried to stop herself."  
They decided to let it lie at that.  
Fura tossed the bandages aside and decided to change the subject. "But you really were a brave little trooper there, Ark," the Gerudo said, smiling at him as she ran her fingers through his hair. "You managed to climb _all_ the way up the side of that fortress. That was no easy feat."  
Ark managed a tiny smile. "Lady Fura? I-if you're cold…I have some spare clothes in that pack," he ventured. "They may be a bit small for you, though."  
"Don't worry about me," Fura grinned, patting his head. "I don't feel the cold. I could prance around in my underwear in the middle of Aurora and not-"  
Ark's cheeks began to redden, and Fura suddenly realized that Ark _knew_ she didn't feel the cold, but was simply suggesting she put on some clothes for the sake of modesty. "Ah…on second thought, I will," the Gerudo said sheepishly.  
Ark seemed quite happy to dig through the pack for her. He finally drew out an oversized top that fit Fura a whole lot better than it did Ark, but in the process he dropped three small objects onto the grass.  
"Hey, what are these?" Link asked, picking them up. "Hair?"  
Ark squeaked. "O-oh! Those are…"  
"Nyara gave that to Zeel," Zelda frowned, having since gotten over her outburst of relief. "It looks like she gave it to you after all. But what about the other two? Black and silver…" The Princess blinked. "Don't tell me-"  
"Zeel and that demon? You pinched some hair from them?" Fura chuckled as her head popped through the neck hole of the top.  
"N-no!" Ark protested. "They were given to me."  
"Given? Zeel gave them to you?" Link scoffed. "I would have thought that the only thing Zeel could give anyone would be an injury."  
Ark winced. "Well…technically it _was_ Zeel, but…"  
"But what?" Fura asked curiously. "And just how _did_ you escape from her, anyway?"  
Ark sighed as Link returned the three locks of hair. "There are a few things about Miss Zeel that need explaining," he said tiredly. "But please don't be angry with her. She needs our help."  
And so Ark told them of everything that had happened in Zeel's dark realm. He told them about her two halves and how they had separated, causing both of their lifespans to drastically shorten. He told them about the fight between the two, resulting in the demon girl's decision to release Ark for his own safety. He did, however; skip the more delicate events that had occurred. Link, Fura, and Zelda were suitably surprised as Ark revealed all he knew about the mysterious Zeels, and had to fight the urge to bombard him with questions once he fell quiet.  
"They're the same person!?" Fura almost choked.  
"Not quite," Ark said, shaking his head slowly. "The one with the black hair is the half that contains all of the anger, hate, and unhappiness from the original. The other is the half that contains everything opposed to that."  
"And they're both dying," Zelda murmured. "Now that I've heard all of this, I don't think that I can really be angry at Zeel anymore. She's just trying to stay alive."  
"And to think it all began because she was upset with what she was," Fura sighed. "I feel sorry for her."  
"Which is why we have to help her," Ark told them adamantly. "I don't want Miss Zeel to die. She doesn't deserve that…she should be happy – both of them."  
A wicked little grin cracked its way across Fura's face. "Oho? Somebody here sounds like they've grown attached to a certain someone else," she sang. "Zeel _is_ a pretty girl…even if she does have the personality of a rabid wasp."  
Ark went beet red.  
Zelda clicked her tongue disapprovingly. "Fura," she sniffed. "Is this _really_ the time for it?"  
"I can't help it," Fura said lamely. She suddenly squealed and caught Link in a neck-breaking headlock. "I'm just so excited! We've been rescued…and Ark's back! We're about to become our full number again." The Gerudo squeezed her eyes shut and puckered her lips at Link. "Gimme a kiss, sweetie-pie. I've been longing for one ever since Gaul locked us up."  
Link made a face that looked like he'd just eaten something sour. "Eegh. No."  
Fura's face registered shock, and then she launched herself at the blonde boy, rolling across the grass in a rough tackle. "Ungrateful brute!" she growled, throttling him. "I've been kidnapped, starved for three days, and then forced to jump off the top of a collapsing tower…and you won't even give me a little kiss!? Punish you!"  
Zelda shook her head and sighed as Ark handed her some bread from his pack. "Back to normal already."  
Link, Fura, Zelda, and Ark decided that staying in the one spot for longer than necessary was probably a bad idea. The collapse of Gaul's fortress would have attracted attention from miles around, and much of that attention could be unwanted. Link and Ark led the way since they had more energy to spare than the starving Fura and Zelda. The two girls had gnawed their way through some of the food stowed in Ark's pack, but were forced to ration it out since there was really only enough for one.  
"We'll find somewhere to camp out soon," Link said as the afternoon began to wear on. "We should have gone far enough away from Gaul's fortress to make it safe enough for a fire. I'll try to find something worth cooking."  
"Oh, good Goddesses," Fura almost whimpered. "Meat…juicy meat…I'd eat it _raw_ if I had some in front of me right now. So help me, Link…you'd better find something out there or I'm going to start eating _you_."  
"I'd take that threat more seriously if you were Nyara," Link murmured dryly. He stopped walking and looked around. "We'll camp here. It'll be too dark before long."  
"I shall pitch the tent," Ark said, swinging his pack off his shoulders. "Lady Fura and Lady Zelda can rest some more."  
Fura laughed. "Ahh…Lady this, Lady that. Your presence in our numbers has been sorely missed, Ark." The Gerudo cracked her knuckles. "I'm not that feeble. I'll get some sticks together and get a fire going. Coming, Zelda?"  
"Pardon? Oh! Yes, yes, I'm coming," the Princess said quickly, snapping out of an attention-drawing yawn.  
"Then I'll get going on dinner…I suppose," Link frowned, eyeing the forest. "I'll be back before too long. Let's go, Navi."

Several hours passed, and with full bellies the four children sat around a warm fire watching the sparks pop and fizzle up into the night air. Link had succeeded in catching an animal with just enough meat on its bones to feed them all, thanks to the Key and some help from Navi, which earned him high praise from a certain blonde and redhead. As usual, Ark didn't eat very much, and instead decided to give most of his share to Fura and Zelda, who he thought needed it more than he did. Both girls thought he was absolutely precious for being so thoughtful, and so Ark received a solid round of cheek-pinching for his efforts.  
Ark sighed and rubbed at his tender skin. "I've…been meaning to ask you all something for a while," he murmured quietly, as if unsure of whether or not he wanted to hear their answers. "Miss Nyara…is she…" He seemed to be fumbling for the right words. "I mean…when I ran away…I had to…hurt her, and…"  
"She's fine, Ark," Fura grinned, gnawing away on a bone that still had some meat on it. "You don't need to worry about her. She misses you awfully, though, and she was in a right state just after you left." The Gerudo tossed the bone into the fire and licked her lips clean. "She'll be more relieved than angry when she sees you again. Don't worry yourself over it."  
Ark looked down at his feet and nodded. "I was trying to do the right thing."  
"We know," Link said, patting his friend on the shoulder. "I probably would have done the same thing in your position."  
"Oh _really?_" Fura asked archly. "If you did, you'd see just how good at tracking I can be, and then you'd find out that I'm not quite as forgiving as Nyara is." She mashed her fist into her palm. "I'd also make sure you were too scared of the wrath I'd visit upon you for running away to ever do so again." She paused. "And then there'd be lots and lots of "kiss and make up," and all that stuff."  
"Touching," Link said in a rather flat, though slightly wary tone.  
"Isn't it, though?" Fura said sweetly, smiling cheerfully. "But remember: don't run off on Fura, and you won't get beaten to a pulp."  
"Love hurts," Zelda snickered softly. "Literally, in your case."  
Link wrinkled his nose up in consternation. "Isn't this about Ark? The poor guy's trying to get some help with his troubles and you two turn around and start making fun of _me_," he chided them. "Shame, shame, puppy-shame."  
Fura held her hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay," she sighed. "Sorry, Ark." Fura _did_ feel a little guilty for forgetting about the smaller boy.  
"That's all right, Lady Fura," Ark assured the redhead with a brief smile. "It's nothing important."  
Zelda clicked her tongue to let Ark know she was displeased about something. "Come on, Ark," she said in a tone of light reprimand. "Tell us what's on your mind. I have no doubt that you've been stewing over things whilst being stuck with Zeel, or _the_ Zeels…that sounds strange," the Princess frowned. She shook her head. "Anyway, some of the things that Gaul said before must be weighing heavily on your mind. Wouldn't it be best to put yourself at ease before you see Nyara again? It'll make you feel better."  
Ark thought about that for a moment, and he decided that indeed he did want to talk about things, especially the things his brother had told him. "I…" he began, not quite sure how to start. "If Gaul is – was – my brother, then does that mean that…maybe more of my family is involved with the Eternal Ark?"  
Fura, Link, and Zelda blinked. They had never considered that. Could it be that all of the trouble caused by the attempted opening of the Ark had been caused by Ark's family? And then, even if it was so, were they really trying to eradicate one of their own flesh and blood? A brother…a son? They all realized then that things surrounding Ark were not what they appeared to be, and perhaps, neither was he. After all…Ark could perhaps be closely related to the very people they were trying to stop.  
"Oh…" Zelda murmured dumbly. "Ah…"  
"Possibly," Link said with a small frown, allowing Zelda to simply listen instead of trying to come up with a response. "But then…didn't Aarden tell you that your parents died when you were little? Maybe Gaul was just one bad egg out of a nest of good ones – if you don't mind me saying so."  
Ark shook his head. "No, that's all right," he said. "But I'm not sure what to think now. When I asked Gaul to return my memories…he said that he couldn't give back what was never there in the first place. I can't even remember the names of my parents anymore. I can't even remember what my favorite food is or anything like that. Maybe…maybe Aarden lied about all of that to protect me from the truth that…" Ark trailed off, as if too afraid to admit what he was thinking. "My family are very bad people."  
Link, Fura, and Zelda exchanged glances.  
Ark suddenly grew worried. "Wh-what?" he asked nervously. "What is it?"  
Link cleared his throat, an unspoken decision having been made that it was he who would speak. "Ark…before you arrived at the fortress, Gaul told us something." Link shifted uneasily. "Something about Aarden."  
"What about Aarden?" Ark asked, his voice barely above a hoarse whisper.  
"Aarden was there when it all started," Link told him quietly. "Aarden was working with your brother's master. Ark, Aarden helped to shatter the Locks. He tried to break into the Eternal Ark."  
Ark stared at Link as if he didn't quite believe him, but Link's expression told that he was deadly serious.  
"We're not sure what it means," Link continued. "But I don't think that Aarden was an enemy of ours. He wouldn't have raised you the way he did if he was. Maybe he made a mistake."  
Ark sighed and nodded ruefully. "This is all making my head hurt," he yawned. "I might go to bed. Goodnight, everybody, and sleep well." He stood up, but then paused on his way to the tent. "And…it's good to be back again." As he pushed open the tent, he gazed at the three locks of hair he held in his hand. "It's good to be back."


	80. Changed Rules

**Chapter 79 – Changed Rules**

It was a tight fit inside the small tent that Ark had with him, but the four children managed to squeeze in for a relatively comfortable night. Unfortunately for Link, however; he was sandwiched between Fura and her boiler-like ability to give off ungodly amounts of heat, and Zelda, whose extremities became so cold it was like sleeping next to a pile of living icicles – icicles that sometimes found in necessary to invade the spaces behind his knees. The blonde boy frequently awoke with a terrible start, and either had to pry Zelda's sub-zero feet away from his legs, or turn Fura and her searing skin away from him, usually so that she was facing Ark. Link didn't feel _too_ bad about letting her drool on and cook his smaller friend.  
Morning finally rolled along, and it was with a certain degree of relief that Link staggered out of his cocoon of ice and fire. The air outside was warm, but fresh.  
"Link? Where're you going?" Fura's voice sounded from behind the tent flap. "Don't get up yet…stay in bed for a while. I want a cuddle." Her tone was rather pathetic-sounding, like a small child pouting in an attempt to sucker an adult into giving her candy.  
Unfortunately for Fura, Link was one adult who was extremely stingy when it came to candy. "No," he told her in an off-hand manner. "You're too hot." He could have sworn he heard her grumble something through clenched teeth after that.  
"Well it's you that misses out," the Gerudo sniffed, trying to make it sound like she didn't care. "More luck for somebody else." Then, in what was perhaps an attempt at making Link jealous, Fura stupidly caught a half-asleep Ark in a crushing good-morning hug.  
The feathery headed boy woke in a panic. "Ooh!?" he squeaked in surprise.  
The predictable happened, and the sound of buzzing electricity discharging filled the air. Fura gave a loud wail as her body was jolted, waking Zelda up in the process. The buzzing soon stopped, as did all sound coming from the tent.  
"What?" Zelda mumbled drowsily with an airy yawn.  
Link squinted at the small shelter. "Are you all okay?" he asked.  
A cough, presumably from Fura, echoed in the air. "Peachy," she groaned.  
"L-lady Fura!" Ark squeaked in horror. "I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to-"  
"Oogh, it was my fault, Ark," Fura cut in. "Don't apologize." She paused before raising her voice. "But it sure would be nice if someone came to see if I was okay."  
"You're as tough as old boots," Link snorted. "You're fine and you know it."  
"Because I really, _really_ like you, and because you came to my rescue yesterday, I'll forgive you for that and _won't_ set you on fire," Fura told him flatly. "But keep going and I'll keep kicking you until all the sarcasm and smartass-ness falls out, okay?"  
Link winced. "Fair enough."  
Link managed to turf his three traveling companions out of bed and fold the tent away before too long. Fura and Zelda, both of whom were a little disgruntled at being forced to get up so early, had their protests quelled when Link told them he had made a _special_ breakfast just for them, seeing as how they had been through so much over the past three days. Of course, Ark got the same breakfast as the two girls, but they didn't seem to notice.  
"Where do we go now?" Zelda asked, yawning. She was still feeling the effects of the early rise.  
Link rubbed the bridge of his nose with his finger. "Well…it took me almost three full days to get here, but you have to remember that I practically flew all the way. That's a whole lot faster than going on foot, so who knows how far away Impa and the others are," Link told the Princess. He squinted through the trees. "They should be off in that direction somewhere…providing the Compass hasn't led them off in a completely different direction. At least the road they were traveling along lies over that way. I told them it would be a good idea to meet somewhere along it, so that's probably where we should go."  
Fura, who was squirming away in the cloak that Ark had given her in an attempt at getting more comfortable, clicked her fingers to get everyone's attention. "We're running low on food. I'm afraid Zelda and I have wiped out most of the stuff from Ark's pack. Finding food will probably be rather high up on our to-do list."  
"We're in a jungle, aren't we? Can't we find fruit and what-have-you to eat?" Zelda suggested. "There should be lots growing about."  
Link nodded. "It's a good idea, but with one problem," the blonde boy said. "We don't know what's poisonous and what's not. If we had Impa with us, then I'm sure she'd be able to tell. Unfortunately, we don't."  
It was at that point that Ark, who had been sitting rather quietly, had a rather brilliant idea. He coughed politely to get some attention. "Ah…excuse me?" he ventured hesitantly. "I think I may have an idea."  
Fura whistled sharply to get Zelda and Link to stop talking. "Hey, Ark has an idea."  
"Sorry, Ark," Zelda apologized. "I didn't hear you."  
Ark shook his head. "That's all right, Lady Zelda," he told her. "Ahem…anyway, I think I know a place where we could possibly get some supplies."  
Link's face lit up. "You do? Where?"  
"Well, when Miss Zeel sent me back, I was, erm…_ambushed_ by somebody in this forest. She thought that I was trespassing, but we got the misunderstanding sorted out and she let me stay at her house for the night." Ark scratched the back of his head and smiled in an amused sort of way. "You know, it was actually her who convinced me to come back to all of you. She doesn't live too far from here."  
Fura quirked an eyebrow. "Do you think she'd help us?"  
Ark winced. "Well…she's a little frank in nature, but she's a nice person. I'm sure she would." At least, he hoped she would. Ark wasn't sure what Robin's reaction would be when he turned up at her cottage with three other people, and the Goddesses help them if Link said something to annoy her. He'd probably cop an arrow in his backside if he did. Still, they didn't have much of a choice, and perhaps Robin could even help them in identifying what fruits were safe to eat.  
"I guess that settles it, then," Zelda said, snapping Ark from his thoughts. "Ark, you lead the way."  
"O-of course," the grey haired boy stammered, a little uncertain at being put in charge of things. "It shouldn't be far. Follow me."

Talen's jaw twinged as cramp threatened to take hold in the middle of a rather prolonged yawn. Since it was quite early, not all the gears were turning smoothly in the smith's head, and it was perhaps because of his slightly dulled senses that he had allowed Florella to offload her pack onto him as well as ride on his shoulders.  
"I hope this isn't too heavy for you, Talen," the Great Fairy chirped.  
Talen opened his mouth to reply, but only managed to draw breath.  
"Oh, what am I saying? Of course it isn't," Florella giggled. "You're the strongest person on the planet! It was so _nice_ of you to offer to carry me. You must have known I'm still feeling a little tired after yesterday."  
Talen blinked, not really being able to remember offering to do anything. He'd heard the fairy say, "Carry me," from behind him a while back down the road, and then he'd felt some extra weight on his back. As for the "feeling too tired from yesterday" part, Talen found it strange that she had still been able to stay up half of last night, chattering away to Nyara. If anything, she had more energy than ever.  
"There, there," Saria murmured, patting the smith on the arm. "She's just excited."  
"About what?" Talen asked.  
Saria giggled. "Talen, don't you know where we are?"  
Talen glanced around with a kind of disinterested expression on his face. "In a forest?"  
"Yes, we're in a forest," Saria sighed, rolling her eyes. "Do you know which one?"  
Talen blinked. "One with trees in it."  
Saria curled her top lip up over teeth, a habit she had gotten during the years of having to deal with good friend, Link. "You're being remarkably like somebody I know," she told the smith flatly. "Yes, Talen, we're in a forest, and it _does_ have trees in it."  
"The Great Forest," Impa chuckled from a short distance ahead. "We're in the Great Forest, Talen."  
"Oh," the strong boy mumbled. He suddenly blinked and straightened up considerably. "Oh!"  
"Yes, now you've got it," Saria snickered.  
Florella kicked her legs out on either side of Talen's head and held her arms in the air. _"Yu-la!"_ she cried at the top of her lungs. "Impa remembered where we are, so it's been decided that we'll keep heading towards Arbouren. If we meet up with Link and the others along the way, then so much the better, but the city would be a good place to wait should we miss them."  
Nyara scratched her head. "Who Yula?" she asked curiously.  
"Yula is an old friend of ours," Impa told the Meera. "Talen and Link saved her from a rather grim fate at the hands of her people about three to four years ago. They took her to Arbouren with them, and then Tannis and Elousin promptly adopted her."  
Talen allowed his mind to drift to the extraordinarily pale girl. They had last seen Yula almost over a year ago. The long distance to travel, coupled with the difficulty of acquiring a ship made it really only possible to visit when Impa was present. Her connection to the Royal Family of Hyrule gave her quite a bit of influence at most ports. "You know," Talen frowned thoughtfully. "Yula's lived in Arbouren for about three years now, but she's still as pale as ever."  
"Some people don't tan very well," Impa said. "Fura and I are lucky enough to have darker skin, but people like Yula and Zelda simply burn."  
"I know their pain," Florella sighed, shuddering as she remembered the last time she had been in the tropics. "Remember what happened last time?"  
Zelda, Fura, Saria, Ruto, Yula, and Florella herself had decided to lounge around at the edge of the pool Regent Tannis and his wife Elousin had in one of the balconies of their rather expansive manor. Talen and Link had been in the pool, splashing about in the water to wash off the juice from the fruit they had been throwing at each other beforehand. Foolishly, the girls had relied on the boys to wake them up if they fell asleep in the sun for too long, but the two of them just sort of wandered off. To cut a long story short; Saria managed to escape the sun's fiery wrath, as did the copper-skinned Fura, but Zelda, Florella, Ruto, and Yula were roasted like sausages lined up over a barbeque. Link had found it extremely funny, but he quickly decided that it was no laughing matter, especially when Impa came outside, saw the bright-red Zelda, and then picked up the blonde boy by his ankles and shook him.  
"I told him to watch her," Impa sighed, shaking her head. "That boy's attention tends to wander if his stomach starts telling his brain that it needs filling."  
"I thought it was funny," Florella giggled. "He almost cried…and then you made him look after us for the next four days. He kept saying that the smell of that burn lotion was so ingrained in his hands after all that back-smearing that it made all of his food taste funny."  
"And you wonder why he's scared of you, Impa," Saria laughed.  
"Ark make funny face when Impa talk to him," Nyara chirped. "Like this." The Meera girl opened her eyes wide and allowed her mouth to hang open.  
The others burst out laughing, and Saria even had to wipe a tear out of her eye. "Hah, that's it. Kinda reminds me of Talen's face when you told him he was going to marry you, Florella," the Kokiri chuckled.  
Talen flinched visibly.  
"That was a good day," Florella sighed, warm smile creeping over her face. "Right, Talen?"  
The smith's face paled slightly. "Ooh…ah, yeah." He glanced at Saria. "Stop laughing."  
The Kokiri girl covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry."  
"No you're not," Talen sighed. "None of you are."

Robin's expression upon opening her front door was, to say the least, one of surprise. "What in the world…?" she uttered. "Dinky? What are you doing back here? And who are these three?" She stared at Link, Fura, and Zelda.  
"M-many apologies, Miss Robin," Ark said quickly, managing a small bow. "B-but we have a favor to ask of you."  
Robin blinked and looked down at the three other people with Ark. There was a blonde boy with strange black skin on certain parts of his body, a blonde girl wearing a nightie, and an olive skinned redhead clad only in underpants, a brassiere, and what appeared to be Ark's cloak.  
"Uh…I lost my clothes," Fura said lamely, noticing the tall girl's stare.  
Robin blinked and shook her head. "Oh, sorry." She opened the door wider and stepped back, allowing them all in. "Come inside."  
Fura and Zelda entered first, followed closely by Ark and Link. The three unfamiliar with the house glanced around its interior before being guided over to the settee.  
"So…you're Robin?" Zelda asked haltingly. "Ah…thank you for letting us in."  
"And thanks for knocking some sense into Ark," Fura grinned. "If you hadn't convinced him to find us, then we wouldn't be here talking to you now."  
Robin raised an eyebrow. "Well it's nice to meet you." She turned to Ark. "So does that mean your saved their lives, huh, Dinky? Not bad for somebody so small."  
Ark went red in the face, either from being complemented or being called "Dinky".  
"Dinky?" Fura murmured questioningly.  
"It's the nickname I gave him," Robin explained. "Because he's so small. Dinky."  
Link frowned. "He's not _that_ small."  
"He is to me, Blondie," the exceptionally tall girl smirked.  
"Everyone's small to you." Link seemed to say it without really thinking.  
Zelda gasped in horror and hit the boy in the arm. "_Link!_ Mind your manners!"  
"Sorry," he mumbled submissively.  
Robin shook her head. "Whatever. Ark, introduce me."  
Ark blinked. "O-oh! Forgive me." He cleared his throat and gestured to each of his friends in turn. "Miss Robin, may I introduce Lady Zelda, Lady Fura, Link, and Miss Navi."  
Both of Robin's eyebrows ascended her forehead in an expression of surprise. "Zelda? As in the Princess of Hyrule?"  
Zelda flushed slightly. "Erm…that's me. Pleased to meet you, Robin."  
Robin nodded and then turned her head to look at Link. "So…_you're_ Link. I saw you in the forest yesterday. You seem to have lightened up a shade or two."  
"My skin pigments are funny," Link told her unfalteringly. "It's the weather."  
Robin frowned and scrunched up her nose. "Was that supposed to be a joke?"  
"Was that supposed to be an attempt at sarcasm?"  
"_Link!" _Zelda hissed.  
"Maybe I should start calling you "Fairy" from now on," Robin smirked. "It'd suit you."  
Link glanced at Navi as she circled his head slowly, swiveled his eyes warily at Zelda, and then shifted his gaze back to Robin. He couldn't resist. "Does that mean I get to call you "Beanstalk"?" he asked quietly.  
Robin's eyebrows nearly bumped into each other, and Zelda elbowed the boy in the arm. "Link!" the Princess hissed, telling him off for the third time in a row. "Robin is being very hospitable to the four of us, don't be rude!"  
"She started it," Link said lamely, rubbing his arm.  
"Please forgive him," Zelda asked Robin. "Link's mouth sometimes gets the better of him." She twisted the boy's ear as he attempted to protest.  
Robin shrugged. "He's amusing, so I'll forgive him." She reached out and casually gripped the top of Ark's head with her fingers. "So what's this all about, Dinky?"  
Ark's mouth made a little 'O' shape. "A-ah…well, Miss Robin, there are things that, well, I do not want to…ah…"  
Zelda put a sympathetic hand on Ark's shoulder, silencing him. As the Princess had expected, the particularly scarring incident that had occurred the previous day was something that the quiet boy did not want to discuss. Killing his brother had shaken Ark right to the core, and the full outflow of grief over it, Zelda suspected, had not yet come to pass, which meant that getting back to Nyara was very important for his well-being. While Fura, Link, and Zelda herself were very close to Ark, Nyara held a special place in Ark – _she_ was the one who needed to counter Ark's sorrow with her exuberant affection. "Robin," Zelda said politely. "What happened yesterday is difficult for Ark to talk about." She turned to the grey haired boy. "Ark, do you mind if I fill Robin in myself?"  
Ark nodded.  
"All right. Robin?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Is there somewhere we can go that's a little more private? You know…" She inclined her head towards Ark.  
It took several seconds for Robin to catch her meaning. "Oh! Yeah, sure. Follow me." The extraordinarily tall girl headed for the staircase that led to the second floor of the house. "Oh, don't let Fairy go near the "you-know-what", Dinky," she called down.  
Ark glanced at the bookshelf filled with cheesy romance novels. "Yes, Miss Robin."  
"Good boy."

The countless trees that stretched off into infinity on either side of the road gradually began to thin out as their size increased. Now well and truly in the midst of the Great Forest, cooked meals were a thing of the past, since the forest's protective magic prevented any form of fire from burning within it.  
"How long until we get there?" Florella asked eagerly, having since returned to walking herself. The Great Fairy was extremely restless, and her excitement showed itself through her constant skipping, fiddling, and trilling, along with which Nyara also sang.  
Now Talen considered himself a patient boy. After all, he sat by every year and watched the girls cook themselves under the burning Arbouren sun before waiting on them hand and foot when they were too red and sore to move. Florella's voice, while utterly breathtaking when she was in the mood for it, could be rather piercing when she let it go off on its own. Now was one of the times when her voice had decided to throw all semblance of tone out the window and just go for whatever it could find.  
"Maybe we should use this time for quiet reflection," Impa suggested, her voice sounding rather pained.  
Talen sighed. At least he wasn't suffering alone.  
"What was that, Impa?" Florella asked, breaking away from her tuneless song.  
"Nothing."  
"Oh…all right, then. Ready, Nyara?" The Great Fairy took a deep breath in preparation for another bout of musical horror.  
"Ah," Talen said, interrupting. "Maybe it would be best if we kept quiet…I mean, who knows what's lurking out there? Some evil minion from our enemy could be hunting us."  
Florella's eyes went very wide and a little scared. "Really?" she gasped.  
"Really. So as much as I'd like to listen to your melodious voice, you'd best keep the singing to a minimum," Talen told her seriously. "Can you do that for me?"  
Florella nodded. "O-kay! You can count on me, Talen."  
"I always can, Florella."  
The fairy girl pursed her lips and smiled a rather satisfied smile, completely oblivious to the smith's true motive.  
Saria sidled up to the brown haired boy and nudged him with her elbow. "Evil minion?" she murmured. "Talen, that's was so transparent I'm surprised a bird didn't fly straight into it."  
"Excuse me? I don't see a halo floating over your head, Saint Saria," Talen murmured back.  
Saria whistled and rolled her eyes over to Impa. "Did you hear that, Impa? _Sass_, and from Talen as well. I would have expected that from Link, but not _Talen._"  
Impa held her hands up to her face in a show of mock surprise. "And the sky shall fall."  
Talen sighed and ignored them both. He was allowed to be smart if he wanted to. It wasn't _just_ for Link…but he did feel just a _little_ guilty about lying to Florella. "Uh…Florella?"  
"Yes?" the Great Fairy asked, sending a dimpled smile right at him.  
"Uh…your pack looks kinda heavy. Do you want to ride on my shoulders again?"  
In an amazing display of speed and agility, Florella gave a whoop of delight, tossed her gear onto Talen, and then scuttled up onto his shoulders.  
"I'm so weak," the smith said mournfully.

Ark twiddled his thumbs as he waited patiently for Robin and Zelda to return from the second floor. Both Link and Fura had fallen asleep on the settee – Ark had watched them nod off and gradually slide down the back of the furniture until they met at the middle with a slight knock of their heads. They stayed in that position, holding each other up like two poles from a teepee. Link's mouth was closed since he breathed through his nose, but Fura was a mouth-breather, and as such she had soaked Link's shoulder with drool. Navi was awake, though. Rather than hover around her snoozing partner, she had instead perched herself atop Ark's head, between the feathery quills of hair that made up half of his fringe.  
"They must still be tired from everything that's happened," the small fairy said. "I can't say that I blame them, either. I can safely say that during that fight was the one time I'd actually been sort of afraid of Link."  
"I didn't see it," Ark murmured.  
"He went _berserk._ Tooth and nail he fought, and then…I'm not exactly sure what happened. I think he _absorbed_ both Fura and Zelda."  
Ark's curiosity was piqued. "A-absorbed?"  
Navi tapped her diminutive hands on Ark's forehead. "It was the most incredible thing I've ever seen. Fura went into his body and tattooed all these spooky, red runes on him, and Zelda became this gigantic sword. It looked like it was made out of golden glass…"  
Ark frowned as he pictured it. "It must have been a sight to see."  
"It was," Navi agreed. "It was. But it would make me more at ease if Link didn't have to do it again."  
Ark turned his head upwards slightly. "Huh?"  
"If I had my way, Link would never have learnt how to use a sword in the first place. He's a fighter, but not a warrior. I hope that after all of this he never has to pick up a sword again. I'd be content to just float around after him for the rest of our days." Navi fluttered her wings and lifted off of Ark's head. She drifted around in a circle before landing on her partner's knee. "You know…I keep looking for signs that he's ready to choose between the two lovely ladies, but just when I think he has, it turns out he hasn't." The fairy ruffled her hair with her hand. "I want to watch Link grow up like a normal boy. I can babysit his children, read them bedtime stories, and watch them as well. "Auntie Navi"…I like the sound of that."  
Ark smiled to himself at the thought. If anything, Link's children would probably use Navi as a chew-toy or pacifier. And then, all of a sudden, a curious thought entered Ark's head. "I…wonder what will become of me," he pondered quietly.  
"Pardon?" Navi asked, flitting over to him.  
"I don't have a home anymore, and certainly nobody I could call family…if mine exists anymore. Where do I go when this is over?"  
Now _that_ was an interesting question. Navi had to admit that she hadn't given any thought to it at all. She knew something had to be done about it, of course, but it had only really just hit her. What would become of Ark? "Oh…oh! You could live with Nyara in the Meera village."  
Ark gave a start. "Wh-what?"  
"Why not? It'd be nice…the two of you could stay together all the time then. Nyara wouldn't have to worry about you all the time with you living under her nose…and you wouldn't have to worry about being alone. It's the perfect answer."  
Ark spluttered.  
"Or," Navi continued. "You could let Zeel snatch you up again. You could live with, erm…both of them in that huge manor."  
"Miss Navi!" Ark squeaked.  
"Heh, that _was_ a little "out there", wasn't it," Navi chuckled, rubbing the back of her head.  
It was at that point that Robin and Zelda descended the stairs from the second floor. Robin looked a little fazed, and she stopped next to Ark and laid a hand on top of his head. "Oh, Dinky," she sighed. "I'm so sorry. You did what you had to do, I suppose." She paused and ruffled his hair. "And that's all I'll say on the matter. You obviously don't want to talk about it." Robin's gaze shifted to Link. "Wake up, Fairy!"  
Link jerked upright and blinked drowsily. "Hrmm…what?" Fura slipped down and headbutted him in the side of the stomach, causing Link to snort in displeasure. "Oh, Beanstalk, it's you. Let me sleep."  
"You have work to do," Robin told him. "You're the man, so it's up to you to do the work and go through my stores for the supplies you need. Gather everything together and I'll give you something to carry it all in. You can have enough to get to civilization, but you're on your own after that."  
Link scratched his head tiredly and stood up, resulting in Fura being dragged onto the floor. "Hey…" she groaned. "What's going on?"  
"Link's getting the food together," Zelda told the redhead. "You can keep sleeping if you want."  
Fura yawned and waved her hand. "No, I'm awake now." She rubbed her eyes and frowned at Robin and Zelda. "You two were a while. Did it really take that long to explain things?"  
"Not really," Zelda shrugged. "We talked about other things as well." The Princess inclined her head meaningfully towards Link.  
The blonde boy grunted and put on a sour expression. "Ugh, gossip. Beanstalk, where's your store?"  
Robin curled her fingers, indicating for Link to follow her. She led him outside and around to the back of her cottage. Built into the bottom of the wall was the opening to a storm cellar.  
"Down here?" Link asked.  
"Down there. Don't bang your head on the way down. Get what you need and pile it up on the ground out here, then you can have fun dividing it up and packing it all." She waved cheerfully at him. "Don't work too hard, now. I'm going back inside hear more stories about how much of an idiot you are."  
Link shrugged his shoulder. "You do that, but in the meantime…" He pulled out a familiar-looking book from his tunic. Robin's face went ashen. "_I'm_ going to read more about how Beanstalk loves terrible books." He flicked through several pages. "Let's see…"They gazed longingly into each others' eyes, saying a million things at once, and yet saying nothing." Wow, would you like extra cheese with that? 'Cause I have a whole book full of it here."  
"_Give me that!" _Robin shrieked, lunging for the book as Link dangled it before her. She missed as Link ducked into the cellar.  
"Here you go, Beanstalk." He tossed the book at her, striking her in the forehead.  
Robin grunted indignantly and caught the book as it bounced off her. "Ugh! Come here, you little squirt."  
But Link was already gone, slamming the cellar door closed behind him.  
Robin pounded kicked it. "You'll pay for this!" she threatened. With a final snort of disgust, the tall girl headed back to the front door, deciding that what Zelda had told her about Link was true.

Nyara swished her tail from side to side. By Meera standards, Nyara had a very nice tail. It was long, smooth, and the bobble at the end was perfectly fluffed. It was a tail that drew envy from a lot of the other girls in the village, even though Nyara was the runt. Surprisingly enough, Nyara had been rather quiet during the past several of days. Nobody had really noticed it, probably because there were more pressing matters on their minds, and Nyara didn't really mind that much because it gave her time to think about a certain grey haired boy. His absence still pained her greatly, though she had become more adept at trying to not let it affect her too much, but it still did to a certain degree. Every night before she went to sleep and every morning before she got up Nyara would send a silent plea to the ghosts of the Meera to help Ark come to a decision about whether or not he would stay away or return. She hoped desperately that his decision would be the latter.  
"Tomorrow, right? We get there tomorrow?" Florella asked out of nowhere.  
Nyara blinked and snapped out of her thoughts.  
"Yes, Florella, for the fifth time, tomorrow," Impa sighed, her voice betraying a small hint of amusement.  
"I was just making sure. Hey, Nyara, you'll just _love_ Yula," Florella said in a hushed tone, obviously still holding to the belief that she needed to keep quiet. "She's so kind and gentle…and she's so _pale_. It's almost like she's a living ghost."  
"Why so pale?" Nyara asked curiously.  
"Who knows? I guess it's kinda like Ark's sticky-up hair – a mystery."  
Nyara twitched her ears and her eyes went vacant. She began humming an odd little tune, the one that she had been humming when Ark had told her he liked her singing. Suddenly, however, she stopped and flared her ears, listening intently. "Stop!" she hissed.  
The others froze.  
Impa began to look around at the surrounding forest with a watchful eye. "What is it, Nyara? What do you hear?"  
Nyara narrowed her eyes and sniffed at the air. "Something coming," she growled. "Nyara can't smell it…but Nyara hear it. It coming…fast."  
"Is it…dangerous?" Saria asked fearfully. She huddled closer to Talen, as did Florella.  
"Don't know," Nyara said. She unsheathed her claws just in case. She suddenly pointed back in the direction they had come from. "There!"  
The party turned to see what was approaching them. They had half expected to see some monstrous beast sent by their enemy, but it was something altogether different.  
"Zeel!" Florella squeaked. "What's she doing here?"  
A low growl rattled out of Nyara's throat as Zeel approached. She was coming in fast, but it didn't look as if she was about to attack them. She did look very, _very_ angry, though.  
"What you want?" Nyara growled threateningly.  
Zeel didn't bother acknowledging Nyara's question. "Where is he!?" she demanded. "I know you have him! Tell me where he is!"  
Impa frowned. "Have him? Who?"  
"Ark, you stupid woman! _Ark!_" Zeel shrieked.  
The group looked shocked, Nyara especially. Ark had escaped?  
"Y-you mean he's not with you?" Florella stammered.  
"Of course he isn't!" Zeel snapped viciously. "I wouldn't be here, otherwise! You, fairy, are the only one who knows how to reach into my realm to snatch him up…so tell me where he is! _Now!_"  
"What happen?" Nyara asked, bewildered. "What happen to Ark?"  
Zeel rounded on her. "_You_ people happened, that's what! You took him when that incompetent demon was supposed to be watching him!" She whipped out her scythe. _"Give him back, NOW!"  
_Talen thrust the other behind him, covering his arms in stone as he did so. "That's enough!" he barked. "Zeel, take a look around. Where could we be hiding him? In our pockets? Ark's small, but not that small. Feel free to look in our packs if you want, but Ark is _not_ here." Rock blades burst out of his fingertips. "Now put your weapon away and sop threatening us."  
Zeel quaked with what appeared to be anger, her purple eyes growing as hard as steel. _"Rragh!"_ she screamed, driving her scythe into the ground. Her whole body shook and quivered, and she held out her hand as if surprised to see it moving so. "No!" she cried. "Already!? This can't be!"  
Talen and the others looked unsure of themselves. Something was obviously happening to the girl, but they weren't quite sure how to react.  
"Zeel?" Florella ventured uncertainly. "What's the matter?"  
"None of your business, fairy!" Zeel snarled, getting over her shaking. "The rules have just changed…I don't have any time left. If Ark somehow finds his way back to you…if you see him again, then tell him…" She jerked her scythe out of the ground and sliced it through the air. "I will _kill_ him!"


	81. Arbouren

**Chapter 80 – Arbouren**

Ark gave a start and blinked, peering at the interior of Robin's house through bleary eyes. It was late afternoon, yellow rays of the sun were filtering in through the trees and the windows, and Ark was seated rather comfortably in one of Robin's plush armchairs. Fura was sitting directly opposite him on the wide settee, Link was outside, presumably with Zelda, and Robin had gone out to bag some dinner, but not before accusing Ark of being a poor bookshelf guard and slamming the book Link had taken back in place.  
"Are you sleepy, Dinky?" Fura asked quietly.  
Ark focused on the Gerudo as she stretched out on the settee. He noted with slight consternation that she too had adopted the pet-name of "Dinky" for him. Not that he minded all _that_ much…but still, he didn't think his size was small enough to warrant a name that drew special attention to it. "A little tired, yes," he replied, yawning. "Lady Fura, did you, ah…hear something just now?"  
Fura's white lips curved into a thoughtful frown. "Like what?"  
"Ah…I don't know," Ark murmured. His big green eyes stared at her in puzzlement.  
"I might have to get back to you on that," the redhead said, smiling at Ark's confusion. When his perplexed, slightly forlorn expression didn't vanish, Fura decided that what Ark needed was something to take his mind off of recent events. "You know…" she said in a slow, almost casual manner. "If _I_ were looking forward to seeing somebody I've been away from for a while…I'd try to find a little something that said, "I've missed you", or something like that." Fura gave Ark a sidelong glance and received the desired effect.  
Ark's head snapped up and he gazed at Fura with his green eyes large and curious. "P-pardon, Lady Fura?"  
Fura grinned and then straightened her face into a mask of indifference. "Oh, it's nothing," she sniffed. "Forget I said it."  
"No, no…go ahead," Ark pressed. "What were you saying…?"  
The Gerudo couldn't help but smile to herself. "Well…" She hung on it for several seconds. "Okay!" She was leaning over the back of his chair in a flash, her hands pressing down on his shoulders. "Now, Nyara was _very_ upset when you first took of."  
"Sh-she was?" Ark gasped, horrified. "I-I didn't mean to…I didn't want her to…I thought I was doing the right thing!"  
Fura shushed the boy by jiggling him around. "Shush, shush, shush," she chided lightly. "Nyara knows that, Ark, and believe me when I tell you that she's still as attached to you as ever. She'll be very excited when she sees you again." She pinched his ears and stretched them out. "Sooo…you should maybe do a little something to let her know just how much you missed her. You _do_ miss her, right?"  
"Ah…y-yes," Ark stammered, his cheeks reddening slightly.  
"Good boy. Now Nyara isn't like most girls in many ways, she doesn't wear clothes or anything for one…but then I guess she's kinda like Ruto, but not as annoying, because Nyara doesn't lose her temper like Ruto does all the time, but don't get me wrong, I like Ruto just fine-"  
Ark coughed politely. "Ah…Lady Fura?"  
"What? Oh! Sorry about that," the redhead laughed, breaking off from her tangent. "I got carried away. Erm, where was I…ah! Anyway, Nyara probably wouldn't like something most other girls would, you know; jewelry and all that junk. Nyara would rather something else…something like a gesture showing how much it pained you to be away from her."  
Ark looked perplexed. "Like what?"  
Fura patted his head. "That's for you to figure out, Dinky. Think about it."  
Ark lapsed into deep thought, but his face was no longer troubled.  
"Mission accomplished," Fura smirked, cracking her knuckles.

"You're doing a great job, Link," Zelda called into the dark cellar. "You've just about collected all we need."  
"You could help too, you know," the blonde boy grunted, staggering into the light with a bag of dried fruit.  
Zelda pouted. "But it's all dusty down there."  
Link climbed the stairs. "You don't say," he said, brushing a great cloud of dust off into Zelda's face.  
The Princess waved her hands around and broke into a coughing fit. "Oh, ick," she shuddered after her coughing subsided. "It's all over you - look at your face! You're having a good scrub when you've finished here."  
"I'll be glad to help you with that." Fura arrived on the scene clad, thankfully, in something more substantial than Ark's cloak and her underwear. Robin had given her a change of clothes that consisted of boots, a brown tunic, and a cotton undershirt. "The bath, that is. I don't want to go down into that filthy cellar."  
"Get real," Link snorted, dumping the bag he was carrying onto the ground. He pulled his cap off and shook his head, sending a cloud of dust and dirt into the air. "The only way I'd let _you_ into a bath with me is if the water was freezing and I needed something to heat it up. Even then it'd only be for a second before I booted you out again."  
Fura stuck her tongue out at him. "Idiot."  
"Oh stop," Zelda tutted. "Don't act like children. Link, go and clean yourself up. Fura, don't torment him."  
"Where do I go?" Link asked.  
"Robin said that there's a stream not far from here. It's where she gets her water from," Zelda told the boy. She pointed off into the trees. "That way." Link turned to leave, but Zelda grabbed him by the shoulder. "Wait, you need soap. Robin told me where she keeps it. Wait there." She dashed around to the front door.  
Link sighed and patted down his tunic, dislodging layer upon layer of dust. "Ugh, dusty." He looked up from his front and turned to Fura. "How's Ark?"  
"Fine," the Gerudo smiled. "I gave him something to think about so he wouldn't think about Gaul."  
Link raised his eyebrows. "You did? Good idea."  
Fura beamed and then she suddenly snapped her fingers. "Oh! Do you know the sleeping arrangements for tonight?"  
"No," Link said. Fura opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off. "But I do know that I'm sleeping somewhere free of redheads and blondes." He rethought that. "Blondes with hair that goes down past their shoulders."  
Fura's bottom lip stuck out dejectedly. "You're mean. Don't you like snuggling?"  
Link looked at her like she had just sprouted horns. "Do the words just rocket on through from one ear to the other? I like sleeping, not snuggling…snuggling is icky. Plus, you heat up to an unbearable degree when you've been sleeping, so much so that you're like an old pot-belly stove. Zelda's the opposite; she turns into a cold fish that tries to flop its way in behind your knees."  
Fura sucked on her teeth and narrowed one of her eyes. "Very good use of metaphor, Link."  
"Thank you," he replied, nonplussed by her expression.  
"Hey, Link…do you know what I do every night when I'm at home?" the redhead asked curiously.  
"Sleep?"  
Fura ignored that. "I have a little book, a leather-bound one, actually, and I write in it before I go to bed each night. Do you know what I write in that book?"  
"I don't think I _want_ to-"  
"I write in it _all_ the things that I would really, _really_ like to do with you should we take part in the Gerudo Courtship Ritual someday. It's all there, all on paper for future reference, all the "icky", step-by-step details of _exactly_ how our sweat-drenched bodies will romantically intertwine. And I'm going to share it with Zelda in case the two of you get married instead…just so you don't get off lightly."  
Link pursed his lips and blinked just as Zelda returned with a bar of soap and a towel. "Here we go," the Princess smiled.  
"Sweet Din, thank you," Link breathed, grabbing the items off her and scurrying off into the forest, giving Fura a last fearful glance before he was out of sight.  
Fura watched him go with a smirk of satisfaction on her face.  
"What was that about?" Zelda asked, frowning. "He seemed awfully glad to leave."  
"Oh, nothing. You know Link, that rapscallion," Fura laughed, putting an arm around the Princess' shoulder. "Oh hey, if he starts annoying you really badly, just tell him that Fura showed you this great book, okay?"

Talen had his work cut out for him. After Zeel's ultimatum that she'd end Ark for good, Nyara had gone into a frenzy and changed into her enormous Bloodcat body. Snarling with fury, Nyaragon had attempted to tear tooth and nail through the forest in search of the grey haired boy to protect him. Talen had reacted instantly, grabbing the Bloodcat by the tail and thereby succeeding in halting her rampage. Still, Nyaragon continued her pull against him, raking her claws through the ground as she tried to thunder off in search of Ark.  
"T-Talen?" Florella stammered as she hovered tentatively near the smith. "Are you okay?"  
Talen winced and grit his teeth. "Y-yeah," he grunted heaving backwards. "I can hold her…just keep trying to stop her."  
While Talen held her at bay, the rest of the party tried their best at getting through to the rampaging Bloodcat with limited success. "Let Nyaragon go!" she snarled. "Nyaragon go to Ark!"  
Saria squeaked in fright as the Bloodcat brought one of her arms down, smashing it into the ground. "But Nyara…you don't even know where he is!" the Kokiri told her. "Ark could be anywhere!"  
"Then Nyaragon _go _anywhere!" Nyaragon roared, struggling to move. Talen kept his grip firm. "Nyaragon find Ark, then she chew Zeel to pieces!" Her teeth clacked together noisily, scaring Florella and Saria away from her head.  
"Aagh! F-Florella! Do something!" Talen grunted as he was pulled forward slowly, his feet tearing into the ground.  
"Do something? I'm barely four feet tall," the Great Fairy baulked.  
Talen's expression grew agonized. "Then use some magic or something!" he told her. "Put her to sleep! I can't keep her here forever!"  
Florella bit her lip. "But it's Nyara! I can't hit her with a spell."  
"Florella! Come _on!_" Talen cried through clenched teeth.  
With a startled squeak, Florella scuttled back around to Nyaragon's front and raised her hands. "Oh…Nyara," she moaned. "Please forgive me." The Great Fairy uttered a few words and moved her hands in a series of short, sharp movements. From the tips of her fingers came a flash of bright light, followed shortly by a flurry of petals as the spell connected with the Bloodcat's face.  
Nyaragon flinched back violently, her expression dazed and confused. "Nya!" she mewed. For a brief instant she stood there, teetering like a tree in the wind. Then, before Talen could so much as let go of her tail, the Bloodcat's legs gave way and her huge, red body came rushing down on top of the hapless smith. He gave a strangled cry as Nyaragon's backside slammed onto the ground, squashing him flat. From her sitting position, the enormous girl toppled and flopped onto her back.  
"Oh no!" Florella shrieked. "Talen! Nyara's bottom has killed him!"  
Impa winced. "Oh dear." The Sheikah woman approached the dazed Bloodcat with Florella and Saria.  
"Talen!" Florella wailed. "Talen! Are you under there? Say something!"  
Nyaragon's massive body shuddered and the enormous Bloodcat giggled drunkenly. From beneath her backside came one of Talen's hands. It dug into the ground, quivered momentarily, and then hauled his body out into the open.  
"Oh, wow," Saria hissed, kneeling down. "You got sat on."  
"Ooh," Talen groaned, his legs still squashed beneath Nyaragon's sizeable bottom. "Help me…please."  
"My poor hero," Florella fussed, helping Talen pull himself free. "Are you hurt?"  
"Ugh," the smith grunted, checking himself over. "I can heft two huge stone pillars above my head, but I'm floored by…by someone's bottom."  
The three females stifled giggles as they discovered that Talen was largely unharmed, and Nyaragon was simply stunned and but not seriously hurt. There was nothing that anyone could do to heal Talen's pride, however.  
"You'll be all right," Impa chuckled. "But you will be the-"  
"Oh, please don't," Talen cut in. "Don't say it, please."  
"-"butt" of most of our jokes from now on," the tall woman finished. She looked rather pleased with herself.  
Talen hung his head and buried his face in his hands while Florella and Saria tried their hardest not to cry with laughter. They failed miserably.  
"Well now what?" the smith asked, trying to change the subject. "How do we continue to Arbouren with Nyara at that size?"  
"Can't you carry her?" Saria suggested.  
Talen shook his head. "I can't do that. She'd just drag along the road. Maybe we should just stay here for now," he sighed. "We're losing light fast and I seriously doubt that there's much point in hauling Nyara along in her current state. We wouldn't get very far."  
Impa nodded in agreement. "Talen's right. All right, everyone, drop your packs. We'll set up camp and head on to Arbouren tomorrow."

The day drew to a close and the last rays of light disappeared as the sun dipped below the horizon. The occupants of Robin's forest cottage were in various states of relaxation after a day of activity. Link and Ark had passed out in their respective seats, the remains of their dinners sitting idly by the slumbering boys. Ark's feathery hair stuck out from the arm of the chair his head had come to rest on, tickling anyone who walked past. Each time it happened, his boyish face – cheeks tinted a rosy red colour – would twitch in irritation, only to fall still again as his breath puffed slowly out of his open mouth. Link had drifted off while his hair, damp from being washed, was being combed into an acceptable state by Zelda. He was propped up against the settee, his head bowed, but rising and falling ever so slightly with his chest as he breathed. Navi slept on his shoulder, curled into a little ball that glowed like a flickering candle.  
"I think like him better when he sleeps," Robin said, inclining her head at Link. She was in the midst of collecting up the dinner plates. "His mouth isn't working then."  
Fura laughed quietly so as not to disturb the two sleeping boys. "Oh, come on, Link isn't so bad. He has a very big heart, you know. He's just very good at padding it with sarcasm."  
Robin snorted. "I've never heard of a boy who doesn't like girls. I thought it was mostly, you know…like in the books." She waved her hand in the general direction of her beloved bookshelf.  
It was Zelda's turn to laugh. "Well you've never met Link before. He's a bit of an eye opener as to how the mind of a boy works, but his behavior and odd outlook on women isn't surprising when you consider his upbringing," the Princess explained. "I suppose a child's views on love and the opposite gender are based upon what they see in their parents. Link never met his parents, so he didn't have any role models from which to imprint his standings. He hasn't quite come to terms with the whole concept of marriage and the process of making babies and the like, but I think he's slowly working his way there in that head of his. He's a smart boy and he has all the makings of a hero from any story you'd care to name."  
"Everything but the "get the girl in the end" bit, that is," Fura said, smiling lopsidedly. "No, Link would save the damsel in distress, return her to her home, and then get bored and wander off." The Gerudo leaned back and put her hands behind her head. "But that's okay. He's shy and gets all flustered when things get in the least bit suggestive. It's more fun that way, plus I don't have to worry about him flirting with other girls when I'm not around."  
Robin looked curious. "And the two of you don't mind each other…you know…" She left it hanging.  
Zelda shook her head. "It's strange, I know. Fura and I, however…why get angry with one-another over something we can't control? Link will follow his heart, so in the end it doesn't matter how much either of us pours affection into him. He'll choose the one he loves," she explained.  
Robin seemed to accept their explanation and left it at that. Her attention turned to Ark. "And what about Dinky? He sounds close to that Nyara girl you've told me about."  
"Ark is without a doubt _the_ most adorable thing to ever set foot on this world, ever," Fura declared. "Ever. I mean, look at that face; those big, green eyes of his are the saddest things I've ever seen. He's a puppy-dog."  
Zelda giggled at her red-headed friend's description of Ark. "Aha, uhm…we're really not sure about Ark's relationship with Nyara. Nobody is," she shrugged. "But once you see them together, it's hard to ever picture them apart. Ark calls her "Miss Nyara", but then he calls everyone "Miss" or "Lady". Nyara hand-feeds him because she's worried that he'll waste away, and she also licks his face clean after every meal…oh! And she purrs whenever he's around. It's _gorgeous_."  
Robin couldn't help but turn the corners of her mouth up into a smile. "So, are they…a couple?"  
Fura snorted somewhat loudly. "Ah, no," she said, snickering to herself. "Ark's even shyer than Link is. He can't even bring himself to look you in the eye if you're wearing anything short of what a nun would walk around in. He'd find his feet _really_ interesting if you wore something that showed off even your knees…and Nyara doesn't even _wear_ clothes! It took him a long time to come to grips with that, especially since she's so…" The Gerudo fumbled for the right word, twirling her forefinger in a series of circles. "…_well developed_. That's it."  
Robin raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"  
"She's pretty tall, but you still have her beat in that area," Fura chuckled.  
The bow-wielding girl's expression flattened. "Ha-ha."  
"Heh, ah, anyway, she's just got the most _perfect_ set of curves on her and I'd go so far as to say her bust is spectacular…"  
Robin gave Zelda a funny look and the Princess nodded. "Fura seems to pay close attention to other peoples', ah…assets, as it were. You get used to it."  
Fura, in the meantime, continued on completely uninterrupted. "…and that tongue of hers, _wow_…it's like, _six inches_ long. I'm telling you right here, right now, that Link would be in serious trouble if I had one of those."  
Zelda and Robin wrinkled their noses. "Oh…yuck," Robin shuddered.  
"What?" Fura blustered indignantly. "Is it my fault that I find the Meera body so awesome?"  
"You should have heard about what she wanted to use the tail for. Should she ever find a way to change into one, my pity towards Link would extend beyond infinity," Zelda murmured.  
"He could handle it," Fura smirked, waving her hand. "He'd have to. Nobody goes against the will of a Gerudo."  
Zelda smiled and shook her head. "You forget who you're talking about, Fura. He's the undisputed master of surprises. He'd pull something at the last second and leave you wondering just what in the world happened."  
Robin thought about that for a while. The first time she had seen Link was when he was a shadow, racing through the forest at an incredible speed, but then he had turned up at her door looking next to normal. Also, from talking with her two new friends and experiencing the real thing for herself, the auburn haired girl had drawn two images of Link inside her head. There was the smart-mouthed, grumpy boy who did his best to irritate anyone that rubbed him the wrong way, and then there was the hero – the serious, level-headed young man who did everything he could to protect those around him. He seemed like an idiot, but his mind was sharp as a sword. He seemed like a brat, but he was nearly unsurpassed in selflessness. He was fearless and as brave as storybook heroes, but he carried with him shyness and innocence. He was a living inconsistency, like two people rolled into one. Idly, Robin wondered if Ark was like that too. Was there a man lurking beneath the shy, timid surface?  
"Robin."  
Robin's head snapped up and her gaze was met with Zelda's. "Ah, yes?"  
"What are you thinking about?" the blonde girl asked. "You looked like you were concentrating rather hard on something."  
Robin blinked. "Oh…I was just thinking about things." She coughed politely. "Uhm…Link and Ark, they get along well, don't they?"  
"Oh yes," Zelda smiled. "Very well. Along with Talen, the three of them are inseparable." He face grew curious. "Why do you ask?"  
Robin shrugged. "I don't know. They just seem a little…odd to me."  
Fura chuckled softly. "You should see the rest of our little family. I doubt you'll ever find a stranger group of people." The Gerudo rubbed her nose. "Link and Ark, though…they're really very similar when you get down to it."  
"Fura's right," Zelda agreed. "Nobody really knows anything about their origins, well, they were both orphaned, we know that, but nothing more. Exactly where they were born, family names, what their parents were named…it's all lost." She frowned. "So I suppose they're both like brothers, in a way. Ark's very naïve and I suppose Link is too, but he's seen more of the world than Ark has, so he tries to fill him in on what he can. They're both still trying to make sense of a lot of things, but I guess that's more so for Ark, seeing as how there are so many questions surrounding him. Why are our enemies so interested in him? How does he heal so fast? And the biggest question of all: Gaul. Not even Ark knew that he had a brother, let alone one who was working against us."  
As if sensing the focus upon him, Ark snuffled in his sleep and wriggled around in his chair. As if reaching a position deemed comfortable by his subconscious, he settled back down and resumed his peaceful slumber.  
Robin frowned. "And he's such a little fellow…to be in all this trouble." The tall girl cracked her knuckles loudly. "So I take it you'll all be heading out tomorrow?"  
Fura nodded. "That's the idea," she said. "But we're not really sure how far away the others are. I'm sure we'll meet up with them, though. Link told us that he left them along a road, so I guess we just have to find it again and follow it."  
Robin nodded and scratched her chin thoughtfully. "There's a city a ways from here. I only ever go to it once or twice a year to trade goods and such, you know. I'm not so skilled that I can make my own arrowheads."  
Fura and Zelda were immediately at attention. "City?" the redhead asked incredulously.  
"Yeah, a city," Robin yawned. "Ah…Arbouren, I think it's called."  
"Arbouren? Arbouren!" Zelda squealed. "Fura, did you hear that? I bet that's where the others have gone. I know it is!"  
Fura nodded and grinned. "Arbouren, hmm? Yeah…I think you're right. Impa or Talen are bound to have twigged that they're close to it, so they're probably heading there as we speak. We practically know exactly where they are."

"_Dear Ark…you're almost there…just a bit longer…do your best…fight hard…and make your choice, for better or for worse…make your choice…"  
_"I can see it! I can see it!" Florella squealed excitedly. "There it is, Arbouren!"  
The monolithic trees of the forest city stood tall around them, rising up to impossible heights. The city of Arbouren lay in the upper branches of the titanic plants, the city buildings and houses interconnected by a series of walkways and wide, wooden roads built as sturdy as any on the ground far below. It was hard to imagine the amount of planning and work that must have gone into creating such a masterpiece of engineering, but the city had stood the test of time for countless years, impressing everyone who visited.  
"Big trees," Nyara mewed. "Whole city up on top?" The Meera girl had returned to normal size during the night with only a faint recollection of what had happened. Florella had reluctantly told her that it was she who had knocked her out, but Nyara didn't really mind. Her only concern was that they find a way to locate Ark.  
"Yup," Saria nodded. "It's all up there."  
"How we get there?" the Meera frowned, craning her neck to see. "Climb? Nyara like to climb, Nyara want to climb really big tree."  
Impa laughed heartily and patted the girl on the head. "Sorry. We take the elevator just after we let the guards know what we're here for."  
A short walk left the party at the base of a particularly huge tree. Stationed on either side of a sizeable opening were two soldiers. Each carried a stout spear and wore light armor suited for speed. As it was, Arbouren had fantastic defense. The mystical quality of the Great Forest meant that attackers were unable to burn the city and its position made it very difficult to get to.  
"Ho!" Impa called as she approached.  
The guards stiffened slightly, but upon seeing a lone woman with a group of children, they relaxed noticeably.  
"Madam," one of the guards said politely, bowing. "If you don't mind, would you please allow us to inspect the contents of your packs?"  
"Certainly," Impa nodded. She gestured to the children and they dropped their heavy gear on the ground before the two soldiers, both of whom were a little startled at the amount Talen was carrying. As one of the soldiers rummaged around in the packs, Impa produced a golden medal bearing the Hyrule Royal Family's crest from her clothing and showed it to the second guard. "We're actually here to see Regent Tannis and his family. I am Impa, nursemaid to the Royal Family of Hyrule."  
The soldier peered at the medal and his face brightened. "Ahh! I should have noticed it. I've only ever heard of one Sheikah who knows the Regent personally." He glanced at the children. "And these must be the young Miss Yula's companions. Our young lady has been rather bored as of late, so she'll be exceptionally glad to see you." The guard stepped back to his post by the elevator entrance along with his partner and rapped the butt of his spear smartly on the ground. "Welcome to Arbouren, the Forest City."

"Ugh!" Link grunted sharply. He opened his right eye a crack to see Robin grinning down at him with her foot still held against his side. "You didn't have to kick me."  
The tall girl shrugged. "I felt like it."  
Link yawned and pulled himself into a sitting position. He appeared to have fallen asleep while Zelda had been neatening his hair, sliding down into a lying position at some point during the night. At least someone had the courtesy to cover him with a blanket. "How early is it?" the blonde boy yawned.  
"The sun's just starting to rise," Robin said. She seemed rather pleased with herself for waking him up so early. "Now get you butt out of bed, breakfast's ready."  
Deciding that getting more sleep would be an impossible task with Robin there to ruin it for him, Link decided to take his displeasure out on his traveling companions. Fura and Zelda were dozing fitfully on the deep settee looking all cozy and warm under their blanket. Link's expression soured and he carefully blocked Fura's nostrils. It only took a few seconds for the Gerudo to come awake with a great snuffle and a gasp for air. Zelda was jarred from her sleep in the ensuing commotion, her discontent evident by her groan.  
"Good morning, girls," Link said rather cheerfully. "Breakfast's ready."  
The two girls narrowed their bleary eyes at him. "Oh, really." They didn't sound very pleased.  
"Come on, Dinky," Robin chided lightly, waving a wooden spoon at Ark. "Eat up. You're going on a big walk today."  
Ark stared at his bowl as the exceptionally-tall girl filled it with more porridge. "But…I've already had one bowl. I don't want to have more than my fair share-"  
"Oh, pshaw and pish," Robin scoffed. "There's heaps!" She rapped her wooden spoon on the side of the huge pot dangling over the fireplace. Her gaze shifted to Link. "You too. Eat up."  
"But I hate porridge," Link sighed. "And the nasties aren't letting me put anything in it to make it taste better."  
"Serves you right," Zelda told him primly.  
Link looked slightly outraged. "Haven't I suffered enough today?" he protested. He winced as he mentally relived the incident that happened a few minutes ago, during which Fura had grabbed his backside and hefted him into the air, ordering him to, quote, "squeal like a piggy", before she let him down.  
"What are you moaning about?" Fura yawned. "It was funny. Now eat and thank Robin for going to all the trouble of making it for you."  
Link muttered something under his breath and did as he was told; thanking Robin was as much sincerity as he could muster.  
"You're welcome," the tall girl smirked. She waved her spoon about and thwocked Link on top of his head. "And now if you say the magic word, I'll tell you which way to go in order to reach Arbouren." She grinned like a Cheshire cat.  
"Fine. I can't be bothered dealing with anymore grief today," Link sighed. He cleared his throat. "Please, Robin, can you tell us which way we have to go in order to reach Arbouren?"  
Robin blinked and her face fell. "Oh…that wasn't any fun." With a heavy sigh, the tall girl dropped into a seat at the table. "Head north-east for a few days and you'll eventually run into Arbouren. It's kinda hard to miss. Just look up when the trees get really big."  
Link nodded and closed his eyes. "Thank you, Robin. You have been most helpful-"  
Zelda elbowed him in the ribs, cutting him off. "Now you're overdoing it. Now keep eating, we want to get a good head-start on the day."

The manor of the Regent of Arbouren was an impressive building. Entirely wooden, it was designed like a giant ring, encircling the trunk of an immense tree and burrowing into the massive plant until the domicile was almost a part of it. It consisted of three stories, each providing a specific function. The bottom floor was where all city business such as planning and financing were carried out. The second floor was the home of the kitchen, dining hall, Tannis' study, guestrooms, and other such things. The third floor, however; was the private residence of Tannis' family and the location of the special guestrooms. The top floor also had an expansive deck stretching out through the branches. Contained within it were an outdoor dining area and a sizeable swimming pool; the star attraction of the manor…well, in the minds of the girls, anyway.  
"I never get tired of seeing this place," Talen said, looking up at the manor before him. "Just look at the joints; they're all done without using nails. It all slots together like-"  
"Like a puzzle," Florella sighed, rolling her eyes. "You say the exact same thing every time we come here. I honestly think you're in love with this building."  
"Don't be silly," Talen snorted, waving his hand. "My true love will always be-"  
Florella's heart began to flutter and she found herself craning towards him.  
"-the Royal Palace of Rockvale."  
Florella slumped forwards and gave a dejected sigh. "Naturally."  
"Hah," Impa laughed, patting the small girl's head. "Enough delay, let's head in. I'm sure Yula will be positively ecstatic to see all of you."  
The tall Sheikah woman led the way into the manor compound after showing the guards stationed at the main entrance her Hylian medal. Once inside, the party immediately set about letting the Regent and his family know that they had arrived.  
"Erm…" Impa mumbled, looking around.  
The foyer of the manor's ground floor was like a madhouse. City officials scurried this way and that, peoples' arms were overloaded with stacks of important-looking documents, and the air was filled with voices. The only place that wasn't crowded with people was the wide flight of stairs that led up to the second floor.  
"Who do we ask?" Talen frowned. "Everyone seems so busy."  
Nyara suddenly gave a loud squawk as a careless official stepped on the end of her tail. In one, swift movement, she hopped into the air and kicked the man in the back of his head, knocking him down and sending papers flurrying everywhere. Nobody seemed to notice.  
"We'd better find someone we can talk to," Impa said, not wanting a repeat performance from Nyara. She suddenly spotted a lone butler in all of the confusion and made a b-line for the man. She tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me."  
The man turned around and was slightly surprised to see such an imposing woman standing before him. "A-ah, yes, ma'am?" he asked politely.  
"Would you please tell Regent Tannis that some friends of his have arrived? Tell him the message comes from Impa."  
Not wanting do get on the wrong side of a woman who looked like she could pull him apart with her bare hands, the butler scurried up to the second floor.  
"Well…I suppose all we do now is wait," Impa said, letting out a sigh of relief. "Let's find somewhere to sit."  
Ducking and weaving through the bustling throng of people, Talen, Impa, Nyara, Saria, and Florella finally made it to the stars, perhaps the only place free of confusion. They sat down and dropped their packs at their feet, the pleasant sensation of shedding so much weight resulting in a collective sigh.  
"Whewf," Saria breathed. "We've come a long way, haven't we."  
"My feet agree with you," Florella winced, wiggling her toes. "Personally, I can't wait to just sink into a bath or the pool."  
"Good Goddesses, yes," Impa laughed. "It's hard work walking in a jungle."  
They sat there for several minutes before a loud call from the top of the stairs caught their attention. Tannis, Regent of Arbouren, stood there with a broad grin on his face. "Friends! What a pleasant surprise!"  
Regent Tannis was a man who appeared to be in his late thirties. He had a thick head of black hair and a pair of hazel eyes that twinkled with a good sense of humor. He was dressed rather lightly – it was hot, after all – in a stately-looking, sleeveless robe and sandals.  
"Tannis," Impa smiled, standing up. "It's good to see you. You're well, I hope?"  
Tannis made a slight face. "As well as one can be in all of this." He gestured broadly to the commotion at the foot of the stairs. "Ah, but where are my manners? Come upstairs and away from all the noise."  
The weary travelers followed the Regent all the way up to the third floor of the manor, stopping only when the noise from downstairs was well and truly out of earshot.  
"Busy as always, eh, Regent?" Impa chuckled.  
Tannis gave a melancholy sigh. "Unfortunately, yes. I would much rather spend the days relaxing in the pool or basking in the sun, but Arbouren wouldn't be much of a city if I did that now, would it?" His eyes twinkled. "But tell me, it seems to me you've gained a new friend and lost several at the same time. Princess Zelda, Fura, and Link couldn't join you?"  
"Ah…funny you should ask, Regent Tannis," Talen said, wincing. "But we seem to be in the same situation as when we first came here three years ago."  
Tannis frowned. "Ah, I see," he said gravely. "More trouble…"  
"We can talk about that later," Florella cut in quickly. "Is Yula around? We're just _dying_ to see her!"  
Tannis' face lit up at the mention of his daughter's name. "Of course, Yula! She'll be so glad to see you. Stay here and I'll fetch her right away."  
Tannis departed and returned a short while later with his adopted daughter, Yula.  
Yula was a slender girl blessed with unparalleled grace and an air of serenity and calm that followed her everywhere. Her skin was so pale that it almost seemed to give off its own light, the years spent in the sun doing nothing to darken it in the slightest. Upon seeing her old friends again, Yula quickened her pace down the hall and was met with a flying hug from Florella.  
"Yula!" Florella squealed. "It's so good to see you again!"  
"And you as well," the exceptionally-pale girl replied with a smile. She put the Great Fairy down and faced the others. "And all of you as well."  
A round of greetings and embraces followed, with some particularly enthusiastic ones from Impa and Saria. Yula was taken aback at how much Talen had grown and she was forced to stand on tiptoe in order to kiss his cheek.  
"Hello, Yula," Talen said, his tone conveying slight embarrassment. "How are you?"  
Talen, Link, and Yula had shared something of a special bond ever since the two boys had saved the girl from her dank prison three years earlier.  
"I am well, more so now that all of you have arrived," the pale girl smiled. She turned to Nyara. "And it is a pleasure to meet you as well. As you probably know, I am Yula."  
Nyara blinked and then barred her teeth in a wide grin. "Hello!" she greeted enthusiastically, swishing her tail from side to side. "I Nyara. You talk like Ark do."  
"Ah," Saria coughed, noting Yula's confusion. "We'll explain later."  
The sound of rapid footfalls broke of anymore conversation as Elousin, Tannis' wife, approached. Elousin was of average height, but her slim build and long, lustrous hair made her seem rather tall. She approached at a brisk pace with a warm smile on her face.  
"Elousin," Impa greeted. "How good to see you."  
"Impa, it's been too long since your last visit," Elousin laughed, embracing the Sheikah. "Anyone would think you didn't like it in Arbouren." Her attention immediately turned to the children standing behind the nursemaid.  
Now, it was a well-known fact that Elousin was notorious for mothering people – children in particular – and the addition of a daughter to her life had done nothing to diminish her tendency to coddle. Not that the children didn't enjoy it, but it was almost like watching a boulder rushing down a mountain towards a house at the bottom.  
"And look at all of _you!_" Elousin exclaimed, bearing down on the girls and Talen. She swooped on Florella first of all, the fairy enthusiastically accepting her embrace with an excited squeal. Florella _loved_ Elousin.  
"Elousin!" the Great Fairy crowed.  
"Little Florella, have you grown?" the woman asked incredulously.  
Florella giggled outrageously. "I have! I have!"  
"Ooh, I bet the boys are beginning to notice, hmm? You're going to be beautiful...not that you aren't already!"  
Saria was assaulted next, as was Nyara after she introduced herself. Elousin thought her odd dialect was the most adorable thing she had ever heard, so the Meera got en extra-long hug. She finally came to Talen and, after commenting on how big he'd grown and how the girls must be flocking to him – a statement which made him cringe visibly – she gave him a crushing embrace and an embarrassing kiss on the cheek.  
"Now where are Link, Fura, and Zelda? Don't tell me they couldn't make it."  
"Ah," Impa began, wincing. "Perhaps we should vacate to a more suitable location."  
"Of course," Tannis nodded. "The hall is not place to discuss matters of importance. We shall go out to the balcony." He paused. "But first, let us show you to your rooms. We can't have you carrying all of that luggage about all afternoon now, can we."

"Miss Robin, we simply cannot thank you enough," Ark said gratefully upon reaching the point of departure from the little cottage in the forest.  
Robin waved her hand dismissively. "Anything for you, Dinky," she smiled. "Just make sure you go close this Eternal Ark thing so that I can sleep safe at night, okay?"  
Ark nodded and lifted his pack.  
"It was a pleasure meeting you," Zelda nodded. "If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Hyrule, don't hesitate to stop by the palace. You're more than welcome."  
"Or Gerudo Valley," Fura added. "A woman such as yourself would be a welcome guest of the Gerudo."  
There was a rather pronounced pause, during which all attention was focused on Link. He simply stood there looking bored with his pack slung over his shoulders.  
"Well?" Zelda hissed, yanking on his arm.  
It took several seconds for his mind to click over as to what everyone was waiting for. "Oh! Thank you for the supplies."  
Zelda buried her face in her hands.  
"Yeah, I like you too, Fairy," Robin snorted. She whipped her arm out and snatched his head in a vicious headlock. "You're funny, but not in a mean kind of way. Promise to behave and come visit me sometime."  
Link choked out an affirmative and she let him go, but before he could go completely free, she snatched his collar and brought his face close to hers.  
"What now?" he asked.  
"Just a bit of advice," Robin murmured in a hushed tone. "Those are two sweet biscuits you have there, Fairy."  
Link's eyebrows bumped together.  
"Hey, all I'm saying is that you'd be a big, fat idiot not to bite someday. Girls aren't as bad as you think they are." And then she pushed him back over to his two lady companions. "Well, off you all go. Fix what needs fixing or whatever. I'll be here if you ever need somewhere to rest."  
"Thank you, Robin," Zelda called, waving over her shoulder. "We'll see you again, I promise!"  
"I'll hold you to that," the archer smirked. "Good luck."


	82. Together Again

**Chapter 81 – Together Again**

Six days had passed since arriving at Arbouren. The sun had shone bright and hot for the first three, allowing all who wanted to the opportunity to simply lounge by the poolside and while away the hours. Unfortunately, the sixth day, to the disgust of the girls, poured with heavy, tropical rain. Chat was even unable to fly out in open spaces since she kept getting knocked out of the air by the large raindrops.  
So, while the rain poured outside, the children sat either inside or outside under the roofed part of the balcony. There was, after all, nothing much the party of five could do other than hope that Fura, Link, and Zelda would make it to the forest city. As for Ark; it was decided that they would look for him once everyone was together again.  
Talen, however, would wander down to the city's main entrance and wait there until midday each day, at which point Florella would come to collect him for lunch. After the smith had finished eating, he would head back down to wait for any sign of his missing companions. The girls thought that it was really rather sweet, but truthfully; Talen also went down there so he wouldn't have to endure the thick cloud of gossip that always seemed to descend over his female cohorts when catching up with a friend they hadn't seen in some time.  
And so it was that on that sixth day, Florella came trotting out of the elevator, this time with a huge umbrella, to bring Talen back for lunch.  
"Talen!" she called in her silvery voice. "It's time for lunch." She approached the smith as he stood relatively out in the open and held her umbrella up so that it sheltered him as well. "Honestly, Talen," she chided him as water dripped off his body. "Couldn't you have found a more sheltered spot to wait?"  
Talen frowned. "But I can see better from here," he protested.  
Florella gave him the umbrella with a sigh and wriggled her little fingers in around the smith's free hand.  
"I wonder when they'll arrive?" the fairy pondered out loud as she peered off into the misty jungle. "It's been almost a week since we got here. I hope they're okay." She began to rock from one foot to the other.  
"They probably have a long way to travel," Talen told the little girl. "And who knows? Maybe they got waylaid along the way. Anything could have happened."  
Florella had to agree with Talen on that point. They could have arrived at a broken bridge, lost their way, or even fallen under attack by the forces of their enemy.  
Florella's heart began to race in a panic and her little hand clenched Talen's tightly.  
Talen glanced down at her and shook her arm gently. "Don't get into a state, Florella. They're fine. They're with Link, so there's nothing to worry about."  
When Florella's worried expression failed to leave her face, Talen decided to try a different approach.  
"Maybe Fura and Zelda are purposely making him go slowly so they have some alone time. Those two could have done anything to him by now."  
Florella's eyes brightened and her worried frown switched into a pleased little smile. "You think so?"  
"Oh," Talen said, shaking his head. "Absolutely. They're probably having the time of their lives right now…maybe not Link, but Fura and Zelda probably are. And Tannis has sent out his monkeys to search the Great Forest for them like the time Link and I were lost. They'll find them."  
Florella smiled and nodded. "Let's go back up," the small girl. "You can come back down to stand in the rain after you eat, but don't catch cold."  
"It's too warm to catch a cold here," Talen said absently. "And the rain keeps me cool."  
Florella was about to tell him that Rockvale was almost as hot as Arbouren, as she did every year when he complained about the heat, but then she remembered that he'd get into a long-winded explanation of how it was the humidity and not necessarily the heat that got to him.  
"You see, it's the humidity…"  
Florella sighed. Too late; he had already started without her prompting. The upside was that Talen generally walked slower when he was explaining something, so it gave Florella more time to simply enjoy the sensation of her tiny hand resting in his.  
She could feel the hard, gold ring warmed from the heat of his fingers against her own delicate digits. It was oddly pleasant, knowing that it was still there. Talen couldn't remove it anyway…but it was nice all the same. He never complained about it, so that could be seen as a good sign, couldn't it? But then, Talen rarely complained about anything. Maybe he secretly loathed the ring on his finger. Maybe him being so polite and vague with her was his way of mentally shutting her out. Maybe he hated her! _Really_ hated her! The meddlesome fairy!  
"Waah! Don't hate me!" Florella wailed suddenly, her little voice beyond anguished.  
"Pardon?" Talen frowned.  
The Great Fairy gasped and slapped her hand over her mouth. "O-oh! Nothing, Talen," she assured him with a rosy smile.  
"Are you sure?" Talen asked, peering at her. "You've been acting a little funny for the past few days. Maybe you have some kind of bug."  
"Don't be silly, Talen," she scoffed. "Great Fairies don't get sick." Florella suddenly tensed. "Not that I think you're silly! You've very smart."  
Talen raised an eyebrow and eyed her cautiously. "Are you _sure_ you're okay?"  
Florella went to say something, but instead she simply let out a heavy sigh and drooped her shoulders. "Yeah," she murmured. "I'm fine."  
They both boarded the elevator and rose up into the city. The hustle and bustle was at a minimum because of all the rain, but despite the weather Florella found it rather nice underneath the umbrella with Talen. It wasn't often that Florella got a chance to be alone with Talen – the smith was usually always doing something with Link and Ark, so the Great Fairy tried to walk as slow as possible to make the stroll back to Tannis' manor last longer.  
Talen didn't seem to notice. He just held the umbrella and silently plodded along while Florella's little hand clasped his own.  
The fairy girl decided to break the quiet. "Do you like it up here, Talen? In Arbouren, I mean."  
Talen nodded. "It's nice here, but I wouldn't want to live in a place like this. There's no fire and I wouldn't be able to do any smithing."  
Florella giggled at that. "Is that _all_ you think about, Talen?" she asked.  
Talen shrugged. "Food?" he offered.  
Florella rolled her eyes and decided to leave it at that.  
It was sometimes hard to have a conversation with Talen. He could be serious one second and then absurd the next, but more often than not he focused on topics of conversation that nobody else seemed interested in…such as the different ways one could fit the corners of a room together or what temperature you need to heat different metals before they become pliable. Some might go so far as to say that Talen was boring.  
But Florella kinda liked him that way. He was sensible.  
"What's the matter, Florella?" Talen asked suddenly. "You look down."  
Florella blinked and snapped herself out of her thoughts. "Down?"  
Talen nodded. "It's not usually like you to be so mopey."  
"I'm just thinking about things. That's all," she assured him.  
Talen wasn't convinced. If there was one thing he knew about girls, it was that when they said one thing it meant something else.  
"Come with me," the smith said suddenly, closing his fingers around her diminutive hand.  
Florella nearly tripped as Talen suddenly changed direction and dragged her along by her hand.  
"Where are we going?" the Great Fairy asked.  
"We don't have anything particularly pressing to do today, right?" the smith said without turning his head. "And I'm more observant than you may think. I saw something that'll cheer you right up."

Link yawned for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day. Sleep had been somewhat elusive for him that night, seeing as how Fura's subconscious deemed in necessary for her to wriggle about and talk in her sleep about things that Link really didn't understand and probably didn't want to. At least Zelda had kept still, that was one thing.  
"What a day," Fura sighed. "Five days of sunshine and now we have a downpour."  
The sky had opened up in the early hours of the morning. Link and Ark had just finished packing the tent away when a great boom of thunder and a flash of lightning had ripped across the sky. Ark had flinched violently, not so much at the sudden rumble of thunder, but the cascade of water that had come from above. Rather than spend the day huddling in a shelter somewhere, the group had decided to press on regardless. They were so close to the others.  
"At least we're getting close to Arbouren," Zelda frowned, shaking her head to rid her hair of water. It was an exercise in futility, seeing as how the rain would just soak her hair through again, but it was quite satisfying all the same.  
"If I had known that yesterday morning would be our last hot meal I would have savoured it," Link mumbled. "Not even Fura could get a fire going for dinner last night. Curse this magic forest."  
Fura laughed and clapped him on the shoulder.  
"I have to admit that it'll be rather interesting to see what it's like to eat nothing but fruits, vegetables, and grains," Ark said, his voice somewhat dubious.  
The grey-haired boy looked extremely uncomfortable. The bucketing rain has soaked him through completely and he could feel his damp clothes clinging to his skin. While not as bad as a raging river or deep ocean, it was just enough to set him on edge.  
"Nothing beats cooked food," Link grunted, trying his hardest to avoid the muddier parts of the road. "No meat for goodness knows how long." He heard Zelda squeak as she slipped in the mud, but she was able to correct herself without falling over. "And what's with all the rain!?" Link shouted at the sky. "We're supposed to be in the tropics."  
"At least _I_ can dry myself easily enough," Fura drawled in a superior-sounding voice. "The rest of you have to use towels or wait for the sun to come out. If Link gives me a kiss then perhaps I'll be persuaded to help the rest of you out."  
"Fura," Link sighed. "Make sure you have something to bargain with before you try to make a deal."  
"Huh?" The Gerudo looked puzzled.  
"Your magic doesn't work here, genius. You're just going to have to do things the good old fashioned way."  
Fura's mouth opened and closed briefly. "Ah…oh _no!_" she wailed. "I forgot! It'll take me _forever_ to dry this much hair!" She held out her hand. "Link, give me your hat."  
"What? No way," the blonde boy told her. "Your hair's already wet, so it wouldn't do you any good…and Navi's under here. She can't fly around in this downpour."  
A muffled jingle drifted out from underneath the long cap.  
Suddenly, as if on cue, a brown shape smacked into Link's head. He cried out in alarm and flailed his arms at whatever had jumped him while Zelda shrieked in surprise and Fura gave a startled oath.  
"Eeek!" Zelda screamed. "Link!"  
Fura went for the brown animal, but it hopped back up into the trees above before she could grab it…taking with it Link's cap.  
"Hey…wait," Fura frowned, peering up at the hat thief. "That's one of Tannis' monkeys. He must have sent them out to find us like last time."  
"The hat!" Navi cried as she dodged raindrops. "Couldn't it have taken something else?" She zipped into Link's tunic.  
"Give me back my hat!" Link demanded, shaking his fist at the monkey. "Take Fura's bracelet instead!"  
The monkey scampered off through the trees with Link's hat.  
The boy raised his black hand to the sky with his fingers outstretched. "Nooooooo!" he wailed, long and despairingly.  
"Oh stop being so melodramatic," Zelda tutted, clicking her tongue. "You'll get it back in Arbouren."  
Link pointed off in the direction the monkey had gone, his face the very picture of protest. "Germs!"  
"Then wash it," the Princess sighed. "Come on, keep moving. I'm sure Ark doesn't want to be stuck out in this rain all day."  
The grey-haired boy shook his head miserably.  
"Fine, fine," Link grumbled, giving up. "But only because Ark looks like he's about to die of misery." He paused and jabbed his finger at Fura and Zelda. "If that monkey eats my hat, you're making a new one."  
"Whatever you say," Fura chuckled, thoroughly amused by the whole thing. "Now move it; we're almost there."

Saria drummed her fingers impatiently on the outdoor table as heavy rain pattered down on the intertwined branches overhead. "Where _are_ they?"  
Talen and Florella had been due back for lunch some time ago, but both were still absent from the table. As such, Saria was beginning to get a little miffed.  
"Perhaps the rain has something to do with their tardiness?" Yula suggested quietly.  
The pale, ethereal girl sat at the head of the table with her hands clasped neatly in her lap.  
Yula and her visitors had been filling each other in on the events leading up to their arrival in Arbouren during the past six days. The pale girl's expression had ranged from shock, fear, anxiety, and amazement when a rather detailed account of her friends' was presented to her by each guest. In fact; it had taken at least three days to sufficiently fit in all of the intricacies of the amazing tale. She was naturally upset upon hearing of Fura and Zelda's plight, but her confidence in Link was unwavering and, upon hearing of his startling physical transformation, her fears were put to rest. She was also most interested in Ark, Nyara, and Zeels uneasy dependence on each other. Zeel needed Ark for her reward, Ark needed Zeel so that he wasn't alone, and Nyara needed Zeel to keep Ark safe. Unfortunately, the balance of that dependence seemed to have failed; Zeel was once again out for Ark's life.  
"I would have thought the rain would make them get here faster," Saria sighed in response to Yula's suggestion. "Some little trinket shop probably caught Florella's eye and she decided to go in for a look." She plucked a stick of celery from the expansive salad that took up most of the table, biting into it irritably. "Honestly, she's like a magpie; anything shiny catches her attention."  
"Florella young," Nyara said, shrugging.  
The Meera girl was, to say the least, at something of a loss over her lunch. Being a Meera, Nyara was rather used to eating meat. A lot. A meal comprised entirely of salad and fruit left was something unheard of back home.  
She popped a handful of grapes into her mouth, deciding that if she couldn't have meat, she'd have sweet instead.  
"Florella's not young," Saria snorted. "She's very old…though don't tell her I said that or else she'll get very cross."  
Yula chuckled quietly. "It is a good thing to see that your humour has not left you, despite recent circumstances."  
"Oh Yula," Saria sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "Sometimes it's almost unbearable. I worry about everyone all the time…Link especially. It's hard watching the friend you grew up with launching himself into danger all the time, and I really hate to say it, but…he could possibly have bitten off more than he could chew this time."  
Yula smiled fondly. "You underestimate him, Saria. Link is capable of great things; just look at what he and Talen did for me." She gestured to her surroundings. "They gave me another life. If that isn't the grandest thing in the world, then nothing is. Rescuing Fura and Zelda is a feat well within his capabilities."  
Saria began motoring her way through more celery. "Yeah…I know," she sighed, pausing to chew. "I suppose I can't worry all the time, can I."  
"Saria can worry," Nyara mumbled around a huge mouthful of assorted fruits. "But don't let worry make Saria frown." She chewed some more. "Nyara worry about Ark all the time, but look." The Meera girl opened her mouth in a wide, fruit-filled grin that sent Saria and Yula into a fit of giggles.  
"It's a sad fact that, despite living so close to the Meera, you are the first I have actually seen and met," the pale girl said. "The Meera have inspired me a great deal of curiosity from reading some of my father's books and hearing his stories. Never before had I heard of a race that shared some similarities with – I do not wish to make this sound insulting – cats."  
Nyara's ears tweaked up and she swallowed her food, grinning once it was all down. "Cats elegant, cats hunt good, and cats fast. It complement to be compared to such fine animal."  
There were more giggles, and even Saria couldn't help but join in.  
"Goodness me," Yula chuckled, calming herself down. "The peaceful days here certainly make me ache for the good company of amusing friends. Nyara, since you live closer than the rest, I expect to see you much more frequently."  
A great boom of thunder shook the sky.  
"But these tropical storms certainly keep things interesting," the ethereal girl added. She ran her fingers through her neck-length hair. "But these past days have been filled with such startling news. Would it bother the two of you to discuss things of a slightly different nature?"  
"Oh, please," Saria breathed. "Anything to get us off of grim news." She straightened herself. "What did you have in mind?"  
Yula smiled and focused on Nyara. "I am aware of the bonds that exist between Link, Fura, and Zelda, as well as those that Florella and Talen share." She paused before continuing. "But I am curious as to exactly what exists between you and this strange boy, Ark."  
Nyara lifted her head and blinked, her cheeks bulging with grapes. She swallowed them noisily and swished her tail about.  
"Nobody is really sure," Saria said, grinning lopsidedly. "I don't think that even Nyara knows."  
Nyara squirmed in her seat. "Ark is special to Nyara," she mumbled. "He seem so small and frail when Nyara first meet him…like Nyara was when she was very tiny." She curled her knees up to her chest. "But Ark grow since then. He fight his best, he protect Nyara, and he try so hard to do what he think is best for everyone. Nyara feel so good when Ark is around; he…can sit in Nyara's lap and Nyara can smell the world in Ark's scent." She shrugged in a helpless sort of way. "Nyara just want Ark back so he can stay with Nyara always…if he not forgotten her."  
Saria dabbed at her eyes with a napkin. "Oh dear…that's so sweet it's made me cry," she sniffed.  
Yula shook her head and suppressed a laugh. "Ark sounds very nice. I am surprised that somebody with a life as troubled as his has managed to retain such a sense of innocence. Is it true that he gives nearly everyone a title?"  
Saria chuckled and nodded. "Expect to be called "Lady Yula" if you ever meet him."  
"Well, manners are always a plus," Yula said, nodding thoughtfully.  
Nyara grinned and swished her tail. "I "Miss Nyara" according to Ark. Nyara think it funny when he call her that when we first meet."  
"And we thought it was funny when you started feeding him," Saria snickered. She turned to Yula. "She just sits him in her lap and starts cramming food into his mouth. He's a bit on the skinny side, so Nyara took it upon herself to put some meat on his bones. Link kept insisting that she was fattening him up for a meal."  
Yula immediately raised her eyebrows at the mention of the blonde boy's name. "Ah, speaking of Link…how is he faring with Zelda, Fura, and Ruto? Well, I hope."  
Saria coughed. "Ah, yeah…" she said, frowning. "Don't hold your breath."  
Yula's face fell. "Still? Oh dear, I thought he would have grown up a little by now."  
"Oh, he's grown up, don't get me wrong," Saria said quickly. "Just…not in some areas. Girls are still under "ick" in the Link's dictionary, which is rather disconcerting, given his age. Oh, and he and Florella still fight all the time."  
Yula winced. "Still?"  
"Oh, it's purely for show, I'm certain," Saria said. She looked thoughtful. "Their relationship is a bizarre one…Florella and Link are like a mother and son or a brother and sister…but only when no-one is watching."  
The three girls lapsed into silence as they picked away at the salad in front of them. It was quite relaxing listening to the rain, but it did feel a little odd to have such a torrential downpour in warm weather.  
Saria, however, began to grow irritable once more. "Oh where _are_ they!?" she exclaimed suddenly. "I would have thought that speaking about Florella and Talen would be enough to push fate into getting them here. What could they be doing?"

Florella was waiting in breathless anticipation. Talen had told her to close her eyes upon rounding a street corner and then he had led her by hand to wherever it is that they were going. While their destination was a mystery to her, the Great Fairy of Spring was bursting at the seams with excitement all the same.  
"Are we there yet, Talen?" she squeaked, clutching his hand with her little fingers so tight that her knuckles went pale.  
The smith was agonizingly casual in his response. "Hmm, oh, nearly there."  
"Ta-_leeeeeeen__!" _Florella whined in an overly-pathetic whinge. "Don't tease me like Link does."  
Talen suddenly stopped. "We're here."  
Florella's nose reacted before her eyes did. She could smell something warm…something sweet and deliciously earthy. She knew that smell; it was the scent of her most favourite of favourite foods…  
"Chocolate!" the girl squeaked, snapping her eyes open.  
Florella's eyes were filled with the wonderful visage of the inside of a sweet shop. Shelves full of boiled candies lined the walls, bags of assorted, chewy delights sat neatly in rectangular baskets on the counter, and jars of assorted sweets sat on display in the shop's little windows. The coup de grace, however; was the large, ornate chocolate cauldron that churned endlessly at the back of the store.  
Florella skittered giddily over to the edge of the vat and peered in, her dark eyes wide as she drank in the sight of so much chocolate mixing away in front of her. She was hypnotized by it; that swirling pool of dark, silky-smooth liquid that would eventually be hardened into the confectionary she loved so much.  
Her mouth began to water. "Ooh…" she murmured absently, still staring into the chocolaty depths. "Choc…chocolate…" Her antennae twitched madly.  
"I thought you might like it," Talen said from behind the Great Fairy. "I saw this place two days ago when I took an extended route to get to the city entrance. What mystifies me, though, is how they make all of this confectionary without fire…"  
Suddenly, as if summoned from a lamp like a genie, a little old man with a great plume of white hair sprang into view. His face held a great number of wrinkles, but his eyes twinkled with youth and energy behind a pair of tiny spectacles that sat on the very tip of his nose.  
"Welcome!" he chirped merrily. "To what do I owe the pleasure on this rainy day?"  
Talen blinked in surprise. The old man had appeared so quickly he barely had time to react.  
"Oh! Erm…I'd like to buy some chocolate," the smith said, shaking his head. He paused. "Sir."  
The little old man laughed. "Sir? Haha! No need for such formality, son," he told the boy. His eyes twinkled as he looked at Florella. "Chocolate, hmm? For you, right, Miss?"  
Florella was silent, her attention wholly devoted to the slow-mixing vat of chocolate.  
"Ah," Talen coughed politely. "She'll be a while."  
"Indeed," the old man laughed. "Chocolate it is!"  
Talen followed the white-haired eccentric to the counter.  
"How do I make all of my chocolate and sweets, I heard you ask before," the old man said upon reaching his destination.  
"Well, yes," Talen frowned thoughtfully. "I _was_ rather curious…"  
The old man pointed a gnarled old finger at the bottom of the cauldron Florella was staring into. At its base was what appeared to be a small stove, only without the glimmer of coals from behind the small, grated door.  
"Hot-rocks," the old man said.  
Talen parroted him. "Hot-rocks?"  
"A very unoriginal name, yes," the store owner chuckled wryly. "But their name more or less sums up what they do. They're very hot rocks, _very_ hot, so hot that they can spontaneously burst into flame…outside of the Great Forest, that is." He rubbed the underside of his nose. "Very rare. I am perhaps the only person in the whole city who can enjoy the luxury of hot food…but I mostly use them to make my wares. You won't find any other sweet shops in all of Arbouren, which is perhaps why I do such good business." He straightened himself. "But enough on rocks, you want chocolate!"  
Talen, however, seemed more interested in the stove that housed the special hot-rocks.  
"Ahem," the little old man coughed politely.  
"Oh! Sorry," Talen grinned sheepishly. "Chocolate, yes."  
The old man smiled. "And what kind of chocolate would you like?"  
Talen looked puzzled. "There are different kinds?"  
"My word, yes!" the old man exclaimed, looking thoroughly amused. "Milk chocolate, white chocolate, dark chocolate, cooking chocolate, caramel chocolate…the list goes on!"  
"Oh," Talen frowned, looking just a little overwhelmed. "Erm…" He turned around and glanced at Florella, who was still staring into the chocolate vat, before turning back to the old man. "The richest batch you have."  
"Splendid!" the old man exclaimed. "And how much would you like?"  
"Oh…" Talen's mind conjured up t he image of Florella hovering over the chocolate cauldron. "A lot."  
The old man grinned. "Wait right here. I'll go and fetch a fresh batch for you." He trotted out through a door behind the counter.  
Talen turned around, whistled, and raked his hand through his messy, brown hair. "Florella?"  
The fairy girl seemed not to hear him.  
"Florella!" he called a little louder.  
"Chocolate…" she murmured in response.  
Talen shook his head and turned back to the counter as the funny old man returned with a calico bag filled with rich, dark chocolate. His old hands worked quickly, tying the top off with a length of ribbon to keep the contents from spilling out.  
Talen paid for the treats with a handful of rupees from his seldom-used money pouch and accepted the sizeable pouch gratefully. "Thanks again," the smith said, nodding.  
"Any time," the old man smiled. "Don't forget your friend on the way out."  
Talen winced and changed course for the chocolate cauldron. "Come on, off we go," he said, picking Florella up and depositing her on his shoulders.  
"But…" she protested meekly, craning her neck to see the inside of the cauldron before it disappeared from sight.  
Talen stooped as he went through the door so as not to bang Florella's head against the frame. "Don't worry, I have some here." He held the bag up once they were outside for the Great Fairy to see.  
She inhaled deeply. "Ooh…" Her voice actually trembled. "You got that…for me…?"  
"I thought you'd like it," Talen chuckled. "Chocolate's not the easiest thing to come by in our parts, but it's reasonably plentiful in this part of the world."  
"C-can I have some now?" Florella asked, her voice quavering in anticipation. "Please?"  
"Mmm," Talen mused. "Back at Tannis' manor. The others may like some as well."  
Florella made a small whimpering sound. "B-but…" She suddenly whipped out her hand to snatch the pouch of chocolate, but Talen was just that bit too fast for her.  
"No, no, no," he chided her. "Back with the others."  
Florella's eyes never left the coveted chocolate. "I need it," she wheedled pathetically. "Pleeeeeeeease!"  
It was a well-known fact that the one thing in the world capable of bringing Florella to her knees was, above all else, chocolate. She was a slave to it; she craved it above all other edible matter on the planet. Watching that vat full of the brown, wonderful sweet was like some kind of exquisite torture. Suffice to say, Florella was more than pleased with Talen for buying some for her…especially so much of it.  
The walk back to the manor would be agonizingly long for the poor fairy.

Saria, naturally, had some rather harsh words with Talen and Florella upon their return to the manor, but it seemed that even the Kokiri girl was no stranger to the delights of chocolate. Talen and Florella's lateness was all but forgotten the very instant Talen dangled the pouch full of chocolaty goodness before her.  
Unfortunately, before anyone could so much as get the pouch open, Tannis burst outside and, in a rather excited stride, approached the table.  
"Oh, Father," Yula smiled, nodding at her adoptive father's presence. "Can we do something for you."  
Tannis looked like he was having a hard time keeping a grin under control. "I have news," he said simply.  
"News?" Yula asked.  
Instead of giving any kind of worded response, the Regent of Arbouren reached into his pocket and drew out a folded piece of material. Green material.  
Saria's eyes went wide. "Is…that…?" She left it hanging.  
Tannis unfolded the material and held it out for the Kokiri girl.  
"Li-Link's hat!" she squeaked in disbelief. "They're here…they're here!"  
"Well I'll be," Talen whistled. "He did it!" The smith immediately went over to Saria and took hold of Link's hat, depriving Florella of her precious chocolate.  
"Ch-chocolate…" she protested, her little hands stretching out to follow after the pouch that was still within Talen's grasp.  
"When did you get this?" Talen asked Tannis.  
Tannis frowned. "Just now," he said. "The three of them can't be far away; no more than an hour or so."  
Nyara swished her tail and vaulted over the table. "We go meet them," she chirped jubilantly. "Now! Now! Go now!"  
And so, with everyone except for Yula, Tannis, and Elousin, a small procession made its way hastily through the city towards the main entrance. It was easy going, thanks to the heavy rain keeping most of the citizens off the streets, and it wasn't long before the group stepped off the elevator.  
"In here," Impa said, having joined them on the way out of the manor. "Out of the rain. We'll wait here."  
And wait they did, for what seemed like an infinity. Florella, amazingly, had managed to push her incredible craving for chocolate aside and sat on Talen's shoulders, her antennae twitching as if trying to sense Link, Fura, and Zelda's approach.  
Suddenly, the Great Fairy gave a sharp cry. "I see them!" she shrieked. "It's them! It's really them!"  
Three figures emerged from the veil of rain cast over the muddy road. Their postures indicated that they were weary, but in good health, but it wasn't until they got much closer that their faces became visible. It was really them.  
"Zelda!" Impa shouted. "Fura! Link!"  
Their heads snapped up and they simply stared, as if not quite believing what they saw.  
It was Zelda who reacted first. _"Impa!"_ Her voice echoed through the forest.  
The three of them broke into a run, their feet splashing up mud and water onto their legs, but they didn't seem to care.  
Impa swooped in and tore Zelda up off the ground, crushing her in a vast embrace. "Oh, Zelda!" she breathed in relief. "You're safe…thank the Goddesses!"  
Link and Fura received similar treatment. Saria bounced up and attached herself to Link like some kind of limpet, sobbing and bawling into his neck, whereas Florella vaulted from Talen's shoulders and threw her arms around Fura, babbling out how relieved she was.  
"Saria," Link laughed in relief. "It's good to see you too." He put her down. "As you can see; we still have all of our bits and pieces."  
Talen stepped in at that point and slammed his hand into Link's back. "Link, you pulled through again," the smith grinned. "And is it ever grand to have you back."  
"Ugh," Link coughed as Talen's friendly pat on the back left him without any air in his lungs. "Actually, the one who saved the day in the end was- urk!"  
Impa snatched Link up at that point and deposited a great, noisy kiss on his cheek. "And am I ever so glad to see you again, my boy." She crushed him against herself. "Thank you for going after Zelda, thank you."  
Fura was busy getting reacquainted with Florella, Saria, and Nyara, hugging each of them and babbling out details of what had happened.  
"So much has happened," Zelda said breathlessly as she came away from a brief embrace with Talen. "There's so much to tell all of you."  
"Back at the manor," Impa smiled, plucking her charge up off the ground. "Here isn't the place." She started to head off with the others following along behind.  
"Wait!" Link called suddenly. "We're missing someone."  
"Oh!" Fura gasped. "That's right! He must have fallen behind when we-"  
Nyara inhaled sharply, cutting Fura off. Her nose began to tingle as a familiar scent ghosted through the trees. Her heart beat ferociously in her chest, pumping hot blood around her body as her senses caught on fire.  
"He's here," Zelda said quietly to the others.  
The Meera's breath came out hot and ragged over her fluttering tongue, drying its surface.  
She could taste him now as well; that precious one she had missed so dearly. She knew it was him; so close that she could feel him.  
Her eyes scanned the road, and only the sound of the rain could be heard.  
And then there was a shape, a figure through the haze. It was small and moving rather slow, as if hesitant to come any closer.  
But he did come closer, stopping a short distance away.  
"You…back…" Nyara breathed.  
His hair was plastered down over his face from the rain, but those deep, green eyes of his were still clearly visible. They were filled with guilt, hesitance, and a kind of strange fear.  
He blinked slowly and flexed his fingers as his arms hung at his sides, dripping water onto the ground. "Please don't…be upset with me, Miss Nyara."  
His voice was so quiet and small that the group barely heard it over the sound of the falling rain, but Nyara heard it, and to her it was as loud as if he had spoken it right into her ear.  
"Oh my," Florella squeaked. "Ark!"  
Nyara broke. Her bottom lip quivered, her eyes filled with tears, and she choked out a sob as her expression transformed from one of disbelief to one of sheer anguish.  
"Ark!" she cried hoarsely, running towards him.  
Ark looked unsure of himself, but managed to brace himself as Nyara threw her arms around him and pulled him close.  
"Thank goodness!" she sobbed, tears dripping into Ark's hair to mix with the rain. "Thank goodness…"  
And Ark held on for dear life, afraid that he would somehow be swept away from her. For Ark felt safe once again, surrounded by his companions, and in the arms of the crying Meera girl.


	83. Comforting

**Chapter 82 – Comforting**

The relief was almost unbearable. Nyara was still crying, even after returning to Tannis' manor with everyone else. She cried and cried and cried, spilling her tears onto Ark, who she still hadn't let go of. In fact, she had carried him all the way back, refusing to weaken her grasp lest he somehow be spirited away.  
An ecstatic Elousin bustled them upstairs and into the sitting room. She wrapped each of the children in thick towels to help dry them off while her mouth moving at speeds unmatched even by a hummingbird's wings as she babbled on and on how happy she was that everyone was safe and sound.  
"P-please, Miss Nyara," Ark stammered. "Don't cry. Don't be sad, please!"  
Nyara's sobbing only increased in volume.  
"It's all right, Ark," Impa murmured, smiling. "She's not sad. She's happy."  
Ark would have nodded if his head wasn't locked in place by Nyara's arms. He wasn't about to complain about it, because, in a strange sort of way, it actually felt nice to be swaddled up in her tight embrace.  
"But, Ark," Florella said haltingly. "How did you escape from Zeel? She appeared to us about six days ago and said that somebody took you away from her realm."  
Ark didn't look all that surprised. "She came to you?" he asked weakly.  
Florella nodded as the various occupants of the room seated themselves.  
Ark sighed. "No…nobody took me."  
"Then how…?"  
"Miss Zeel and the demon girl are two halves of the same person. The one who looks like a normal girl is the vengeful, anger-filled half, whereas the demonic-looking one is the half that contains all of her happiness," the grey-haired boy explained. "They're the same person, but the demonic Miss Zeel felt that I was in danger if I stayed with them…they hate each other, you see." Ark sighed. "And so she sent me back so that I might find all of you again; so that I would be safe."  
Saria's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "No way! Two Zeels!?"  
Impa coughed, signaling for all to be quiet. "I think that perhaps it's time to share everything that's happened since the incident at the Meera village," she said, her tone serious. "A lot has happened, and we all need to be filled in."  
There were murmurs of agreement from around the room.  
"Now…" Impa began slowly. "When Zeel – the black-haired one – appeared to us several days ago, she left us with a rather menacing ultimatum." She turned to Ark with a pitying expression. "Zeel wants you dead again, Ark. Something looked…wrong with her, and she said something about running out of time. Do you know what that means?"  
Ark sighed and nodded. "When the original Miss Zeel tried to rid herself of her demonic characteristics, she unwittingly split herself into the two Zeels we know. However, in doing so, it cut her life in two, but only much more severely. She's dying, and the reason she was interested in me in the first place was because our enemy agreed to extend her life in return for putting me out of the picture."  
Talen snapped his fingers. "So _that's_ it! You were right all along, Ark; she _was_ sick…in a manner of speaking."  
"She only did it in the first place because she was lonely," Ark murmured. "People didn't like her because of the way she looked." He looked at them all with his face pleading. "We have to help her! I don't want Miss Zeel to die…she's a good person underneath it all…"  
Nyara suddenly clenched her arms reflexively, causing Ark to wheeze. "Ark never go near Zeel again," she said in a deathly quiet voice. Her eyes, red-rimmed from crying, were as hard as stone. "Ever!"  
Impa winced. "All right, Nyara. No need to get worked up," she said quietly. "Ark isn't going near Zeel anytime soon."  
Nyara flicked her tail and relaxed her arms a little, but she kept a good hold of Ark.  
The Sheikah woman watched her momentarily before slumping somewhat in her chair. "I can't help but feel sorry for Zeel, though," she murmured. "She must have been so lonely."  
"That's why we have to help her!" Ark insisted  
Saria looked rather conflicted. "It's really a very sweet thought, Ark…but how would we even begin to help Zeel?"  
Ark's expression grew rather helpless and he looked imploringly at Florella, the one person he felt had the knowledge to accomplish the task of finding a way to save the two Zeels.  
Florella ran her fingers through her dark purple hair and made a strained little noise. "It could be difficult and she may not accept…" she began. She bit her lip and looked into his pleading eyes. "But I'll try to find a way to help her, Ark. Just for you."  
Ark face lit up, and for the first time that day he graced everyone with a heartfelt smile of gratitude. "Y-you will? Thank you, Lady Florella, thank you!"  
Florella's mouth curved into a dimply little smile. "You know her better than anyone, Ark, and if you say that Zeel is a good person and is worth saving, then it's a good enough reason for me."  
Nyara looked like she was about protest quite vocally. Her chest puffed out as she drew in breath, but then she stopped. One of her hands snaked out and fished around in Ark's pockets, drawing out startled little exclamations and squeaks from the embarrassed boy. Eventually the agitated Meera found what she was looking for; the tuft of hair she had given to Zeel so that it would be passed on to Ark.  
Zeel had kept her word.  
"Help Zeel," she mumbled, digging herself deeper into the settee she and Ark occupied. She pulled him onto her lap rather haphazardly. "But no put Ark in danger."  
"He won't be," Florella assured him. The Great Fairy looked pensive for a few moments. "I think that's all that's happened since we split up, isn't it, Talen?"  
The smith frowned thoughtfully and then nodded  
"Wait," Saria spoke up. "Ark…Zeel said something about your memories, that you're losing them. Is it…true?"  
Ark nodded, and the room was filled with startled and worried exclamations.  
"This is terrible!" Florella protested loudly. "How much have you forgotten?"  
Ark shrugged. "I don't really know. When you've forgotten something, it's hard to know you've forgotten it because you've, well…"  
"Forgotten it," Link finished for him.  
Ark made a helpless little sound and nodded ruefully. "But I do know that everything a few weeks before leaving Agria Village is gone. Friends in the village, what I used to do, favourite foods, colours, and all of the little things…I can't remember any of it," he sighed. "Even my parents' names are gone." He made an odd face. "But everything after that is fine…I think."  
Nyara let out an explosive breath of thankfulness. If Ark had forgotten anything about her at all, well…it didn't even bear thinking about.  
Ark continued speaking. "And Gaul, when he died…I asked him to give my memories back, but he said that he couldn't put back what didn't exist in the first place." His face was very troubled. "What does that mean?"  
The expressions on the faces of the people in the room showed that they clearly didn't know.  
Seeing that Ark was clearly distressed, Talen tried to change the subject. "Ah…speaking of Gaul, what happened to him?"  
Link, Fura, and Zelda gave Ark a slightly worried glance, but the smaller boy nodded to let them know he didn't mind them discussing it.  
"Link fought Gaul at the top of a fortress to the south-west, I think," Zelda began. "Gaul nearly won, but the most amazing thing happened…Fura finally managed to open the connection between the three of us. Something happened, and Link, well…_absorbed_ us into his own body and used us to strengthen himself. He struck Gaul down like he was made of tissue paper, but Gaul wasn't quite dead."  
Florella seemed to ignore that last part, though. "Absorbed? What do you mean by that?"  
"He took our bodies into his own, I think," Fura frowned. She obviously didn't understand it very well. "It was the strangest thing I've ever experienced."  
Link coughed to get their attention. "Anyway, Gaul wasn't quite dead…but then Ark came crashing through the roof and delivered the final blow, and…" Link trailed off and winced as he looked at Ark.  
"I killed Gaul," he said in a very small voice.  
There was silence.  
"_You_ killed Gaul?" Talen asked incredulously.  
Ark nodded. "Just as he killed Aarden."  
"Aarden is dead!?" Impa exclaimed. "Oh…Ark…"  
Those who didn't know of Aarden's death were clearly shocked, but before they could utter their condolences to Ark, he held his hand up to signal that he still had more to say.  
"Gaul said that Aarden was there when the Eternal Ark was opened, that he possibly helped to open it, and that he new all along the identity our enemy," the grey-haired boy said. "And my family – or what's left of them – could possibly be in league with the one who opened the Ark, because as Gaul was our enemy, he was also my brother."

The pouring rain gradually eased up on the tree-covered land, lessening in ferocity to a mere shower until, finally, it stopped altogether. The thick clouds overhead remained, however, and probably would do so for a good portion of the remainder of the day until the atmospheric currents blew the grey veil on to other lands.  
As the rain had alleviated, so too had the grim air that hung over the recently reunited friends over the startling and unsettling news that Ark had imparted onto them. They had been shocked, naturally, and even unbelieving at first. Ark, however, did not lie, so they were forced to contend with the truth that it was possible that Ark's family were behind all the trouble they had dealt with so far.  
Florella and Saria had started crying upon hearing that the kindly old man, Aarden, was dead, but it was the simple fact that Ark was now without any living guardian or home that upset them the most.  
Impa decided then that perhaps it would be best to change the subject since everything that needed to be out in the open _was_ out in the open. She brought up the fact that the second last Lock had been recovered thanks to Saria's locating of the artifact, though the Kokiri girl neglected to tell them it had been a complete accident.  
Florella's part in the claiming of the Lock was also brought to light, brining with it the congratulations from all who weren't present, though exactly how she did it was kept a secret – especially from Talen.  
Link activated the Lock then and there, bringing it out of its dormant state like the rest of the ones they had collected so far. The relic was plain and rectangular in shape, metallic-silver in colour, and its markings were fairly nondescript – a series of dots separated evenly between three vertical rows. It wasn't hard to figure out that it was the Lock of Order.  
Not long after all of the heaviness was out of the way, Elousin took the new arrivals to the rooms in which they would be staying, her motherly nature doing much to alleviate their worries. She also had clean clothes put out for them to change into after they had bathed. Their journey to the forest city had, after all, left their current attire very wet and muddy.  
Fura, however, was just a tad disappointed with the clothes set out for her.  
Perfect for warm weather, the knee-length, airy dress billowed out from the waist to make the Gerudo look a bit like a flower turned up the wrong way. She didn't voice her opinion to Elousin, though.  
Zelda, who wore the same outfit, thought it was very pretty.  
Fura still thought it was too restrained. "Gerudos aren't supposed to look like milkmaids," she pouted. "And where's all the skin? You can only see my arms and half of my legs."  
Link seemed approve of it, but that just seemed to irk Fura even more. Fortunately for the blonde boy, his red-haired companion was a little too exhausted from all the walking to give him any grief over it. He was very thankful of that, seeing as how Fura could be quite unforgiving sometimes.  
In fact, everyone seemed to be rather drained after the heavy discussion. So, once the new arrivals had settled in, everyone drifted off to rest, recuperate, and try to make sense of what was going on.

Florella paced her room in a very agitated manner. Her antennae twitched irritable and her hands were constantly wringing themselves as if trying to rid themselves of water that her skin simply refused to shed.  
She suddenly reached up and tugged on the slender projections coming from amidst her hair. "His _brother!?_" she squeaked, her voice already up in the high notes.  
Talen watched her rather impassively. "Don't tug on those, Florella," he said, meaning her antennae. "I'm pretty sure they won't grow back if you pull them out."  
Florella was known for hysterics, so Talen had decided to follow her around in case she worked herself up too much, which is why he currently sat at the foot of her bed. Saria and Yula were also there because Fura and Zelda had hauled Link off somewhere and they didn't want to intrude.  
Florella whirled around to face the smith. "How can you be so calm!?" she demanded. "Gaul and Ark…_brothers!_"  
"Pretty surprising," Talen murmured with a small nod.  
"That's an understatement!" Florella squeaked shrilly. She raked her fingers through her hair. "This could mean any number of things! Are the members of his family behind all of this? Could they be trying to control Ark? Could he be integral to their plans? What did Gaul mean about Ark's memories? Could they have contained something that they didn't want us to know-"  
"You're babbling, Florella." It was Saria this time. Her expression was similar to Talen's, but she seemed just a little more alarmed than the young blacksmith.  
"I can't help it!" Florella wailed.  
Saria and Yula exchanged pained looks, but Talen simply pulled out the chocolate pouch from behind his back and opened it up, allowing the scent to drift across the room.  
It only took Florella several seconds to react. "And what about Zeel? She's going to…" She trailed off and a peculiar look crossed her face. "Ooh…choc-chocolate…"  
Talen held up a small ball of the delicious brown substance and held it between his thumb and forefinger. "Now, you can have some of this, but only if you promise to stop worrying."  
Florella stood in front of him, her eyes fixed unwaveringly on the chocolate ball like a dog waiting for scraps at the table.  
"Okay?" Talen pressed.  
"O-okay." The fairy sounded almost breathless. "Just…let me have some…"  
Saria also seemed to be under the spell of the chocolate's scent as she held out her hand to the smith. "Me too."  
Yula decided to follow suit as well. "If you don't mind, Talen."  
Talen moved the chocolate ball he held through the air towards Florella and watched as her dark eyes widened in anticipation. At the last second, however, he veered his hand to the side and gave the ball to Saria instead, who instantly popped it into her mouth and "mmm-ed" in delight.  
"Ah…!" Florella squeaked pathetically, watching hopelessly as Saria devoured the treat. She turned back to Talen with an almost desperate look.  
The smith didn't react at all to her expression and plucked another chocolate ball from the bag. He steered it towards Florella, but this time he gave it to Yula at the last instant.  
Florella looked like she was about to cry. "Muh!" she whimpered as her eyes unwaveringly trailed after the chocolate ball. Tears welled in her eyes and her bottom lip started to tremble.  
"Would you like some chocolate, Florella?" Talen asked the question as if he was oblivious to the Great Fairy's desperation.  
Florella nodded as fast as her little head could move.  
"Well, I suppose I can let you have some, but not too much," Talen frowned, shaking his finger at her. "Just a little."  
Florella probably would have accepted a mere particle of the stuff she was so desperate for it.  
Talen plucked a golf ball sized sphere of chocolate out of the bag and dropped it into Florella's outstretched hands and he noted with some amusement that she actually gasped when it touched her skin.  
"What do you say, Florella?" Saria asked around her mouthful of chocolate.  
"Th-thank you, Talen," she whispered in a trembling voice. Without waiting another excruciating second, Florella did what she had been waiting all day to do and popped the chocolate ball into her mouth.  
For Talen, Saria, and Yula it was like watching some strangely-fascinating performance. Florella closed her eyes as the ball touched her tongue and instantly commenced its melting in the warm confines out her mouth. A slow flush crept up Florella's face, filling her cheeks with a rosy glow that spread to even the tips of her pointy ears.  
She wrapped her arms around herself. "Oooh!" she crooned. "It's…so delicious! I…have to sit down…" And so she plonked herself down on the floorboards and sat there squirming in the rapturous delight of her precious, precious chocolate.  
"Goodness," Yula said, pursing her lips and quirking an eyebrow. "Florella seems to enjoy chocolate a great deal, it seems."  
Saria shook her head. "It's almost embarrassing," she sighed. "She once tried to get Talen to engineer some kind of bath that would fill with the stuff, allowing her to wallow in it all day. Unfortunately, she wouldn't be able to handle the temperature required to keep the chocolate in a liquid state." The Kokiri winced. "She actually cried when Talen told her  
he couldn't do it."  
Yula had to cover her mouth with her hand to keep herself from laughing. "I imagine that Link was quite unforgiving…"  
Saria nodded. "It was like all of his birthdays rolled into one."  
Florella, in the meantime, appeared to have finished her delicious treat and sat on the floor with her arms thrust out behind her to keep herself up. She was quite breathless and very nearly perspiring.  
"Are you quite all right there, Florella?" Talen asked.  
Florella nodded. "Yes," she breathed. "Woo…that was the most diabolically-delicious thing I have ever tasted. Ever." She shook her head. "Somebody open a window…it's hot in here…"  
Talen, Saria, and Yula exchanged exasperated glances before Saria trotted over to Florella's bedroom window and pushed it open.  
"Oh? Now what are they doing out there?" she pondered out loud.  
Curious as to what had garnered Saria's attention, the other three occupants of the room sidled up next to the green-haired girl and looked out, but not before Talen swept the chocolate pouch out of reach of Florella's pilfering little fingers.  
"Ark and Nyara," the Great Fairy said as she saw her two friends out in the garden.  
Talen frowned. "Hey, don't spy on them," he said in a disapproving tone. "They're probably trying to…" He fumbled for the right words. "…fix things up."  
"Which is why we should watch," Florella said enthusiastically. "You don't get to see stuff like this every day. It's like a book, but in real life!"  
Talen turned to Yula for support, but the pale girl was already staring out the window at the pair in the garden.  
"Never mind," the smith sighed.

Link made a small noise of discomfort to indicate to Fura that she was doing a less than stellar job of brushing his hair.  
"Be quiet," the Gerudo grunted. "You should be thankful that such a beautiful young lady has given up her time to-"  
"Pull my hair out by its roots!" Link snapped, cutting her off. "Ow! Where's Saria? I want her to do this. And why have you both invaded my room?"  
Fura pursed her lips in agitation. "Shut up!" she growled. "I'm doing it, and that's final!"  
"What about Saria?" Link asked quietly. "Why couldn't she do it? She usually does…"  
Fura grabbed his ear and twisted it. "You're telling me you'd rather _she_ did it?"  
Link's eyes watered through the horrible pain on the side of his head. "Will you hurt me more if I say yes?"  
Fura stared at him with a look that clearly meant that she would.  
"In that case I'd rather you brushed my hair, Fura, with your fingers as delicate and gentle as the hands of the Goddesses that sculpted this world."  
Fura smiled and continued. "Much better." She was rather surprised that Link had been able to keep a straight face.  
Zelda, in the meantime, was busy pirouetting around the room in her new change of clothes. It was a noted fact that Hyrule's Princess liked the choice of clothing in Arbouren because the dresses were very comfortable and foofed out in the wind and also when she spun. It was also a known fact between the girls of the group that Zelda's favourite way of flirting was to show off her legs, and the airy dress she currently wore allowed her to do so…but in a somewhat tasteful manner with a degree of girlish coquetry.  
"Link!" she called. "Watch!"  
Link did so, but averted his eyes almost immediately as Zelda twirled like a ballerina. The dress _did_ foof a fair bit, and Zelda _did_ have very nice legs.  
"Stop showing off," Fura clucked, pushing Link over as she finished with him. She looked at the brush filled with blonde hairs. "Well look at that…seems like I took a fair bit of you with me."  
Link scowled at her and jammed his cap – since recovered from Tannis' monkeys – back onto his head.  
"Stop showing off?" Zelda scoffed, standing with her legs apart and her hands on her hips. "Hello, kettle, this is the pot. I'm calling you black."  
"Yuk, yuk, yuk," Fura chuckled sardonically. "Funny stuff, Zelda." She cleared her throat in a business-like manner. "But if you're going to show off, then do it properly."  
"Good gravy, I'm out of here," Link groaned.  
Fura abruptly pounced on the section of floor between Link and the door, landing on her hands and pushing herself up into a handstand. "Underwear handstand!" she declared proudly. "One of the oldest and the best."  
Link squawked and covered his eyes as Fura's dress parachuted down over her stomach, leaving the boy with an unobstructed view of her unmentionables. "I don't want to see that!" he protested.  
"Oh, come on," Fura pouted, still upside down. "I wore my special heart-panties, just for you, sweetie-pie." She scissored her legs in the air.  
Link gently nudged her with one of the Key's rings, sending her off-balance and tumbling onto the floor.  
Zelda snickered in amusement. "The handstand was too blatant."  
"Why are you even having this conversation?" Link sighed in exasperation. "Please don't tell me it's for my benefit, because I can tell you now that-"  
"Ooh!" Zelda squeaked, interrupting him. "Look outside…it's Ark and Nyara. They're sitting in the garden."  
Fura hopped up onto her bare feet and padded over to the window with Zelda, but she managed to wink and blow Link a kiss on the way.  
The blonde boy cringed. "Well I'm going to see what Talen's up to. I'll leave you peepers to it."  
Fura stamped on the still-extended Key strap and brought Link to a standstill. "No," she hissed. "Come and watch."  
Link looked slightly horrified. "I'm not spying on Ark and Nyara. Give them a little privacy."  
"Shhh," Zelda whispered as Fura yanked the boy over. "You need to watch."  
"Why?" Link asked, clearly unimpressed.  
Fura flicked his nose. "So that we know when the garden's free for us to sit and have some privacy."  
"Privacy? I'm surprised you know the meaning of the word," Link grumbled sourly.  
Fura wrestled him into a headlock. "Then think of it as an educational experience, you toad!" she snapped. "If you watch how Ark treats Nyara, then perhaps you'll learn how to be a little bit nicer."  
Link looked rather insulted. "I'm nice!"  
"No, Ark's nice," Zelda sighed. "Now shush up and watch. I have a good feeling that something very interesting is going to happen."

Ark wasn't quite sure what to do. When Nyara's attention had been elsewhere, he had slipped quietly away to the beautiful hanging gardens of the Regent's manor, but that wasn't to say that he didn't want to stay with the Meera girl. Ark was too afraid to be with her even though he wanted to simply stand or sit by her side more than anything. The air between them had been sort of…strained and uncomfortable, and so Ark had left to spare Nyara any awkwardness. Heaven forbid he do more to upset her.  
Ark sighed and sat down on one of the dryer garden seats that looked out over some of the lower sections of the city below. He wiggled his toes, enjoying the feeling of the soft moss against his bare feet. He hadn't bothered with footwear; it seemed too warm for it, but he still wore his cloak because Ark felt strangely naked without it.  
The garden was very pleasant. Rows of colourful blooms lined the many wooden pathways and small water features bubbled endlessly away with delightful little trickling sounds. A stout iron fence stood between Ark's seat and the long drop-off to the city below, while the manor stood proud in the background, as if offering some reassurance to the boy who didn't like being on his own too much.  
"Why did Ark sneak away?"  
The voice startled Ark so much that he jumped several feet in the air.  
Nyara was there, concern evident on her face as her catlike ears drooping down ever so slightly.  
"M-miss Nyara!" Ark squeaked. "It-it's you…what are you doing out here?"  
Nyara padded over and sat down on one end of the wooden seat while Ark, over his sudden surprise, sat down on the other.  
Silence descended upon them both as the second ticked by. Ark fidgeted with his cloak and Nyara twiddled her fingers.  
Finally, the Meera girl spoke. "Nyara was worried about you," she said. "All by Ark's self."  
Ark turned his head sharply to look at her and made like he was about to say something, but at the last second the words died on his lips and he stared at his feet.  
Nyara continued. "Nyara didn't know what to do when Ark run away."  
Ark flinched. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I was scared. I thought you were all going to die and…I thought that it was the best things to do." He wiggled his toes. "I didn't want to leave."  
"Did Ark miss Nyara?" the Meera asked curiously.  
Ark nodded.  
Nyara scooted a little closer. "Nyara miss Ark as well." She bit her lip. "When Zeel met with Nyara…Nyara thought that Ark would forget her after what Zeel said…about Ark's memory."  
Ark shook his head. "No, I didn't forget." He pulled out the lock of hair of Nyara's that Zeel had given him. "But I had this in case I did." He looked up at her then, at her coarse, brown hair. "You look like you've had a bad haircut, Miss Nyara."  
Nyara frowned and brushed her hand over the jagged cutoff on her head. "Claws no cut hair well," she frowned, swishing her tail.  
Ark managed a half-smile at her little comment. Talking was gradually becoming easier.  
"Ark was with Zeel," Nyara said shortly. Her tail jiggled.  
"Ah…yes, I was," the grey-haired boy replied a little uneasily.  
Nyara peered at him. "Was Zeel mean to Ark?" she asked.  
Ark blinked. "O-oh, no, she wasn't," he said quickly. "Miss Zeel got angry with me a few times, but she never went out of her way to be cruel. She just has a bad temper, that's all." He was thankful that the large cuts across his face and back had already healed over, or else Nyara would have probably tried to go after Zeel then and there.  
The Meera seemed to be satisfied with his answer and her ears, previously drooped, began to perk up slightly.  
"I'm…" Ark began, pausing mid-sentence. He fidgeted nervously as a blush spread across his cheeks. "…glad to be back here…with you."  
Nyara's ears tweaked all the way up and her yellow eyes gleamed.  
"I didn't think that I would be able to see you ever again…and it was a very scary thought," the boy continued. "I am happy to be with you again, Miss Nyara."  
In half a heartbeat, Nyara had suddenly scooted right up next to Ark and the two of them sat there – Ark's head level with Nyara's shoulder. Her tail flicked up almost reflexively and curled in his lap, the tip of it twitching to and fro, and then she started to purr.  
It was a sound that was very comforting to Ark after all those nights of falling asleep, listening to that soft rumble resonate through Nyara's stomach. It almost made him sleepy just thinking about it. Coming back to that wonderfully comfortable belly was almost like coming home.  
Ark's breath caught in his throat.  
"Nya?" Nyara mewed curiously. She had heard him gasp.  
"Home," he croaked. He suddenly remembered that he had no home anymore. Aarden, his adoptive father, was gone forever, his house had been reduced to nothing but ashes, and Ark simply couldn't remember anyone else in the village.  
"Home?" Nyara parroted. She watched listened as Ark's voice became more and more broken.  
"What…what do I go back to after all of this?" he whispered. "Where will I go? I want to go home…"  
Nyara's expression grew distressed. "Ark no be sad," she encouraged hopefully. "Ark be happy! He back with Nyara now…"  
But Ark was already sobbing. "I-I want my father!" he cried in the most pitiful, heartrending voice Nyara had ever heard. "Aarden…don't leave me alone…"  
But Nyara knew – and so did Ark – that his dead father would not return, and so the Meera girl did the best thing she could think of. She scooped him up, placed him in her lap, and then squeezed him as tight as she possibly could.  
"Shush-shush," she crooned softly. "Shush-shush…"  
"A-and my br-brother…I-I killed my br-brother!" he sobbed.  
Nyara could feel every shudder in his body as her chin rested atop his head. She had him clasped tenderly against her bosom with his legs off to one side of her. His arms had encircled her waist and clutched at her back, while her tail had looped up around Ark's.  
The small boy seemed to take everything in stride. He never complained about his bitterly sad lot in life, he never confided his fears, insecurities, and longings to anyone else, and things always seemed to turn sour for him.  
Nyara knew that it was unhealthy for him to keep it all in, and the result was what she was currently bearing witness to. But he was getting it all out and it was Nyara's duty to comfort him.  
"Ark will stay with Nyara," the Meera murmured, her fingers entwining with his mass of grey hair. "Meera village will be Ark's new home."  
Ark's only reply was a high, despairing note.  
"Remember what Aarden say? Remember?" she asked, rocking him back and forth. "Aarden gave you to Nyara, he did. He say that you my responsibility when you leave village…that mean that Ark must stay with Nyara so that she can watch him always." She licked his forehead with her long, rough tongue. "Ark's home is now with Nyara."  
Ark's fingers gripped at her back even more desperately than before, though Nyara didn't know whether or not it was a sign of acknowledgement.  
"Why?" the boy whispered. "Why did I have to lose everyone? Why me? I'm not special at all…I'm no threat to anybody…"  
Nyara could smell that wonderful scent in Ark's hair – that scent that carried with it the smell of the forests, skies, fields, oceans, and rivers. She loved that smell.  
Nyara brought Ark's face away from her and smiled at him. "But Ark is special," she told him. "Ark is so brave and so strong…but Ark also needs somebody to watch him always so he isn't alone. Ark is Ark, and Nyara likes him _so_ much because Ark is special to her."  
Ark sniffed and stopped crying. "R-really?" he asked, his big, green eyes searching her face.  
"Nyara never lie to Ark."  
Ark paused and stood up slowly before turning around to lean on the railing. He looked out over the city for a few moments before turning his head to look at the Meera girl. "A new home?" he asked tentatively.  
Nyara grinned, baring her pointed incisors at him. "With Nyara," she said.  
"I think…I would like that," Ark murmured. He sniffed again.  
Nyara hopped to her feet and stood before Ark as he leant held the railing behind him with both his hands. "Nyara cry on Ark and Ark cry on Nyara…we even now," she chirped.  
Ark's eyes wandered to Nyara's shapely chest and saw the darker shades of her fur where his tears had fallen. He snapped his eyes back up as he felt his ears grow hot and tried to mouth an apology.  
Nyara stopped him. "Ark should not say sorry to Nyara when he look at her," she said, her lips curling upwards. "It…is nice when Ark notices that Nyara is a girl."  
The redness in Ark's ears spread to his cheeks and he fidgeted uncomfortably. "I…don't think about…those things…"  
"Which things?" she asked, genuinely curious. "These things?" She cupped her bust.  
Ark made a strangled little noise and shook his head vigorously, squeezing his eyes shut.  
Nyara frowned. She was just thinking about how nice it would be if Ark took a little bit more notice of her – she was a girl, after all, and girls liked to be noticed by boys – when she suddenly recalled a particular train of thought she had taken up some time ago.  
Ark was busy trying to find something interesting about the mossy ground beneath his feet, in the meantime.  
Nyara had observed that her female friends seemed to have a fondness for the strange act known as "kissing". It was strange, really…the strange "kiss" thing didn't really serve any practical purpose such as cleaning or anything, but the general idea was that it was a gesture of particular fondness for an individual. Nyara was very fond of Ark and, in his current state; perhaps it would be prudent to reaffirm that fondness to make him feel better.  
Talen never seemed to have the subject come up around him and Link seemed to avoid the act like it was the plague, or he tried to, at least. Perhaps Ark would have a different attitude towards "kissing", a mindset that Florella had often rabbited on about most _normal_ boys having.  
But…how did one "kiss"?  
Nyara frowned thoughtfully.  
From observing Fura and Zelda, it appeared that the girl was supposed to take hold of the boy and then they would put their lips together…though she had noticed that Fura liked to use her tongue to do something or other. Zelda appeared not to, but Nyara supposed that it was a matter of choice…or perhaps to "kiss" you _did_ use your tongue, only Zelda didn't do it because her tongue was too small and she was embarrassed by it.  
The Meera girl's frown turned into a pleased smile. Her tongue was two to three times as long as any of her companions…so hers must be the best which therefore meant that she'd probably be better at "kissing" than all of her female friends combined!  
Ark sniffed loudly yet again and drew a handkerchief out of his pocket to wipe his running nose. "Oh dear," he sighed, folding the handkerchief to dab at his eyes. "I'm sorry, Miss Nyara. I didn't mean to unload all of that onto you-"  
Nyara leaned forward and placed a light, perfunctory peck on Ark's lips.  
It was really rather sweet. Nyara had her hands clasped behind her back like a little girl kissing the first little boy she had liked and on her face she wore a rosy blush.  
Ark blinked, not quite sure that it had actually happened. He looked at Nyara with his eyes like saucers as the Meera girl swished her tail from side to side and drew circles on the ground with her toe.  
"Eeh-hehe," she giggled embarrassedly. "Nyara not know how kiss work very well."  
The sound of a window banging open in the distance made Ark jerk his head up and he saw something red leaning out of the third floor of the manor.  
"Woo-hoo! Go Nyara!" It was Fura. "Another one, properly this time! Heavier!"  
Ark was aghast that she had seen the small kiss and was about to open his mouth to diffuse any kind of ideas the Gerudo might have, but a pair of strong, but slender hands suddenly clasped the boy by his face and tilted his head up. He squeaked, startled by it, but not nearly so shocked as when Nyara descended from above brought their faces together.  
For the third time in his life, Ark was kissed by a girl. It was a clumsy sort of affair due to their general lack on finesse in the area. They staggered back and Ark bumped into the rail overlooking the rest of the city, his body held against it by Nyara's. At least it took care of the balance, seeing as how his head was tilted all the way back and he was up on his tiptoes as Nyara half-lifted him so that she didn't have to stoop.  
"Minn Nymnr!" Ark mumbled.  
He was horribly embarrassed, and Fura's loud cheering in the background hardly helped matters. They were so close together it was almost improper. Ark could feel Nyara's chest pressing against his collarbone, making a little hard to breathe, and something strange was going on inside his mouth.  
They staggered again and Ark whipped one hand out to grab the railing that was digging uncomfortably into his back while Nyara's tail twirled around the other. He almost felt like he was going to fall.  
It all became a bit much for poor Ark and that familiar buzz of electricity filled the air.  
Nyara blinked and suddenly leapt back, her lips coming away from Ark's with a slight "pop" and her tongue zipping back between her own teeth like an oversized piece of spaghetti. "Kiss for Ark," she stated proudly as the boy's buildup of electricity dispersed itself. "Did Ark like? Did it cheer Ark up?"  
Ark stared at her. His face was redder than red and his eyes were so wide that Nyara swore they would fall out of his head.  
"Ch-cheer…up…?" Ark stammered.  
Nyara nodded, a sunny smile gracing her face. "To make Ark not cry anymore. It work, yes?"  
True, Ark wasn't crying anymore…he'd probably forgotten all about Gaul and Aarden after what had just occurred.  
"I-I think I need to…lie down or something…" the grey-haired boy murmured. He looked like a stunned mullet.  
Nyara nodded cheerily and took hold of his hand. "Nyara and Ark walk together like before," she said. "Ark take nap on Nyara's tummy like before as well."  
Ark simply nodded, thought it was probable that he didn't hear a word Nyara said.

Florella came skittering out of her room, flapping her hands like some kind of demented cuccoo with its head cut off. Her high-pitched squeal of delight echoed down the hallway as she ran, her little legs twiddling to and fro so fast she was almost running on the spot.  
Unfortunately, it was at that point that Link decided to throw the door to his room open. There was a loud bang from behind it, followed closely by the sound of something falling to the floor. Curious as to what it could be, Link peeked around to see Florella lying on floorboards with her hands clasped to her forehead.  
Link frowned. "What are you doing?" he asked.  
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Florella squeaked painfully. She cast a very angry gaze at Link. "Be careful when you open your door! That hurt!" Her eyes were watering.  
Link looked offended. "Excuse me? I wasn't the one buk-bukking down the hall like a cuccoo."  
Fura, Zelda, Talen, Saria, and Yula emerged from the rooms they had been occupying.  
Talen picked Florella up, but put her down quick smart when her little hands made a grab for the pouch filled with chocolate. "No," he chided her.  
Florella's bottom lip quivered momentarily, but she put it aside and began to skittle off down the hall.  
"Where are you going?" Talen asked.  
"To see Nyara and Ark, of course!" the Great Fairy called back.  
Fura's face brightened. "You saw them as well?" She seemed beside herself. "Now that's what I call _hot! _I'm inspired!"  
Florella screeched to a halt and came running back, her face alight with excitement. "It was amazing!"  
Link and Talen's faces scrunched up.  
"It was _hideous!_" Link exclaimed. "I don't know if she was trying to push him over the railing or trying to scoop out the poor guy's brains with that monstrous appendage in her mouth. _Nobody_ deserves to see that thing coming at them!"  
Zelda thwacked him solidly in the arm.  
"Just what I was going to do," Saria said, nodding in approval.  
"It was a very beautiful moment," Zelda admonished the blonde boy. "Don't go saying something stupid that'll make Nyara feel bad."  
"Oh, as opposed to her making my _stomach_ feel bad with that show out there?" Link scoffed. "Talen, get me a bucket, 'cause I'm going to puke."  
A great squabble erupted in the hall as the girls babbled to each other about how wonderful and everything the kiss between Ark and Nyara had been while Link voiced his opinion of how disgusting it was.  
Talen and Yula simply stayed silent and watched.  
"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" Florella squeaked suddenly. "Meet them! We have to meet them! They'll be up here any second!"  
The girls swarmed off down the hall.  
"Hey!" Link called after them. "All you're going to do is embarrass Ark! Have some pity!"  
They didn't take any notice of him.  
"Heartless fiends! Let's go, Talen." He grabbed the smith by his wrist and hauled him off.  
Yula followed quietly behind them, positive in the belief that things were about to get highly amusing.


	84. Saved

**Chapter 83 – Saved**

Link felt a great swell of pity for poor Ark the second he saw him. The blonde boy knew what it was like to be the centre of unwanted attention, but he supposed it was worse for his grey-haired friend – Ark was a very shy character, after all.  
Nyara was in the lead and Ark trailed along a little way behind her, linked together by their hands. The smaller boy saw Florella, Saria, Fura, and Zelda swarm down the hallway toward him and Nyara, and his face went absolutely white. He shrank in behind the Meera towing him along, her larger size obscuring him from view, but ultimately proving pointless since they already knew he was there.  
"Well hello there!" Fura sang in that rich voice of hers.  
Nyara smiled merrily and pulled Ark out from his hiding place and stood him before the approaching crowd, her hands holding his shoulders firmly.  
Ark made a small whimpering sound and fidgeted uncontrollably, his ashen face changing quickly to tomato red.  
"Come on, leave him alone, all of you," Link chided the girls as they formed a semicircle around Ark and Nyara.  
None of them paid any attention to him.  
"Arkie-Arkie-Ark…" Zelda chuckled. She reached out and pinched his cheeks. "That was so _sweet!_"  
Ark stared at her.  
The Princess continued. "All alone…out in the garden…just the two of you…it was so _romantic!_"  
Ark's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "R-romantic!?"  
Nyara smiled rosily and twiddled her tail around. "Kiss is for making people happy, yes? Nyara wanted to make Ark feel happier because he sad," she explained.  
"Well he sure doesn't look sad now," Talen sighed.  
"What was it like?" Florella asked, her curiosity sending her voice up into a high squeak. "Nyara?" She lowered her gaze to the boy standing in front of the Meera. "Ark?"  
Ark flinched and tightened up.  
Nyara patted his head fondly. "Ark mouth kinda bumpy up front. It tickle Nyara's tongue," she giggled, poking the tip of said tongue through her teeth. "But the rest is all smooth like baby bottom."  
"The rest?" Saria asked curiously. Her eyes widened. "How far did you…"  
Nyara poked her tongue out all the way. "This far," she said proudly.  
"Oh my goodness," Zelda gasped, putting her hand to her mouth.  
"Wow," Florella whistled. "It must have gone all the way down here…" She poked Ark's throat with her finger.  
The grey-haired boy flinched and his mouth opened and closed as he tried to form a coherent sentence. "I-I…it…"  
"That's so _awesome!_" Fura whooped, butting in. "I tell you, Nyara; you're one lucky girl. I'd give my right arm for a tongue like that." She turned around and winked at Link. "_You'd_ be in for some trouble, sweetness."  
"That's it," Link said, a note of finality in his voice. "I'm out. All you she-wolves can stop making fun of Ark right now. Look at him!"  
They did.  
Ark was trying very hard to turn invisible.  
"Oh…we're sorry, Ark," Saria giggled, putting a hand to her lips to try and hide her smile. "We couldn't help it…the whole thing was just so…"  
"Nice?" Yula offered, breaking her amused silence.  
"That's the word," the Kokiri said. "That little brush of the lips at first, and then the stronger, more willful kiss up against the railing…"  
Florella jumped in at that point. "The inexperienced, yet passionate, first true kiss…it makes me all warm on the inside just thinking about it."  
"Same here," Link said. "But I think that's just the bile rising. This conversation ends now. I'm sure Ark doesn't want to talk about it."  
"Party-pooper," Fura scowled. She sighed and shrugged her shoulders. "Oh well, the garden's free, so let's head out. Maybe some of the atmosphere from Ark and Nyara will be left over."  
Link frowned at her. "Who are you talking to? Because I'm not going out there with you-"  
"Don't be rude," Fura growled, snaring him in a rough headlock. "Let's go, honeybunch." She dragged him off down the hall.  
Zelda wasted no time in skipping along after them.  
The rest of the group watched them go, most of them rather amused at the sight of Link trying to walk at a ninety-degree angle with his head stuck at Fura's side.  
Fura could be a rather rough young lady sometimes.  
Ark yawned and Nyara's ears flicked up upon hearing it.  
She patted his head again. "Ark and Nyara go for nap," she announced. "We go to Nyara's room if anyone need us."  
"Oho?" Florella smiled. Her antennae wiggled furiously.  
"Oh! It-it's-" Ark stammered hopelessly.  
"Ark snooze on Nyara's tummy," the Meera said, already wandering away with the grey-haired boy. "Poor Ark tired."  
"Have fun, then," Saria said cheerfully, waving them away. "And don't get up to anything naughty!"  
A flood of stuttered protests poured out of Ark's rapidly-moving mouth, but he was already out of sight before any proper words could be formed.  
"I must admit that you were rather cruel, Saria," Yula chided the green-topped Kokiri girl.  
Saria winced and flushed in embarrassment. "Well…"  
"But it was a rather interesting spectacle," the pale girl added.

The following day dawned like any other for Ark, only this time he awoke without that feeling of dread that always seemed to be present in the back of his mind. Perhaps it was due to the fantastic night's sleep he had received…though that thought rang an odd note with him. Ark didn't quite recall turning in for the night, nor did he remember dinner, or even the sky darkening at all. Also, his pillow seemed to be moving…gurgling too and it was a good deal more comfortable than any other pillow he'd slept on before…  
"Nya! Ark good-morning!" a cheerful voice greeted him.  
Ark rolled over and saw Nyara there, propped up on several pillows. He stared at her smiling face and then allowed his eyes to travel down to her stomach, upon which his head currently rested.  
"Ark sleep like log," Nyara chirped. "We take nap yesterday afternoon, but Ark snooze all the way through to today."  
Ark made a little 'o' shape with his mouth. "W-we missed dinner and everything!" he gasped. "Oh! I have to apologize to Regent Tannis, Lady Elousin, and Lady Yula…I've been so rude!"  
Nyara yawned and stretched herself out; limbs and tail quivered spasmodically with the strain.  
Ark, who still had his head resting on her warm, soft belly, suddenly felt the muscles beneath him tense up like steel cables being pulled tort by some insurmountable weight. He could almost hear them stretch, too, creaking in his ear and turning as hard as stone.  
The rest of her seemed to change as well. All of those soft, easy-on-the-eyes female curves suddenly transformed into rippling, sinewy muscle that quivered and crept beneath her skin from her iron-like calves, to her rock-hard stomach, and up to her stringy-steel neck.  
Ark was certain that he was gaping openmouthed at her, and though he wanted to leap off of her belly then and there, he found himself transfixed by this more brutish Nyara.  
It was truly a figure of raw beauty, but as quickly as that body had appeared it was replaced again by its previous visage.  
Ark would certainly hate to be on the receiving end of one of Nyara's full-blown beatings.  
Nyara's stomach gurgled loudly once more and she sat up smartly without even having to brace her legs. "We go get breakfast," she declared in a business-like manner, though she didn't sound particularly commanding in her current chirpy mood. "No meat here, so food is all funny, but Nyara show Ark what is good to eat."  
Ark sat up and hopped off the bed. His face grew a little flushed as the events of the previous day replayed in his mind and he unconsciously rubbed at his neck. It had almost been like trying to eat a giant slice of mango, only without being able to swallow it.  
He blushed even harder at that thought.  
Nyara broke him out of his revere by taking hold of his hand and leading him out of the room like a child leading a stubborn puppy around by its leash; only Ark was a little more willing than a stubborn puppy. That feeling of safety that had been torn out of him after the assault on his memories had returned to him once again now that he was with Nyara. She was the person whom Ark could rely on for protection and he drew great comfort from that thought.  
Nyara didn't notice the hand grasped tightly within hers cling to her a little tighter as she trotted cheerfully through the hallways of Tannis' mansion.  
It only took Ark and Nyara several minutes to find where everyone else was having breakfast.  
The outdoor dining area was abuzz with morning chatter and the sound of cutlery clacking together as plates and bowls were shuffled about.  
Nyara and Ark emerged from indoors to the welcome reception of everyone at the table.  
"Ah! Good-morning," Tannis greeted them. It was one of the rare occasions during which the leader of the city could afford the time to sit and have a leisurely breakfast. "Did you sleep well?"  
"Of course they did, dear," Elousin clucked, swooping up from her seat and ushering the two newcomers to their seats. "And I bet they're positively _starving_ now. Eat, dears, eat."  
Nyara happily obliged and began raiding the table of as much fruit as she could. She'd fill her hands, deposit her spoils on her plate, and then go back for more, fighting Link all the way for the sweetest fruits on the table.  
"Let her take what she wants," Saria told her childhood friend. "She's probably hungrier than you are."  
Link sighed and surrendered, thinking better of getting into an argument with Saria. She'd make him pay for it later on.  
"So how was your stroll in the garden yesterday, girls?" Elousin asked both Fura and Zelda. "I could see you from up here. It seemed as though you were looking for something."  
Both girls immediately grunted in disgust and glared at Link.  
"We _were_ looking for something," Fura muttered. "Boy Wonder here snuck off on us." She made a rather rude gesture at Link.  
"How did he do that?" Yula asked curiously. "I would have thought that your attention would have been focused almost solely upon him."  
Zelda sighed and pushed the tips of her forefingers together. "He tricked us," she said lamely. "He told us to close our eyes and he'd give us a surprise."  
Link made a 'v' for victory with his fingers. "I thank the Goddesses for gullible people."  
Fura kicked him under the table. Hard. She smirked as Link yelped in pain. As much as she loved Link to bits, he really did annoy her sometimes.  
Fura was by no means a simple girl. She was sharp, shrewd, and possessed a knack for solving problems, but Link's mind seemed to be able to outpace hers at nearly every turn.  
And Zelda, who was perhaps the wisest of the three of them, was often outsmarted by their young blonde friend. She could absorb boundless information from books and sources of knowledge, but Link's processing power was frighteningly quick and he could work himself out of a tricky situation in mere seconds.  
It also didn't help that both girls were smack in the middle of that time when most young ladies of their age were beginning to think about boys and the like, and the thought of receiving something, a surprise, especially, from Link acted as a powerful force to cloud their better judgment.  
"Ugh, do I even need to say anything at this point?" Florella clucked disapprovingly. "You're a disgrace to your gender."  
Link seemed rather pleased that he'd managed to miff Florella as well, and he didn't even have to say anything about eating habits or her resemblance to a piggy to do it. The day was starting out quite well.  
Nyara, meanwhile, quite happily loaded up Ark's plate with copious amounts of food in preparation for his first feeding at her hands in a very long time.  
The grey-haired boy eyed his impending meal with a recognizable dread before turning to Nyara. "Miss Nyara? I…don't think I can eat that much."  
Nyara's response was predictable. She dragged him onto her lap with the business-like manner of someone who believed that they knew best and began to hand-feed him big strips of mango and handfuls of oats.  
Since Ark would rather have the fruit in his stomach instead of over his face, he ate hurriedly as Nyara kept shoveling. He ended up rather breathless after his morning feed, though Nyara seemed very pleased with herself, like she had just done something she had wanted to do for a long time.  
Yula uttered an amused "oh my" as she watched Ark labour through his breakfast and then squirm uncomfortably as Nyara licked his face clean of pulp and juice.  
Her tongue was just as rough and scratchy against Ark's skin as he remembered it, but even though it embarrassed him greatly, there was something oddly comforting about it.  
"Ugh," Link groaned, pushing his plate away. "There goes my appetite. Thanks, Nyara."  
The Meera ignored him and busied herself with clearing Ark's face of the remains of his breakfast.  
"Ahem, well…" Elousin coughed politely. "That was rather interesting." She dabbed at her mouth with a handkerchief as she watched Nyara begin her breakfast with a great deal of enthusiasm. "Ah…what do the plans for today include?"  
Impa cleared her throat. "The removal of, ah…" She glanced at Ark. "…a major force that worked against us has given us more of an opportunity for rest, but that doesn't mean that things aren't any less urgent. We need to find out where the next Lock is located as soon as possible."  
"Impa's right," Talen agreed as he rolled a grape between his fingers. "The sooner we get all of this over with, the better. I want to go home again. My father is must be overworked without me."  
"Windhill isn't Windhill without its Great Fairy of Spring," Florella murmured.  
Zelda, however, wasn't thinking about home. "Erm, just a thought," she spoke up. "How do we actually _get_ to the Eternal Ark once we have all the Locks?"  
There was silence.  
"Good point," Fura frowned. "Having the Locks is all well and good, but they aren't much good without having the Ark to use them on."  
"Maybe the Compass can point the way to the Eternal Ark as well as the Locks," Link shrugged. "Speaking of which…Nyara? Could you go and get the Compass from wherever you've stashed it? I'm curious as to where we have to go next."  
"O-kay!" she chirped merrily. She put Ark back on his seat and hopped up. "Ark stay here. Nyara only gone for few seconds."  
Ark nodded.  
Nyara smiled. "Good Ark," she said fondly. "Everybody keep eye on Ark."  
"He won't go anywhere, Nyara," Impa laughed. "Go get the Compass."  
Nyara's acute sense of smell zeroed in on the Compass in seconds and she fished it out from the tangle of her bed sheets.  
She grinned at the blue sphere and turned to scamper from the room, but she froze in place and jerked her head over to the open window. She could smell something, a strong scent, coming from outside. This time, her highly attuned sense of smell took even less that a second to react. Nyara's lips peeled back into a ferocious snarl and her tail lashed viciously, bristling out in agitation.  
Zeel! She was nearby, lying in wait so that she could kill Ark, but she hadn't counted on Nyara's extraordinary sense of smell.  
The Meera girl forgot the Compass for the time being. She would find Zeel before she got to Ark, and then she would get rid of her once and for all. In seconds, she was out the window, down the various levels of the manor, and out onto the streets. She went on all-fours, loping through the throng of citizens like a bolt loosed from a crossbow as they bustled about. In her hurry she bumped a good number of unobservant bystanders off their feet, but she was already gone before any of them knew what had hit them.  
"Nyara kill Zeel!" the Meera growled to herself. "Get rid of Zeel for good!"  
Zeel was very close. Her scent was everywhere, blitzing Nyara's sense of smell.  
Like and acrobat, Nyara vaulted over the edge of the street and into the void that stretched from city to forest floor, freefalling like a stone thrown from the edge of a cliff, but Nyara was a stone with amazing athletic ability. She twisted in midair, grasping a protruding branch and swinging across to the trunk of one of the massive tree the city was built upon. As she hit its side, she dug her claws into the rough bark and rushed straight down to the forest floor, landing with a solid thump on the loamy soil.  
Normally, Nyara was rather easygoing and pleasant with people, but when Zeel entered the picture it was another matter altogether. It wasn't so bad before when the black-haired girl had vowed not to harm him, but now that she wanted him dead again…  
Nyara gave a low growl and stalked into the undergrowth, creeping quietly to avoid detection. She knew, after all, that Zeel was an extremely ferocious opponent.  
The low shrubs and ferns parted as Nyara moved through them until, suddenly, she saw her target.  
Zeel was lying there, propped up against the gnarled root of one of the enormous trees. Her breathing was laboured and she didn't seem to be moving, there were also spots of blood all around her.  
Nyara stood and approached slowly, her face set in a murderous grimace. She held out one hand and spasmed her fingers out, extended her claws with a sharp "snikt" sound.  
Zeel heard the sound and turned her head slowly.  
Nyara stopped.  
It was the wrong Zeel. Instead of porcelain skin, there was green, silver hair atop her head instead of black, and her ears were much bigger, not unlike Nyara's own.  
"You!" Nyara snarled. "What you doing here? You come to hurt Ark, haven't you!" She flashed her claws threateningly.  
Zeel blinked slowly and looked up. She was a pitiful sight. Cuts and bruises were visible where her clothing was torn and tattered and one of her eyes was swollen shut.  
Nyara faltered, but it showed only for a second. "Answer!"  
Zeel's blood-stained lips moved and her tongue flickered inside her mouth. "Please…" she croaked, struggling to move.  
Nyara's tail lashed about.  
"I'm not here to hurt anyone…" the demon breathed. She broke out in a horrible, wracking cough. "Help…" And then she closed her eyes and stopped moving.  
Nyara watched her for a few moments before rushing up with a yowl of anger, her claws raised to strike at the demon's obvious trick.  
But Zeel still didn't move.  
Nyara stopped with the sharp tips of her claws inches from the demon's neck. With her fingers quivering, the Meera's formidable weapons retracted and she relaxed her arm.  
Nyara didn't like either Zeel, but this one clearly needed help and Nyara wasn't one to strike down someone who was helpless. Besides; it was _this_ Zeel who had released Ark.  
With a somewhat self-annoyed little noise, Nyara stooped and carefully bundled up the injured demon and began carrying her back towards the manor.  
Zeel's good eye fluttered open. "You're…helping me?" she asked incredulously, peering up at her saviour's face.  
Nyara nodded without breaking her stride.  
"Why?"  
Nyara twitched her nose. "Ark would be angry with Nyara if Nyara hurt you. Be thankful that Ark is so nice."  
And Zeel was thankful, but she didn't have a chance to show it as she slipped back into unconsciousness.

"Maybe she saw a bird and went after it?" Talen suggested with a mild shrug.  
"Talen!" Florella admonished the smith. "Try to be a little more serious. Nyara wouldn't just up and leave like this for no reason; she barely wanted to leave Ark at the table."  
Talen scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry," he murmured apologetically.  
It hadn't taken long for Nyara's absence to become noticeable. It didn't take _that_ long to get to her room and back, and the Compass had also been found lying on her bed, forgotten.  
"What if something awful's happened to her!?" Ark squeaked in a panic. "Like a retaliation for-" He stopped himself at the last second. "G-Gaul."  
Ark's concern for Nyara was really rather sweet. She was like a safety blanket for him, especially after all the bad things that had happened to him since starting out on his journey with his companions. It was really quite a feat that somebody as shy and timid as Ark had made it so far.  
"I'm sure she's fine, Ark," Link assured his friend. "She's a Bloodcat as well, don't forget. We'd know if she were in danger."  
"Link's right," Florella chirped, her antennae wiggling furiously to ease the tension she was obviously carrying. "And why go after Nyara? I would think that Link would be a more likely target – he _does_ have the Key, after all."  
Tannis, Elousin, and Yula had also come along to the Meera's room out of concern for her safety. Yula stood with her father whilst Elousin, ever one to dote on youngsters, hovered behind the distressed Ark, crooning reassurances to him and smoothing his hair. The Regent's wife seemed awfully fond of Ark, probably because as far as boys went, he was as cute as a button, and also because Elousin loved children.  
There was suddenly a great commotion in the hallways outside and a clearly frazzled butler came rushing into the room. "S-sir!" he puffed at Tannis. "There's a Meera heading up the stairs carrying some sort of…devil! She's beaten away four guard who have tried to approach her with her feet!"  
Tannis looked rather alarmed. "I beg your pardon?"  
"Sir, we must get you and your family to a safer place before she brings the devi-" The butler was cut off as a tawny shape barged him out of the way.  
"Miss Nyara!" Ark exclaimed happily. "You're oka-" He stopped short upon seeing the girl Nyara was carrying.  
A collective gasp spread throughout the room.  
"Oh sugar!" Link squawked. "It's a Zeel!"  
Ark ran up to Nyara as she carried the girl into the room. "M-miss Nyara? What happened to her?" Ark asked in a panic. "Why is she hurt so badly?"  
"Nyara not do it!" the Meera protested quickly. "Nyara find her like this. I bring her back here because Ark no like it if Zeel bite dust. If Nyara had her way, I leave her out in forest." She didn't sound very happy about bringing Zeel in.  
"That is one of the two Zeels?" Yula whispered to Zelda.  
The Princess nodded. "That's the demonic half," the blonde girl murmured. "Ark said it's the "happy" half, so to speak. Why is she here, though?"  
Impa frowned pensively. "I doubt she came to retrieve Ark. She was the one who let him go, remember?" She rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Maybe she came for help."  
"Then we have to give it to her!" Ark said in a rather panicked voice. "We can't leave her like this!" He turned back to the unconscious demon and patted her bloodstained cheek. "Miss Zeel! Wake up, please!"  
Zeel stirred and her good eye struggled to open before she fixed it on Ark. It took a few seconds for her to recognize him. "Ark," she croaked. Her voice was weak, but full of relief. "Thank goodness I…found you." Her hand shook feebly as she raised it and held Ark by his shoulder.  
Nyara's expression showed that she was clearly unhappy with Ark's close proximity to the demon-girl. Perhaps it was jealousy or distrust towards the demon, but either way she didn't like it. "Ark move away," she commanded. "Zeel might try something."  
"I don't think she's in any condition to try anything, Nyara," Fura told the irritable Meera. "I know she's not completely trustworthy, but…we need to get her wounds tended to."  
Zeel suddenly shuddered violently and her breathing became very laboured.  
Ark's face went white. "Wh-what's happening to her!?" he demanded. "Somebody…do something!"  
Florella was at the demon's side in an instant, her little hand waving across Zeel's forehead. "Her life-energy has run low; there's barely enough of it there to keep her breathing." The Great Fairy wrung her hands together. "She needs a boost to keep her going."  
"You can do it, right!?" Ark squeaked.  
Florella made an ambiguous little sound and closed her eyes as she took up a muffled chant. She stopped, though, after it appeared that nothing was happening.  
It was Zelda's turn to look concerned. "Florella?"  
The fairy looked at them all helplessly. "I can't do anything…life-energy isn't something that can be easily transferred-"  
Ark suddenly bolted forward. "W-wait! It can…it works with me. The other Miss Zeel does it, so the same should work for her." He patted Zeel's face. "Miss Zeel! Listen to me, please!"  
Zeel's eyes fluttered and her mouth hung agape.  
"Miss Nyara…give her to me," Ark told the Meera.  
Nyara drew herself up in order to flatly refuse, but Ark cut her off.  
"Do it now, or else she'll die!" he ordered with uncharacteristic heat.  
Nyara reluctantly handed Zeel to Ark and watched with concern as he held her up in a semi-standing position.  
"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Florella asked.  
Ark nodded as everyone else looked on. "It's the only thing I can think of." He shook the girl in his arms. "Miss Zeel, if you can hear me…take my strength! Bite me now!"  
Whether Zeel heard him or whether it was the last thing her instinct could get her to do, the demon-girl lolled her head forward and sank her teeth into Ark's neck.  
Nyara gave a cry of outrage and protest and made to tear Zeel away, but Ark stopped her with a stern warning.  
"Miss Nyara!" he barked. "Don't! She'll die otherwise!"  
Nyara stopped, torn between doing what she thought was best and what Ark wanted. She obeyed the latter and slunk back a ways.  
The others watched the scene with a gruesome curiosity as Zeel, her strength returning, gorged herself on Ark's energy. Her stance became firmer, more stable and she broke free of Ark's support, overwhelming his smaller size and locking him within her grip.  
"Th-that's how…that's how they do it?" Saria whispered as she unconsciously sought refuge behind Impa. "It looks so painful."  
Ark let out a gasp and crumpled a little in Zeel's grip.  
She stopped suddenly, pulling back with a loud intake of breath and a look of wild panic in her eyes.  
Ark staggered back and fell on his backside. His neck now sported a rather large bite-mark that trickled with blood, but other than that he seemed quite unharmed.  
"A-Ark!" Zeel gasped, looking horrified. "I'm sorry…I couldn't help it! I-" She stumbled back and Nyara caught her, picking her up as before. She was still weak, but she had enough strength now to survive.  
"I'm okay, Miss Zeel," Ark assured her, offering a tired smile. "I'm kinda used to it now."  
Link helped his smaller friend to his feet. "Quick thinking there, Ark," he congratulated him.  
Ark looked a little embarrassed, so he looked meaningfully at Elousin.  
"I will get a bed prepared for her," the motherly woman said, already bustling out the door. "And some water and disinfectant; she will need her wounds cleaned before they're healed. I trust you will be taking care of the latter part, dear?" The question was aimed at Florella.  
The Great Fairy nodded. "Leave it to me."  
"You-you're all going to help me?" Zeel asked incredulously.  
They all felt a great surge of pity for the green-skinned girl at that moment. This was perhaps the first time in her life that other people had tried to help her, the simple question she had just asked completely baring her inexperience with kindness.  
"Of course we will, Miss Zeel," Ark assured her. "You'll be all right, I promise! Lady Florella can heal anyone, you'll see."  
Zeel's open eye began to well with suppressed tears. "Thank you…" she whispered, burying her face in Nyara's shoulder. "…thank you so much…"  
Nyara stiffened at the contact and bristled her tail.  
Florella saw the Meera's discontent at the situation and decided to move things along. "Ah…follow me, Nyara. Let's get her to her bed so we can patch her up, okay?"  
Nyara nodded grumpily and trotted out of the room after Florella and noted – with slight irritation and something that resembled jealousy – that Ark was following as well.

It took some time to clean all of Zeel's wounds. There were so many of them that it was a wonder she had managed to make it all the way to Arbouren, but Florella worked diligently with the help of Elousin until all of the demon's various cuts and gashes were free of blood and pieces of torn clothing. Then it was only a matter of the Great Fairy using her powerful healing magic to close the injuries and then giving the green-skinned girl her sweet, pink potion to drink.  
"Thank you…again," Zeel sighed contentedly. "For everything. I didn't think you would help me."  
"I think it's Ark you need to thank," Florella chuckled dryly. "He's the one who convinced us you were a good person. We thought you were a bit of a bad egg because of, well…" She rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.  
Zeel nodded in understanding. Most people did think the worst when they saw her.  
"So I guess we all owe you an apology," Florella continued.  
There was a light knock at the door.  
"Yes?" Elousin called out.  
"It's, erm, it's me, Lady Elousin," Ark's muffled voice sounded from the other side of the door. "Is…is Miss Zeel okay?"  
Zeel's face lit up at the sound of Ark's voice. "Ark? Is that you?" she called. "I'm okay, ah…" She turned to the Great Fairy who had healed her. "Florella, is it?"  
Florella nodded with a barely visible smile. She suspected that in this Zeel's eyes, Ark was something of a personal hero; he was her first friend after all.  
"Florella fixed me right up," the demonic girl continued.  
The door opened up a crack and Ark poked his head into the room. His green eyes were filled with concern as he gazed across the room at the girl in the bed.  
The terrible cuts and bruises that had littered her body before were gone, leaving behind no trace that they had ever been there.  
"I'm glad, then," Ark breathed, relieved that she was out of trouble. "I'll leave you to recover." His head disappeared behind the door.  
"Wait!" Zeel called.  
Ark's head reappeared.  
"Can you stay here?" she blurted. "I mean…I don't really know anyone else…"  
Ark seemed a little uncertain, but he pushed the door open and shuffled into the room before sitting himself in a rattan chair near the bed.  
It didn't go unnoticed that Nyara was visible in the hall just outside the still-open door, her face as dark as a thundercloud with her bottom lip pushed out in a sullen pout. She wasn't happy.  
Florella smiled awkwardly at the Meera as she stalked into the room and sat in the corner like some petulant sentinel.  
"Ah, Miss Zeel?" Ark said carefully. "Who…did all of that to you?"  
Zeel's face fell. A part of her had been dreading that question.  
"Zeel?" Florella pressed. She was curious as well.  
The demon sighed. "She did it – my other half. She found out that it was I who let Ark go. Understandably, she was rather upset about it."  
"Oh dear," Ark mourned.  
"It was like something in her head just…snapped. She went berserk, started tearing up anything within reach…which happened to be me. I managed to escape before she finished me off, so I followed your scent, hoping I'd run into you. I was fortunate that…" She winced at Nyara, trying to remember her name. "…Nyara found me. Thanks, Nyara."  
Nyara mumbled something unintelligible and sullen.  
"Anyway," Zeel continued. "My other half's gone off the deep end. We're both very close to the end and she's _so_ scared that nothing seems to matter to her anymore. She doesn't want to die, but…" Zeel looked pained. "It will either end with her death or it'll end with yours, Ark."  
Ark lowered his head. Part of him knew that it could have come down to this. "Where is she?" he asked.  
"She's at the manor still…or what's left of it. She tore the whole place apart just before I escaped."  
Ark nodded. "Then…I will go to her. I'll finish this with her once and for all. One way or another."


	85. One

**Chapter 84 – One**

"How's the patient?" Fura asked as Florella emerged from indoors.  
Everyone had gathered outside on the third floor balcony to get some air; the presence of Zeel, even if it was the "good" one, had frazzled their nerves. The pleasant weather was quite calming, however, and it allowed people a chance to put things into perspective. For one, this Zeel appeared to bear them no ill will; in fact, she had come to them for help and had seemed genuinely grateful when they had given it to her. Also, it wouldn't be a very good idea to try anything with so many people around that could give her a good beating.  
Florella sat down at the poolside and dangled her legs into the cool water. "Ooh, that's nice," she sighed. "Zeel's doing fine. She's sleeping at the moment, but it won't be long before she's back in business again." She splashed her little feet about and giggled quietly. "She wanted Ark to stay in there with her. You should have seen the look on Nyara's face…I think she's jealous."  
Zelda, who was also splashing her feet in the water, turned her head sharply. "Jealous? Jealous of Zeel?" she laughed. "What in the world for?"  
"Ark's paying a lot of attention to her," Talen said simply as he sat against the table leg with his eyes closed. "He and Nyara are usually always with each other, but now that Ark's focusing his concern on Zeel, Nyara's feeling…left out, as it were."  
Florella looked rather proud of the smith. "That's very observant of you, Talen," she grinned, clapping her little hands together.  
Talen shrugged. "I think that even Link could figure it out," he murmured.  
Link, who was lying on his back in the sun with his arm over his face, waved his free hand dismissively. "Figuring it out would just mean I'd have to think about it and that's something I don't really want to do." He let his arm flop onto the floor just above his head. "Let Nyara get over her hissy-fit on her own, and don't all of you go meddling." He pointed his finger at Florella without even looking at her. "I'm talking to you, Piggy."  
The Great Fairy drew herself up. "I don't know what you're talking about," she blustered. "You always think I'm going to meddle in everything!"  
"That's because you do," Link yawned.  
"I don't!" Florella snapped.  
Unbeknownst to the fairy, Link was grinning away, reveling in her frustration. It was always fun to get under Florella's skin, he didn't exactly know why, but it was still fun. Besides, Florella tormented him over his predicament with Fura and Zelda.  
Link groaned inwardly. He would have to face that one day, eventually. Fura and Zelda could wait, they had been for over three years already, but they couldn't – wouldn't – wait forever. Link didn't even like thinking about it…it made him feel like too much of a grownup. He'd grown up once already and he didn't want to do it again anytime soon, but…he felt as if Fura and Zelda were like two patches of ground rushing awaiting his plunge from a mountaintop. He would have liked to have thought that he wouldn't have taken the fateful step that would send him hurtling towards them, that he'd be content with just having the honour of meeting, knowing, and befriending them…the only problem was that he'd already stumbled and fallen. He could try to prolong the fall all he liked, but the distance between them would shorten, no matter how slow, until he hit. The problem now was exactly where he'd land.  
"Hey!" Florella's indignant outburst cut through the air like a knife.  
"Huh? What?" Link asked flatly, snapping out of his reverie.  
"You weren't listening to me at all!" Florella accused. The pitch of her voice was beginning to escalate, a sure sign of her extreme irritation.  
"Careful you don't burst a seam, Florella," Link warned her mildly. "You don't want all of that stuffing to come out."  
_That_ seemed to push her over the edge. Florella whipped her legs out of the water and swiveled around on her bottom to face Link, but that left her without much behind her to prevent a plunge into the pool.  
The metal rings of the Key flashed in the sunlight before Florella's eyes just before they gently pushed her over backwards. Her mouth opened in a surprised little, "o", that lay imprinted upon her face even as she splashed into the water, her wealth of purple hair darkening as the cool liquid immediately threaded itself through the violet strands.  
"Ahhhh," Link sighed loudly, stretching his arms and legs out like a cat uncurling from its sleeping position. "I haven't been able to do that in a long time…bliss." He opened one eye and focused it on Talen. "You can deal with it, Talen."  
"Thanks," the smith murmured dryly. He rose with a weary groan and approached the pool as Florella popped her head out of the water.  
"Damn you, Link!" she shrieked loudly, splashing about like a drowning rat. "You always do these things to me! I hate you!" She floundered by the edge of the water.  
"No you don't," Talen sighed. He bent down and held out his hands.  
Florella raised her arms eagerly and the strong smith heaved her out of the water, dripping wet.  
"That was pretty funny, actually," Fura chuckled quietly.  
Impa glanced at the Gerudo from her spot near the door and shook her head. "Children," she chided them lightly. "Don't make a scene."  
Nobody paid any attention to her.  
Yula went and fetched a towel and gave it to Talen so that the smith could get to work on drying Florella's voluminous hair.  
The Great Fairy stared sullenly at Link, but having Talen dry her hair was far too enjoyable for her to stay grumpy, so she forgot about Link's little injury towards her and sat contentedly in the sun to dry off.  
"There, it's not so bad now, right?" Talen said, leaving the towel draped over her shoulders. "At least you're nice and cool now. It's very hot out here."  
"Go for a swim, then," Fura said. "You may as well have a dip while you can. I have a feeling we won't be in Arbouren for too much longer."  
Florella's antennae twitched up. "I think you're right, Fura," the fairy muttered seriously. "The one who gave the Zeel we have inside all of her injuries was her other half – the other Zeel."  
"I had a feeling it was her," Saria frowned.  
Florella nodded. "In any case, I think she's reached the end of the time she has left, so Ark has made his decision," she said with gravity.  
"Decision to what?" Link asked, sitting up.  
Florella sighed. "To sort things out with Zeel once and for all."

The sun was beginning to dip low on the horizon when Ark, bleary-eyed and yawning, wandered outside into the afternoon air with Nyara trailing close behind. He was greeted by the sounds of splashing, laughter, and whoops of delight coming from the pool, in which cavorted everyone except Yula. Impa had stayed indoors to have "adult talks" with Elousin after threatening Link with another good shaking if Zelda got sunburn again.  
Link and Talen appeared to be keeping the noise to a minimum, but the girls were having none of it as they leapt about and cannonballed into the water. Fura seemed to tire of Link's inactivity and promptly began chasing him through the water relentlessly, threatening gleefully to pinch his posterior. Saria and Florella were being tossed high into the air by Talen so that they could splash back down into the water again, their shrill squeals of delight acting as evidence to their enjoyment.  
"Ark, hello." Yula noticed Ark's approach before the others and greeted him cordially.  
"Good afternoon, Lady Yula," Ark responded, nodding his head respectfully. "How does the evening find you?"  
"Well, thank you, Ark," Yula said pleasantly. "And you? I expect that you must be somewhat weary after worrying over Zeel all day."  
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Yula," Ark rattled off in a near-automatic manner. "I am merely a little fatigued and I thought some fresh air would-"  
"My _God_," Fura blared, interrupting the two. "Are you both trying to out-polite each other or something?" She pulled her self out of the water, allowing Link to slink off without fear for his backside. However, Fura turned just as she stood up and wiggled her finger at the blonde boy. "To be continued, darlin'-oo-doo."  
Link cringed and swam over to the far edge of the pool.  
Fura smirked in a self-satisfied kind of way before whirling back to Ark. "Come on, boy-o, take a dip…and look at me for crying out loud! Nyara struts around naked all the time; I'm in a bathing suit! It feels weird talking to the top of your head all the time."  
"By, "bathing suit", you mean, "string", right?" Link snorted.  
"Watch it," Fura warned him menacingly.  
"Oh come on!" Link protested. "Aside from Nyara, you're the only person whose surface area shows more skin than clothing."  
Fura looked rather indignant. "And is there a problem with that?" she demanded, thrusting herself towards Link with her hands on her hips. "What would you have me wear?"  
Link shrugged and floundered for something to say. "How about one of those fetching bathing suits that goes from knee to neck?"  
Fura's left eye twitched irritably. "One more strike and you're out," she growled.  
Link looked confused. "Out of what?"  
The Gerudo girl pursed her lips momentarily. "I dunno…but you won't like it all the same."  
"Lady Fura, I-" Ark began in a small voice.  
Fura interjected before he could get anywhere. "Come on, Ark…Gerudos take pride in looking lovely in order to snare men-folk. I'd take it as a personal insult if you didn't give me at least a _small_ look-over." She looked questioningly at Nyara. "You don't mind, right?"  
Nyara shook her head. "Fura good. Fura not try to steal Ark away."  
Ark glanced at her briefly, but in a split-second he decided that her outfit was far too revealing, and so he snapped his eyes back down to the ground again.  
"There!" Fura congratulated him. "Was that so bad? Now come for a paddle. Nyara will keep you from sinking to the bottom."  
Ark went horribly pale at that thought. "Erm…I-I think I'll just sit out here, Lady Fura," he stammered. "I-I don't really like the water."  
Fura sighed disappointedly. "Suit yourself, Pumpkin." She patted him on the shoulder and spun on her heel. "Come on, Linkie-do, back to our game!"  
"But I'm happy just floating here," Link objected. "Can't you just let me-"  
"_Cannonball!"_ Fura yelled boisterously, leaping into the air with her legs tucked in under her backside.  
Link could only stare with his mouth hanging open as the body of the redhead, silhouetted in front of the sun, fell from the sky and collided solidly with him, driving the boy into the water with a great splash.  
The two of them rolled about underwater, surfacing every now and then to breath and shout at each other. Link's cries were usually something like, "get off me!" whereas Fura's were, somehow predictably, "give Fura some sugar, Sweet-cheeks!"  
The others kept their distance from the churning water, shouting, and flailing limbs.  
"Aren't you going to join in?" Saria asked Zelda.  
Zelda winced as Fura leapt onto Link's back and hooked her fingers into Link's nostrils, pulling his head back. "I don't think so," she said.  
"Come on, take your tunic off…don't be shy. You have underclothes on, for crying out loud!" Fura demanded, holding on for dear life as the Key straps wrapped around her ankles and tried to pull her off Link's back.

Ark watched his friend struggle with the amorous Fura for a few moments before taking a seat across from Yula at the table. "Miss Nyara?" Ark ventured quietly to the Meera girl as she stood somewhere near the door.  
She flicked her ears up and blinked at him.  
"Are you okay? You seem a bit glum," Ark frowned. "You're not feeling ill, are you? Do you want to sit down?" He pulled out a chair for her.  
Nyara accepted Ark's offer with no hesitation whatsoever, dragging the chair offered to her over next to his with the hurried sound of wood scraping on wood. She sat down with the corners of her mouth tweaked upwards in a pleased little smile.  
Ark looked at her with his big eyes filled with concern. "You are okay, right?"  
Nyara nodded. Of course she was; there was no Zeel in sight. No, it was _Nyara_ sitting next to Ark, enjoying his company. Granted, Yula was at the table as well, but Nyara liked Yula unlike Zeel, whom she distrusted immensely.  
Nyara curled her tail in Ark's lap and a noise not unlike purring began to rumble softly out of her throat.  
Ark smiled briefly at her as a rather pleasant feeling of warmth spread through his stomach, but he quickly went as red as a tomato when he saw Yula watching them openly from across the table. Luckily, a loud commotion from the water provided a welcome distraction.  
"_AAAAUUUGH-AAAHHH!"_ Link's particularly loud, ungodly wail of protest reverberated over – it was guessed – the entire city.  
"Oh dear," Yula sighed, holding a hand to her cheek.  
It had appeared that Link, eager to escape from Fura's imposed game of chasings, had attempted to climb out of the pool. Unfortunately, the effect of swimming on a person is such that they are unused to carrying their own bodyweight out of the water without its added buoyancy. Thus Link had to struggle a little to pull himself out of the pool and Fura, never being one to shirk an opportunity at embarrassing him, ploughed through the water and grabbed his backside and squeezed with as much force as she could manage. The result was Link's ear-splitting cry of horror…well, embarrassment more than anything else. It is truly a terrible feeling when escape is taken inches from your grasp.  
"Haha!" Fura laughed victoriously. "Score! Fura wins!"  
Link rolled onto the decking making little, miserable whimpering sounds as he cradled his face in his hands.  
"Jeez," Talen hissed, uncovering his ears. "Don't you think you overreacted just a little, Link?"  
"You don't know my pain!" Link cried accusingly. He snapped his head around to Florella, who was giggling inanely. "And you! You wonder why I don't like girls very much? There's the reason right there!" He jabbed an accusing finger at Fura.  
"Your sweet seat is firm like mutton," she told him, nodding her approval.  
"Rrgh!" Link grunted in frustration. He stood up and stomped off towards the manor, dripping a trail of water from his soaking tunic. "If anyone needs me I'll be sandpapering my backside. I feel all dirty."  
It was at that point that Zeel emerged from indoors. She was clad in a nightie, over which she wore a dressing-gown to walk around in. Elousin had obviously given them to her to change into since her clothes, ripped to shreds by her other half, were essentially useless, not to mention covered in blood.  
She saw Link stomping towards the door and recognized him as the boy who had put her through the wall back at the manor. "Uhm…hello," she greeted him, the usual mischievous lilt absent from her voice. She was still feeling a little strange at being looked after by "the former enemy".  
Link, however, seemed to be off in his own little world as he mumbled and muttered to himself.  
Zeel blinked. "Uh, hey-"  
"Women," Link snorted. "God I hate 'em- ack! She hurt me more than I thought she did…"  
And then he disappeared inside, leaving Zeel to wonder just what exactly had happened.  
"Miss Zeel!"  
Zeel turned sharply at the sound of her voice being called. She noted, quite happily, that it was Ark. She smiled and waved at him before making her way towards the table. She noted that Ark looked quite pleased to see her, which gave her the unfamiliar feeling of butterflies in her stomach. The Meera sitting next to Ark, however, looked less than thrilled at her emergence onto the scene.  
"Miss Zeel, are you sure you're feeling up to walking about?" the grey-haired boy asked her worriedly. He stood up and pulled out a chair for her. "Here – sit down."  
Nyara's tail instantly bristled up like a bulrush fuzzing off its stalk.  
"Oh, thanks," Zeel said, gratefully accepting his offer. She sat down on Ark's other side. "You know, I'm not used to people making this much of a fuss over me. I'm really grateful for all that you've done for me…I know I haven't made life all that easy for you."  
"Oh, it's no problem, really," Ark assured her.  
Nyara's cheeks attained a healthy red glow.  
"Yeah, let bygones be bygones," Fura called from the water.  
Zeels lips creased into a tiny smile. "Oh, what was that horrible scream just before?" she asked curiously. "I thought you were being attacked."  
"Oh, that was Link. Don't mind Link…he's just had his personal space invaded again. He'll be more agreeable when his stomach is full," Zelda said. "So…you're feeling better?"  
"Yes, thanks," Zeel smiled. These were the people that her other half was continually being vexed by? It almost seemed laughable. They were so…so _nice_, not the type she would have pegged as warriors or anything. Zeel suddenly felt very bad for working against them for so long.  
"Would you like anything to eat or drink, Zeel? It would perhaps be best to return some fluids into your system after such a close call," Yula said.  
Zeel blinked at the pale girl as she rose gracefully from her seat.  
"I shall go and fetch some light refreshments."  
"Wow, you're like…a girl version of Ark," Zeel whistled out loud.  
Ark and Yula stared at each other and then looked quickly averted each others' gaze. Yula went on her way to fetch something for Zeel to eat and drink.  
"Heh," Zeel chuckled embarrassedly. "Sorry. Old habits die hard."  
"You're right, though," Fura snorted, seating herself on the edge of the pool. "Yula and Ark could be brother and sister."  
"L-lady Fura!" Ark squeaked.  
Fura waved a dismissive hand at him. "What? That's a bad thing?"  
"Well…no," Ark admitted. "But all the same-"  
"In fact," Fura continued. "I bet that if you gave her the slightest indication that you were interested, Elousin would adopt you faster than I could kick Link's butt across the room." She dove back into the water and surfaced again, smoothing back her great cascade of red hair. "It was two years ago, the last time I was here on account of that ceremony at home, that she tried to get Florella to stay here. Florella was all for it until Talen reminded her that she was the Great Fairy of Spring and that she kinda had an obligation to the people of Windhill."  
"Hey, I'd live here if I could," Zeel snorted, patting Ark on the shoulder. "Why don't you give it a try?"  
Ark's mouth opened and closed. "Wh-wha…I could n-never-!"  
"Ark stay with Nyara!" The Meera girl swooped, snaring Ark and dragging him over to her seat where she shielded him protectively from Zeel. "Ark no live here, he live with Nyara in Meera village!"  
Zeel blinked and narrowed her eyes at the Meera. "Uh-huh."  
Nyara narrowed her eyes right back and the two of them became engaged in a staring competition of sorts.  
The people swimming in the pool stopped what they were doing and grouped together by the edge of the water and watched in interest.  
"Ooh," Florella murmured, her antennae twiddling together in interest. "What have we here?"  
"The tension reaches its peak," Saria whispered. "Nyara versus Zeel. What do you think they'll do?"  
"Do you think they'll fight?" Zelda asked. "Oh, I hope they don't…and look at Ark – he doesn't know what's going on."  
Zelda was right. Ark, currently held within Nyara's firm grasp, was at a total loss to what the impromptu staring competition was all about. Nyara had even started to rumble out a low growl.  
Yula appeared then, carrying a bowl of fruit and a tall glass of water for Zeel. She froze in her tracks upon hitting the incredible tension mounting between the two staring combatants. "Oh my," she breathed, nearly spilling the contents of the glass. "Ah…"  
"What's going on?" It was Link. He had replaced his green tunic for a dry white one set out for him by Elousin. "What are they doing?"  
"I am not sure," Yula said quietly. "They look…ready to trade blows."  
Nyara and Zeel were slowly bringing their faces closer and closer together as their gazes intensified.  
"L-Link!" Ark squeaked. "A-a little h-help?"  
Link raised his eyebrows at his distressed friend. "Huh? Oh…leave it to me."  
Zelda grimaced. "Oh, Link!" she hissed. "Don't do anything stup-"  
Nyara and Zeel were inches apart when Nyara suddenly felt something cool and wet strike the side of her head. She blinked, as did Zeel, who, seconds later, was the recipient of what Nyara had just experienced.  
"What the-?" Zeel uttered, wiping the side of her face with her hand. "Watermelon pulp?"  
Nyara and Zeel looked at each other and then at Link as he stood there holding the bowl of fruit Yula had been carrying.  
"That's better," he sighed, handing the bowl back to Yula.  
The pale girl took her hands away from her mouth to accept it.  
Nyara let go of Ark. "Link throw fruit at Nyara!" she shouted accusingly. "Nyara get Link and-!"  
He tossed the water from the glass at her then, soaking her upper-body. "Invite me to the pity party," he grumbled, heading over towards the pool – though not too close – to sit down. "Florella puts enough stupid pollution into the air already without you two adding to it." He sat down with a whoosh of breath. "Mission accomplished."  
Aside from the sound of the water lapping up against the side of the pool, there was complete silence. Nyara and Zeel stared at Link as his earlier actions and rather abrupt little speech sunk in. The occupants of the pool were also staring at Link, but only because they wanted to preserve a mental image of him before he was torn to pieces.  
But it didn't happen.  
"Hah," Zeel laughed suddenly. "I can see why my other half doesn't like you at all. Haah…" She wiped the watermelon off the side of her head. "Heh…sorry about that, Ark."  
Ark blinked and sat up from where he had slipped down onto the floor. "Ah…o-okay," he stammered.  
Nyara merely snorted and licked the squashed fruit off the side of her head with her enormous tongue.  
"Stupid pollution!?" Florella exclaimed suddenly, slapping her hand down on the decking.  
"The worst kind of pollution," he yawned, lying back in preparation for a nap.  
Florella's cheeks flushed red with anger. "You're a total idiot!" she flared.  
"Ooh," Link winced, wiggling his finger in his ear. "Noise pollution, too."  
Florella opened her mouth to shout at him, but Talen squeezed her jaw shut. "Come now, Florella," he told her gently. "Let's try to enjoy the rest of the day, hmm? I think we'll be going from this place to somewhere much worse very soon."  
Florella glanced over at Zeel as she helped Ark to his feet. "Oh," she murmured. "I see." She bit her lip. "You're right, Talen. Besides; I can have plenty of fun watching Link get in trouble for not watching Zelda."  
Link suddenly sat bolt upright. "Oh…dear Goddesses…I forgot!"  
Zelda actually managed to look rather guilty. "Ooh…sorry, Link," she apologized sheepishly. She turned her back to him. "I think I'm a little pink…"  
"Get into the shade, quickly!" he cried, rushing for the pool to drag her out. "Impa's going to shake me until-"  
"Impa's going to what?"  
Link stopped dead in his tracks, a look of pure horror on his face.  
Impa, having emerged from indoors, put a rather firm had on the boy's shoulder. She frowned at Zelda's glowing skin and then tightened her grip on the cringing Link. "What did I ask you to do?" she asked mildly.  
"Make sure Zelda didn't get burnt," Link whimpered.  
Impa patted his head. "Good boy…but what did you do?"  
Link gulped audibly. "Let her get burnt…please don't shake me."  
"I'm afraid you leave me with little recourse," the Sheikah sighed, grasping him under his arms.

Unsurprisingly, it was a rather warm night in Arbouren. The sounds coming from the nightlife throughout the jungle drifted through the arboreal city, echoing around the sturdy, sentinel-like trees that seemed more like mountainous obelisks than plants. The sky was crystal clear, allowing the stars and moon to shine down through the forest canopy while the fireflies and other phosphorous insects set the streets alight with an eerie glow that, when observed from above, was undeniably beautiful.  
It was there, out in the garden overlooking the city, that Link sat idly watching the flitting lights below dance through the streets. He had been unable to sleep ever since retiring to his room after a rather serious dinnertime discussion had outlined a plan to go to Zeel's realm the following morning. He hadn't lost any sleep over any other opponent he'd had to face in the past. Zeel, however, was different. Link didn't really like Zeel in any fashion – her demonic half was quite nice, though – but he couldn't help but feel pity for the girl.  
"What are you thinking about?" Navi asked.  
Link gazed up at his fairy companion as she flitted in the night air, matching the glow of the fireflies below. "Zeel," Link sighed. "The other one…the one we go to fight tomorrow. I know it will be mostly Ark's battle, but…if things get too bad for him, then I'll be forced to step in."  
"And?" Navi asked.  
Link frowned. "And I don't know if I can actually, you know…strike her down." He paused. "If it comes to that. I feel sorry for her."  
Navi settled on his shoulder. "I don't think that'll hold much sway with her when she's trying to gut you with that scythe of hers."  
"Yeah, I know, but…it's still hard to think about fighting her for the last time. Ark is right in saying that she's a good person underneath it all – her "good" half that's with us now is proof of that, and not all of the goodness in her could have been separated. It's all because she was lonely."  
Navi patted the side of Link's head. "You're a good egg, Link," she said. "Difficult, but good. You know, if you weren't so jaded about everything, you and Ark would be almost indistinguishable."  
"We would?" Link asked incredulously.  
"Uh-huh," Navi nodded. "Yula may be able to be his sister, but you'd be the best match as his brother."  
Link scratched his head and grinned lopsidedly. "You know, that wouldn't be so bad…having a brother and all that. Maybe I would have had one if my parents were still around." He sighed and tugged on his black ear. "Speaking of Ark, though…he must be having a very hard time with this. He's the one who wanted so badly to help her and now he may have to see her destroyed."  
Navi shook her tiny wings. "I wonder what the Zeel we have here thinks about it. I mean, we're going to fight part of her…maybe even kill it."  
Link shrugged and sagged back in the seat. "I don't know," he murmured. "Maybe she just wants it all over and done with. The other Zeel _did_ try to kill her just before, after all…I wouldn't blame her for trying to keep herself alive, and she _was_ the one who sort of put it to Ark in the first place."  
Navi and Link allowed the chirping insects to take over the conversation while the two of them sat still in the warm night air. The lack of wind made it even muggier, but the Hylian and the fairy weren't about to go back inside just yet. They were quite content to sit and admire the firefly-lit city a little while longer.  
"Hi, nice night, huh."  
Link's head flopped over the back of the seat and he found himself looking at demon-Zeel, clad in a cream-coloured tunic. "H-hello, Zeel," he stammered, rather surprised by her sudden appearance. "What are you doing out here?"  
Zeel shrugged. "I couldn't sleep," she admitted.  
"Tomorrow?" Link offered.  
She nodded and then gestured to the seat. "Do you mind?"  
Link shuffled over to allow her room to sit down.  
"So…" she began. "You're Link, right?"  
"All my life," Link said with a small nod.  
"You…ah," Zeel said haltingly. "You're like me, aren't you?"  
Link looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Huh? Oh…yeah, I guess I am," he said, shifting his gaze to his discoloured arm.  
"I…couldn't sleep and I thought that, well, since you're a demon too that…" She drifted off.  
Link raised an eyebrow. "That I wouldn't mind talking to you?"  
Zeel nodded sheepishly.  
"Ah, of course I don't mind," Link told her with a friendly smile. "None of the others would either. Don't be afraid to go to them for some girl-talk or whatever it is girls do. I'm sure they'd be just tickled to have another chin-wagging companion." He frowned, remembering something. "Oh, sorry about throwing stuff at you before. I was feeling a little bit prickly."  
Zeel grinned comfortably. "Hah, not a problem," she chuckled. "It was all actually kinda funny. The redhead, ah…Fura?"  
Link nodded and winced. "Yeah, that's her."  
"She seems like a lot of fun." Zeel narrowed an eye speculatively as Link yawned widely. "So what's your relationship with her, anyway? Are you two lovers or something?"  
Link, at the peak of his yawn, gave a sudden start and broke into a coughing fit. "L-lovers!?" he exclaimed. "What gave you _that_ idea?"  
Zeel frowned. "Well, she seems to talk about your backside a lot…and she complained that you weren't playing footsies with her under the table at dinner. She also said that you are her love-slave."  
"We're not-!" Link stopped short of saying "lovers". "Ah…like that."  
"Oh," Zeel said simply. "What about the blonde one, then? You two seem pretty close."  
"Zelda!? No!"  
The demon-girl looked confused. "Huh? I thought boys generally liked girls…especially flirty ones. You don't like girls?"  
"Of course I _like_ girls!" Link squeaked. "Just…I don't think about stuff like that! I'm too young!"  
Zeel pursed her lips. "You look old enough to me. How old are you?"  
"Can we please stop talking about this!?" Link huffed.  
She blinked in surprise. "Oh, ok. Whatever you say."  
The insects chirped. Zeel and Link sat in silence.  
It was strange that the two of them weren't feeling more uncomfortable, but, as it was, they were both quite at ease. Zeel quite happily gazed out across the illuminated city in wonder while Link, still nestled in quite deeply into the seat, watched the stars shining down through the canopy far above.  
"I'm not used to seeing things like this," Zeel said suddenly.  
Link turned his head to look at her.  
"Back at home…it was always dark, until recently, that is. The moon and stars just suddenly appeared in the sky! It was so beautiful!" she breathed.  
"Appeared?"  
"Just like magic," Zeel smiled. "Ark was there with me. He saw it happen, too…it was the first time I can remember there being anything other than complete darkness."  
Link nodded as he quietly observed her.  
Zeel looked happy – joyous, even. She was smiling openly at the city before her, basking in the warm air. She felt free – completely free. She was no longer stuck inside the dark realm she had lived in for so long; she was with people, friendly people who had accepted her and taken her in despite what she had done in the past. It almost made her want to cry.  
"Are you okay?" Link asked suddenly.  
"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Zeel laughed. "I was just thinking about how I ended up here. I can't believe that, well…you've all forgiven me."  
Link shrugged. "You're a good person, Zeel. You brought Ark back to us, you looked after him while he was gone…what's to forgive? You're welcome to stay with all of us, you know. We can find you a home and everything…you won't be by yourself again."  
Zeel looked grateful. "It's so nice of you to say so, but…I may not be around much longer, you know."  
Link frowned. "We'll think of something, Zeel. Don't worry. There's still hope that you'll grow up and get married or whatever you want to do with yourself."  
Zeel suddenly went a little pink in the face. "M-married? Me? Nobody wants to marry a demon."  
"Hah! I wish," Link snorted, holding up his black arm. "Back at home, Zelda likes to walk around Hyrule Town Market and look at all the dresses and suits in the wedding boutiques. Fura keeps yammering on about all these horrible things she wants to do to me on the night of, erm…the Gerudo equivalent of a honeymoon."  
Zeel blinked at him.  
"My point is," Link sighed. "Is that if there are _two_ people so set one getting me married, then there's definitely one out there for you." He winced suddenly. "Ugh, I can't believe _me_ of all people is giving you this talk."  
Zeel grinned. "Well, thanks anyway," she laughed and then paused, her demeanour suddenly changing to become something akin to timid. "Ah…can I ask you something?"  
"As long as it's not about Fura or Zelda," Link said flatly.  
Zeel nodded. "It's about…Ark."  
Link frowned. "Ark? What about him?"  
"Well…" Zeel turned to face him front-on. "You're close friends with him, right? Has he said anything about me? You know, what he thinks about me and stuff." She seemed very eager to know.  
"Huh? Oh, not _this_ conversation," Link groaned. "Can't you ask him yourself?"  
Zeel shook her head. "It doesn't work that way. Even I know _that_," she said in a tone resembling a faint admonition. "Besides…he's sleeping in with the Meera. I'm not risking going in there while _she's_ around- and what's up with that anyway? Do they always sleep in the same room like that? They aren't a couple, are they?"  
The questions came hard and fast, and Link had to shake his head to clear it. "Hey, hey!" he exclaimed. "Slow down!"  
Zeel pursed her lips together and waited for Link to speak.  
"Okay…Nyara and Ark sleep close to each other because Nyara's really neurotic when it comes to Ark, so she usually always sleeps in the same room or on the same bed or whatever so that she's always nearby should anything happen- be it an attack from the scythe-swinging pile of angry or simply because he's having those nightmares of his," Link explained patiently. "Ark also likes snoozing on Nyara's belly because it's nice and soft and it keeps his mind at ease. I suppose it's like a security-blanket of sorts; it's reassuring to have Nyara right there with him."  
Zeel nodded thoughtfully. "I see," she murmured. "Ark doesn't really have anyone, does he."  
Link shook his head. "We're it. Nyara looked after him since the day we met, so the two of them have grown quite close. She's always there trying to encourage him to do things he's afraid of doing and she's always telling him how proud of him she is. In fact, you'll hardly ever see one without the other."  
Zeel seemed satisfied with Link's answer. "I see."  
Link frowned. "But to answer your other question; no, they're not a couple. Who knows if Ark thinks of her like that…I know Nyara's trying to work through exactly how she sees _him_."  
Zeel nodded and drifted off as she chewed her thumbnail.  
Link watched her for a while, half-expecting her to ask more questions…but she didn't. She just sat there, chewing.  
He stood up and dusted himself off. "But, if you must know," the boy murmured. "He was worried sick about you ever since he found out about your, "condition", as it were. You're important to him, too – maybe not in the way that I _think_ you're hoping…but you don't have to worry about him ever not thinking about you. You have a dear friend in Ark, always."  
"I'm worried about him, too," Zeel admitted. "About tomorrow, that…she'll kill him."  
Link nodded. "Then I give you my word that I'll do whatever I can to make sure he's safe, but Ark will do what he feels he has to do. I will not stop him from doing that."  
Zeel stared at him for a few moments and then nodded, a happy smile playing about her mouth.  
"Now," Link yawned. "I am going to go to bed and try to sleep. We have a big day tomorrow and you should try to sleep as well, Zeel. I'll walk you back to the manor so you're not by yourself."  
Zeel stood up and began to walk beside Link through the garden. Her mind felt settled in some way. The somewhat prickly, yet shy Link had helped her push all doubt from her mind that she was welcome in his and his friends' company. All she had to do now, it seemed, was talk to the fairy, Florella. She had one final security measure to put in place before they met with her other half for the last time.

Surprisingly, breakfast was not a subdued affair. Rather than being a "last supper" kind of event, there was lots of chattering, clattering of cutlery and silverware, and laughing. The laughter was primarily aimed at Florella, who, using all of her girlish adorableness, tried to wheedle some chocolate out of Talen. The smith, however, would not be swayed; he promptly told her that chocolate was a poor substitute for a proper breakfast and that she could have some only after she'd had a substantial amount of fruit and grain. Florella tried drawing little circles on his arm with her finger and pleading with him, but Talen would not budge.  
Over on the other side of the table sat Ark, Nyara, and Zeel. Ark quite happily nibbled away at his food while Nyara and Zeel, seated on either side of Ark, stole silent, frosty glances at each other. Neither of them said anything, however, lest they upset the grey-haired boy in some way. Now was not the time for fighting and Ark probably had matters of greater importance than bickering on his mind.  
Meanwhile, Florella's constant pleading for chocolate began to irk Link as he tried to enjoy his breakfast.  
Link put down his spoon. "Piggles, over here," he called.  
Florella peered at him through beady eyes.  
"Is this what you're after?" He held up a small, dark-brown ball.  
Florella's eyes nearly popped out of her head then and there. Chocolate! She licked her lips as her mouth began to water excessively. "C-can I have it?" she whispered.  
"Maybe…" Link said evasively, rolling the chocolate ball on the table with his finger. He flicked it up and caught it. "But you're going to have to grunt like a piggy for it."  
Florella looked horrified. "N-no! never!" Her eyes, however, never left the morsel Link held.  
"Fine, fine," the blonde boy sighed. "Over the edge it goes…" He reeled his arm back in preparation to throw the chocolate over the edge of the balcony.  
"_No! Don't!" _Florella screamed, a little too loudly. She covered her mouth embarrassedly before recomposing herself somewhat. With a heavy sigh, the Great Fairy pushed her nose up and began to make little pig-noises. "Oink, oink, oink!"  
The occupants of the table stared at her, shocked that she had actually done it.  
Link thought it was _the_ funniest thing he'd ever seen and rocked back in his chair, so much so that it nearly toppled over backwards.  
"Oink, oink- shut _up!_" Florella snapped angrily. Her tone became desperate. "Now gimme the chocolate! Please!"  
Link promptly ate it himself, grimacing as he swallowed it.  
Florella stared at him in openmouthed shock. "Ch-ch-ch…chocolate…you…ate it…" she breathed in disbelief. "Buh-but, you don't even like chocolate! I did what you asked me to!"  
"I know," Link said, screwing up his face. He downed a glass of water. "I just wanted to see if you'd actually do it."  
Florella's face actually went under an amazing colour transformation then, changing from its usual light colour to deep red in mere seconds. Her little nostrils flared. _"You...insidious little toad! I'll kill you!"_ the Great Fairy screeched. She dove across the table with her hands outstretched so quickly that Link barely saw her coming.  
"H-holy mother of- augh!" the boy cried out as Florella's hands gripped his neck to choke the life out of him.  
Together, they tumbled over backwards, rolling and crashing about on the floor. Florella was yelling at him while she tried to asphyxiate the boy, her usual smile replaced with a snarl of Fury. Link choked out strangled cries of protest as he attempted to pry her frighteningly strong fingers away from his throat.  
"Oh no," Saria groaned, burying her face in her hands. "Why? Things were going so nicely, too."  
"Link, stop making a scene," Zelda chided the blonde boy. "Sit back down."  
Link staggered to his feet as Florella latched onto his neck from behind. "I would if I – ack! – could! Get her off me! Ow! She's biting me!"  
Fura whistled. "Wow…she's kicking his butt all over the room."  
The Key straps wound around Florella and pulled at her, but the fairy refused to let go before she felt that Link had been appropriately punished. She kicked out her little feet and caught Link in the backside, sending him down onto his hands and knees while Florella continued to choke the life out of him.  
"I wish that were me grappling with Linkie-do," Fura sighed wistfully, never taking her eyes off of the scrap between Florella and Link. "Who knows how much "accidental" pinching could happen."  
"Fura!" Zelda hissed. "Not now."  
Elousin frowned worriedly at the scuffle. "Oh…dears? Don't get carried away…come back to the table."  
Florella ignored her. "How _dare _you waste a perfectly good piece of chocolate on yourself!" she raged. "It was mine! _Mine!_"  
Eventually, it was Talen who came to the rescue. He drew a chocolate ball from his pouch and held it out to the Great Fairy. "Florella," he called mildly. "You can have some chocolate if you stop."  
The effect was instantaneous. Florella's head snapped around and, upon seeing the chocolate, she let go of Link and scurried under the table, popping up next to Talen. She had undergone a startling transformation: from frothing-at-the-mouth rage to sweet and demure.  
"Here you go," the smith sighed, handing her the brown ball.  
Florella took it almost reverently, cradling it in her hands before popping it into her mouth. As before, her eyes closed and a slow flush crept up her face as she chewed it slowly, savouring the sweet taste. "Ooh…chocolate," she breathed, shivering in delight. Her little toes scrunched up in her sandals and she threaded her fingers together as she wriggled about on her chair.  
"The horror…" Link whispered hoarsely from the floor. "…the horror…!"  
"It's your own fault," Saria told him unforgivingly. "And stop looking for sympathy. Florella's only a small thing, so she can't have done that much damage."  
"You try having a million pounds of raging chub monster come at you," he groaned, pulling himself back into his chair. "My life flashed before my eyes."  
Florella stuck her chocolate-coated tongue out at him.  
Fura cleared her throat. "Who here thinks that seeing Link getting his backside trounced by Florella was the funniest thing they've ever seen?"  
Link opened his mouth in indignation as everyone at the table, bar Elousin, raised their hands. "Ark, you of all people! And Yula, too?" he spluttered, turning to the pale girl.  
Yula put her hand down and shrugged. "I would be lying if I said that I did not find it highly amusing," she admitted, hiding her smile behind the back of her hand.  
"I'd watch it again," Zeel said, tilting her head from side to side.  
Rather than find some reason to disagree with Zeel, Nyara nodded in agreement and swished her tail from side to side.  
Link drew himself up to say something, but Impa neatly silenced him by clearing her throat. "Enough, children," she said smoothly. "As much as I enjoy seeing you all so carefree, it's time to address a matter of some importance."  
The table went silent.  
"The first question: exactly who is going?"  
Zeel snapped her fingers for attention. "I'd just like to say that, currently, my other half is extremely dangerous, more so than usual. She's desperate, so she won't hold back with any fighting. You're all nothing to her, I'm afraid."  
The demon-girl's rather grim assessment of what they were in for seemed to irk Nyara. "Ark still want to go?" she asked, her voice somewhat sullen and petulant. "It dangerous."  
Nyara's displeasure did nothing to sway Ark's resolve, however. "I'm still going," he said, gripping the edge of the table. "In some strange way I owe it to her. If it was my family that promised her another lease on life…then it's up to me to see things through."  
Nyara looked very upset with his decision, but resigned herself to the knowledge that, no matter what, Ark would be going. "Nyara go too," she growled. "Nyara know it Ark's fight, but Aarden give Nyara responsibility of protecting Ark. Nyara will keep her promise."  
Ark nodded and then went a little red in the face as the Meera girl determinedly slipped her hand around his.  
"I also made a promise," Link said, folding his arms across his chest. "So I'm going. Fura and Zelda, you two are staying here."  
There was a horrific outcry from the two girls.  
"What!?" Fura blustered. "Like Hell I am! I'm going too."  
Link shook his head. "No, you're both staying behind. It'll be dangerous in Zeel's realm, but we need someone capable of using strong attack magic should an enemy appear here. Fura, you fit the bill perfectly and Zelda, you can also use some pretty powerful magic in a pinch."  
The two girls stood bolt upright, sending their chairs clacking to the floor. "We're _going!_" they shouted in unison.  
Fura grabbed Link threateningly by the collar. "Listen, Blondie, you don't tell a Gerudo what to do. I remember what happened the last time you went to that place; it left both Zelda and me physically and mentally exhausted," she snarled. "So we're going with you this time whether you like it or not."  
"She's right." Zelda jabbed Link's shoulder with her forefinger to punctuate each word.  
Impa sat back calmly observed the exchange. She licked her lips and watched Link carefully, wondering how he'd handle things now. His expression showed that he was initially caught off-guard by Fura's manhandling – Fura and Zelda could be _very_ persuasive when they had their minds set on something, Impa decided. The Sheikah also knew, however, that despite Link's habit of wheedling out of things when the girls exerted pressure on him, he could also be _very_ persuasive. Now was one of the rare moments he showed it.  
"Both of you sit down," he said in a quiet, yet chillingly authoritative voice.  
Both girls stared at him before quickly picking up their chairs and sitting in them.  
"Now," he continued. "I am asking you to stay here, not because I think it's dangerous for you to go, I know it is, but because I want you here to protect the likes of Saria, Florella, Impa, and Yula's family, too. Skilled in their relative fields Florella and Impa may be, they're no match for more powerful magic-wielding enemies, but the two of you are." He paused as both girls continued to stare at him, wide eyed. "I never ask you for much, but both of you _will_ stay here. That is final."  
The table was again quiet.  
Fura was the first to speak. "If we were any older, I'd make love to you right now…on the table," she said reverently. "In front of everyone…savagely."  
Link stared at her, as did everyone else.  
She shook her head and whistled. "I used to think that your timidity made you attractive, but you're downright _hot_ when you're all man and authoritative like that…take me now."  
"Uh-huh…" Zelda murmured absently. She ran her tongue over her teeth.  
Link went as red as a tomato, but refrained from breaking the spell he held over them by getting hideously embarrassed – not that he already was; he just couldn't let them see it.  
"So you two are staying here, correct?" Impa asked, deciding to rescue the blonde by before he spontaneously combusted.  
"Yes," Zelda affirmed, still staring at Link.  
The blonde boy suddenly didn't want to sit back down between the two girls. Instead, he trotted over to a spare seat next to Yula and sat down.  
"Masterfully done," the pale girl murmured. "If you were not already spoken for, then perhaps I would consider-"  
"Oh danger," Link said, cutting her off. "Don't even start."  
Yula seemed highly amused.  
"Okay!" Florella chirped, clapping her hands together. "Once we've finished with breakfast I can get things prepared to send us to Zeel's realm."  
Talen blinked. "Uh…you're going too?"  
Florella laughed. "Of _course_ I am, Talen. How else would everyone get back? I need the Key to open the doorway between this world and Zeel's. Since Link has the Key, I have to go with him."  
Talen appeared somewhat disconcerted with Florella's decision. "I should go too, then."  
"No, you stay here," Florella told the smith. "I agree with Link that we need to leave some strong fighters here. You pretty much fit the bill for a strong fighter, Talen."  
Talen was clearly displeased with her decision, but he said nothing to convince her to stay. Instead, he held up his chocolate pouch. "You can have this if you come back without a single scratch on you," he said.  
Florella's intake of breath was incredibly loud. "Th-the wh-whole…" Her mouth began to water and her eyes went as wide as saucers. "…bag…"  
"The whole bag," Talen reiterated. "But remember: no injuries."  
Florella rushed everyone else through breakfast after hearing Talen speak those tantalizing words.

Five of them in all were going: Link, Ark, Zeel, Nyara, and Florella. With the assistance of Zeel, crossing over to her realm would be much easier, seeing as how she knew how to translocate herself there at will. Florella and Link would provide the much-needed power boost required to send all five of them there.  
So, with a nod from Florella, Link threaded the Key's straps around the other four who were going with him as they stood in a circle on the floor of the living-room.  
Zelda knit her fingers together. "Please be careful, all of you," she pleaded worriedly. "Especially you, Ark. Come back safely."  
Ark nodded. "I will do my best, Lady Zelda."  
"Look after everyone, Link," Fura told the blonde boy. She pressed something into his hand and closed his fingers around it. "I'll give you these for good luck. They're my favourites."  
Link looked at his closed fist only to discover that Fura had given him her heart-patterned panties. "Oh…Fura!" he groaned in consternation.  
She smiled at him. "Don't lose 'em."  
Link grimaced, but pocketed the unmentionables anyway.  
"Come back safely, dears," Elousin sniffled as everyone else bid their departing friends good luck.  
"Keep the chocolate safe, Talen," Florella told the smith. "I'll be back soon to claim it." She cleared her throat. "Ready, everyone?"  
It was much quicker than when Florella had sent Nyara to retrieve Ark from Zeel's realm the first time she had succeeded in capturing him. With Zeel's assistance the spell was completed in a matter of moments. Red light ripped around the Key's straps, jostling the five people rather violently. Then, like mist exposed to the sun, they dissolved into a red haze and departed for Zeel's dark realm.  
Thunder rumbled overhead, growling threateningly down at the land and sea below while its brother, the lightning, seethed and snaked through the inky clouds, casting strange, eerie shapes through the skies.  
They had arrived in the twisted woods outside of the manor grounds. Slightly disoriented, they found each other and got their bearings.  
"Is everybody okay?" Link asked when they were all present an accounted for. He received murmurs of agreement.  
"S-so this is the place, is it?" Florella murmured, her dark eyes wide and fearful. "It's creepy." She scuttled over to Link's side and held on to his wrist for comfort.  
"This is it," Zeel said dispassionately. "Welcome to my humble abode."  
Nyara's hackles rose as her eyes darted about the twisted, shadowed trees. "Nyara no like this place," the Meera growled. "We leave as soon as possible."  
"I second that," Link frowned. He turned to Zeel. "Well…Lead the way, I guess."  
Zeel nodded and waved for everyone to follow her. "This way. The manor isn't far."  
And so they trudged through the twisted forest in a close-knit group. Florella kept herself glued to Link's side at the rear – he was the next best thing from Talen – and Ark walked directly behind Zeel with Nyara.  
Innumerable and unnamable noises issued from the depths of the woods, but perhaps the most unnerving thing about it all was the fact that Zeel, the darker side, could appear from anywhere and attack.  
"We're not far now," the demon-half murmured. "Just through here…"  
And suddenly, like a curtain being drawn, the trees gave way to the awesome sight of the manor.  
"My God…" Link breathed.  
It was a wreck. The once-magnificent building now stood as nothing more than shell of its former glory. The windows were shattered and from the broken window-frames billowed the shredded remains of curtains, flapping in the wind like the tattered sails of a ghostly galleon. Walls lay crumbled or blown out, leaving little more than a skeletal frame behind through which the vast interior of the building could be seen in all of its complexity – at least the parts yet to be destroyed. The front door was also missing, but its fragments were everywhere as evidence of Zeel's ferocious rampage. Very little had been left standing.  
The moon suddenly appeared from behind the clouds boiling overhead, sending shafts of piercing, pale light through the many holes and gaps in the manor. It caught the dust rising from the ruins in a spectacular, ethereal display, and the manor actually appeared to be staring down at them; the topmost windows its hollow, unblinking eyes and the door its dark, open mouth. It creaked and groaned as if alive, beckoning those who stood before it forwards.  
And there she was: the black-haired Zeel upon the roof, silhouetted against the bright, full moon like death itself.  
"It's her," the demonic half murmured. "I guess this is it."  
Ark stepped forwards as the leather-clad girl began to descend slowly through the air, stopping a short distance above the ground.  
"Ark be careful," Nyara warned the boy. She wanted desperately to be there at his side, but she knew that it was _his_ battle, not hers.  
"Hello, Miss Zeel," Ark said slowly.  
Zeel's expression was unreadable. "Ark," she murmured. "So you came." Her gaze flickered briefly over the others. "And with company…does this mean I have to take all of them down before I get to you?"  
Ark shook his head. "No, Miss Zeel. Not them." He looked her dead in the eyes. "I'm the only one you will be fighting today."  
Zeel nodded stiffly. "I see. Brave."  
"I'll only ask you this once, Miss Zeel," Ark said quietly. "And then I won't bother you anymore." He straightened his back. "Come with us, Miss Zeel, and let us help you. I don't want you or anyone else to die."  
Zeel gazed at him as the seconds ticked by, her expression cool. "It's too late for that, Ark," she said levelly. "I'm dying and so is she. We both know it. Only your death can keep me alive."  
"So you're just going to kill him, is that it?" demon-Zeel demanded hotly. "Exchange his life for yours? Where's the fairness in that, Zeel?"  
"Where's the fairness in the life I got!?" the black-haired girl flared suddenly. "What happened to my happy world? Where were my friends?" She landed on the ground. "I had nobody, _nobody!_ All because of the way I was born! Now I can at least have another chance…and I won't let anyone stop me from getting it! Not you, not Ark, _nobody!_"  
"Then we'll settle it now, Zeel," Ark told her calmly. He held his staff in both hands as electricity began to crackle and arc over his body, ruffling his hair and clothing. "You against me. It has to stop today."  
"Fine," she spat. Her scythe appeared in her hand and she twirled it from up above her head. "Then get ready, Ark…" She brought the still-twirling weapon back down and caught its head in her free hand with a metallic clank, thrusting it out before her. "…the Grim Reaper is coming to collect."

Predictably, the assault came at Ark quickly and viciously. Zeel swung her scythe at the grey-haired boy with a fierce cry, but he ducked and then vaulted towards her, leaving a trail of blue lighting in his wake. He struck her, full-bodied in her stomach and carried her high into the air and crashing into the upper floors of the manor. They landed in one of the hallways, striking the floor Zeel-first before crunching through a door.  
"Augh!" Zeel grunted, throwing Ark off herself.  
The boy was sent careening into the remains of a wall, breaking through it and into an adjacent room. He stood quickly, even before the splinters of wood finished falling, to meet the enraged girl's next onslaught.  
"I'm not going to go easy on you, Ark…" she growled, smashing through the wall to meet him. She raked her scythe through the floor with a great tearing sound and then ripped it straight up at him. "Only one of us can leave here alive…and that's going to be me! _Haaa!"  
_Ark jerked back, narrowly avoiding the weapon's razor-sharp blade. He swung his staff, full-force, and cracked the jeweled tip fair into the side of her head. "Neither am I!" he bellowed in a very un-Ark-like manner. He discharged a bolt of electricity from the staff as it connected with Zeel, resulting in the girl rocketing off to the side and through another ruined wall. "There are things that I have to do and people I have to protect, Miss Zeel. I can't die yet!"  
"Argh!" Zeel growled though clenched teeth as she picked herself up. She spat out a mixture of blood and saliva. "You won't be doing anything when I'm through with you!" Her hand flared with purple and she fired off a blast of purple energy.  
Ark gasped and raised a shield of electricity at the very last second. He was knocked off his feet by the reverberating detonation, lading on the floor with a thud. His eyes snapped open as he heard Zeel give a ferocious screech and raised his staff horizontally to block her strike. His staff jarred horribly in his hands as the shaft of Zeel's scythe cracked into it, stopping the blade here centimeters from his head.  
"Little…brat!" Zeel hissed through her teeth as she strained to bring her weapon down. _"Die!"  
_The floor suddenly buckled. Ark and Zeel stared at each other for a brief instant before the wood beneath them fell away completely. They fell, tumbling through the air to the vast lobby below.  
"I have you now!" Zeel laughed triumphantly. Victory was within reach. Ark would no doubt sustain serious damage from the fall.  
Ark, however, had no intention of letting a fall ruin his chances at getting out of the battle alive. Summoning up all of his concentration, he thrust out one of his hands, encased in which was a seething ball of electricity. Through his fingers shot a great coil of lighting born from the electric sphere. It snaked through the air like a whip and latched onto a chandelier hanging from the ceiling.  
Zeel could only give a surprised grunt as Ark suddenly jerked out from under her and swung to the side, landing safely on the stairway landing. Luckily for Zeel, she remembered her power of flight at the last second and stopped inches from the floor. She twisted around acrobatically until she was upright and soared up to where she had last seen Ark on the landing. He was there, waiting for her with a charge of blue electricity crackling and spitting from the tip of his quivering staff.  
"_Eyaa!"_ he bellowed, swinging his staff at full force. Like a stone loosed from a sling, a long streak of lightning licked out and attached itself to Zeel. He swung her then, like a tamer with a whip, in a wide circle. The electricity cut through the walls as Zeel crunched through with a multitude of smashing noises and sharp yelps of pain until he released her through a broken window.  
She landed outside with a loud grunt, carving out a large divot upon impact. She staggered to her feet and swung around to face the manor. "You _worm!_" An eerie purple light bathed the girl's body as her hair began to whip about in an invisible wind. Then, like metal fragments rushing to a magnet, hundreds of purple bolts of energy materialized in the air and shot towards the manor, blitzing it with wood-splintering detonations.  
The manor creaked and groaned as its supports were shattered, leaving it with little to hold it up. The entire front teetered ponderously before tearing away from the rest of the building, collapsing onto the grounds with a terrific rumble. Dust billowed everywhere and the occupants of the compound had to shield themselves from falling debris.  
"Ark!" Nyara cried out, peering through the haze. She took a step forward, but a blast of purple sizzled through the air mere inches from her nose.  
"Stay out of this, _cat_," Zeel snarled. "This isn't your fight!"  
The dust cleared and Ark's worried friends stared into the wreckage for any sign of the grey-haired boy.  
"Look!" Florella squeaked excitedly, pointing a tiny finger.  
There he was, standing amidst the ruin encased in a protective blue shield. The barrier dispersed with a sizzle.  
The wind whipped across the manor grounds, throwing up leaves to spin them dizzily in tiny eddies of air. Lighting snaked across the sky and thunder rumbled, growling their encouragement to the grey-haired boy. He was one of them.  
"Holy jeez," demon-Zeel exclaimed. "He's actually matching her…he may even win through power alone!"  
"Never!" the other Zeel snarled. "He's escaped me in the past, but he'll never beat me in a fight to the death! _Never!_" She aimed both palms at her target. _"Haaaaa!"_ A great orb of pulsing purple energy formed before her, increasing in volume and intensity as Zeel pooled her power. "Run away from _this!_"  
Link, Florella, Nyara, and the demon-girl were thrown off their feet as Zeel unleashed a searing beam of energy at Ark. The backdraft and shockwave from the beam tore the ground apart and threw sod, rocks, and all manner of materials blasting backwards from where the enraged girl stood.  
"Ark!" Link yelled over the roar of Zeel's magic. "Move it!"  
But Ark didn't move. He raised both hands to the sky and aimed his staff at the thick, ominous clouds. They began to churn, more violently than before and thick, volatile bolts of lighting began to coalesce into a single point from all over the sky. Then, with a great roar that threatened to shatter the eardrums of all present, a colossal bolt of red and blue plasma tore out of the sky. It hit Ark's staff, focused through the jewel on its tip, and concentrated into a single, intense beam that blasted across the ground and met with Zeel's.  
They strained against each other, Zeel pushing against Ark and Ark pushing against Zeel. The spot at which the terrible forces met was blinding and so hot was that singular point that the ground around it transformed into liquid glass.  
"Damn…you…Ark!" Zeel grated. "I…hate you! Why don't you just…_die!?_"  
"Because I made a promise!" Ark yelled over the deafening screech of the two beams' battle for supremacy. "I'm doing this for other people…_that's_ why I will not lose!"  
Ark's beam widened slightly and began to overwhelm Zeel's, pushing it back towards its source.  
"N-no!" Zeel cried, fear creeping into her voice. "I can't lose! Not now!"  
Ark gave a final push, thrusting his whole body forwards. It was all that was needed.  
Zeel gave an agonized wail as her attack was cancelled out by Ark's. She expected the end to come right there; an end in the form of a white-hot beam of supercharged plasma…but there was nothing. She opened her eyes as Ark sent his beam veering off to the side and up into the air where it dissipated harmlessly. Zeel dropped to her knees, exhausted.  
Ark was also left without much energy, but he was in better shape that his opponent. He approached her slowly.  
"I can't kill you, Miss Zeel," the boy told her tiredly. "I promised that I would find a way to help you." He looked down at her with a sad smile. "I like you, Miss Zeel. I don't want you to die. I beat you and I could have taken your life…but I didn't. But pretend that I did and come with us to find a way to give you another chance."  
"Why?" Zeel gasped, labouring with her breaths. "You…you said it would stop today…that this would be it!"  
"And it will, Zeel." It was Florella. "Ark…I have found the only way I can think of to save her. Please stand back." The Great Fairy of Spring drew a tattered roll of parchment from her tunic and held it out in front of her.  
Zeel's eyes went wide when she saw it. "Th-that's…!"  
"The spell we used when we were whole," her other half said. "I kept it all this time."  
Florella began to chant the counterspell in a low voice.  
Ark looked from the Zeel on the ground to the other. "M-miss Zeel?"  
The demon-girl smiled at him sadly. "It's the only thing I could think of, Ark," she told him. "She wouldn't have given up…she wouldn't have let you go on. If we're together again…then maybe it will stop. We'll have a whole life again."  
"_No!"_ the black-haired Zeel cried, but she was too weak to move.  
Florella's chant reached its peak as the demon-girl settled on the ground behind her twin.  
"I'll see you on the other side, Ark," she said. "But…if something goes wrong…I really liked you a lot…"  
And then Florella's chant ended abruptly. For several seconds there was nothing. Everything was still.  
"Florella do spell right?" Nyara asked in a small voice.  
She was answered by a blinding ring of red and purple light that burned itself into the ground around the two Zeels. Slowly, the two girls changed from solid beings into shapeless masses of red and purple energy. In the next instant they melded together, fusing into a single mass hat slowly solidified. It was done. The old Zeel, formed from her reunited halves, was back.  
"Z-Zeel?" Link asked incredulously.  
She raised her head slowly as steam rose from her newly-formed body. The face was the same as her two halves', but the ears were those of a demon – large and furred almost like those of a Meera. Her hair was a mixture of two colours: deep, shiny black cascaded from her fringe to the middle of her back to be bordered by twin strips of glittering silver. Her eyes were the cold violet of the black-haired Zeel, but around the pupils sat a ring of red from the demon-half. Her skin was like porcelain, but strips of green, like the stripes of a tiger, cut across its surface up to her cheeks. The nails on the tips of her fingers were pointed instead of round and from her back sprouted two large, bat-like wings.  
"Oh my goodness," Florella gasped, taking a step back.  
Ark came to her side. "Miss…Zeel?" he asked nervously. "Are you…okay?"  
"This…" she whispered in a voice that contained the scratchiness of the demon and the richness of the girl. "…is…" She began to rise slowly to her feet, turning towards Ark as she did so. Her head suddenly snapped up, her eyes filled with blazing, maddening fury. _"ALL YOUR FAULT!"  
_A blast of incredible force shattered the ground and opened up a great fissure, spilling everyone into it. They fell for what felt like an eternity before landing on something hard and fragmented.  
"Oogh…" Link groaned. "Where are we?"  
The moon suddenly shone down through the clouds high above, illuminating the cave they had fallen into. Jewels, gold, and innumerable treasures lay scattered in great mountains all around them.  
"W-we're in her treasure hoard!" Ark gasped, standing up. He suddenly remembered something. "M-miss Zeel!? Where is she!?"  
As if to answer him, a huge, ominous shape swelled up out of the darkness. Zeel, giant, powerful, and angry spread her vast wings to completely surround the chamber. "You!" she bellowed, pointing a massive finger at Ark. "How could you _do_ this to me!?" She reached for him with a clawed hand.  
There was a ferocious roar from behind the boy and he whirled around to see Nyara in her Bloodcat form. She charged at Zeel, sending blast after blast of deadly wind magic at her. Coins and jewels sprayed everywhere, but Zeel's great wings folded in to protect her.  
The giant demoness was significantly bigger than Nyaragon, thus she was able to swat her into the wall without any trouble whatsoever.  
"There's nowhere to run!" Link cursed, drawing his sword. "Ark, get behind me!"  
But Zeel swatted Link like an insect, knocking him senseless beneath her massive hand.  
Florella, paralyzed with fear, could only watch as she shook uncontrollably. There wasn't time to cast a spell to get them out of there – they weren't even close enough together.  
"Ark…" Zeel rumbled, her voice distorted by her anger and surging power. "Look what you did to me!"  
Ark gaped at her, gasping as her hand snatched him up and held him in front of her face. "B-but…!"  
She squeezed her fist slowly, gradually crushing him between her fingers. "All I wanted was to be freed from this accursed form!" she roared. "Nothing but loneliness and sorrow! That's all it has brought me!" She squeezed him again, her face twisting with anger and delight at the sound of his cracking bones and screams of pain.  
"Don't hurt Ark!" Nyaragon wailed, tears streaming down her cheeks. "Give him back to Nyaragon, please!"  
"_Who would ever want me!? WHO!?" _Zeel cried. Her voice, though filled with fury, carried with it such a terrible sorrow that it made Florella buckle.  
Ark's eyes began to glaze over. "B-but…" His lips cracked apart and out came a small voice filled with wonder. "…y-you're…" two tears ran down his dirtied face and dripped onto Zeel's hand. "…so beautiful…"  
Nothing, not even the Goddesses themselves, could have summoned a force that could strike Zeel any harder than Ark's four simple words. Her mouth opened and she gasped as if stabbed right through the heart…and then she began to cry. The hand holding Ark relaxed, but she did not drop him; instead, she cradled him like some precious object.  
Light swept across the sky high above. The inky blackness and dark clouds were dashed as brilliant, bright blue flooded into view like a vast, suspended ocean. And the sun, the warm sun, shone down upon them all.  
"By the Goddesses…" Link breathed, watching in amazement as Zeel began to decrease in size until she was no bigger than him.  
She was still crying, sobbing into Ark's cloak as he lay in her arms limply, his broken bones preventing him from moving. "A-Ark…" she sobbed. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…don't die, please!"  
Florella came to her side warily, but calmingly. "He's okay," she said. "He's all right, Zeel."  
Ark coughed horribly. "A-ahh," he gasped painfully. "I'm…all sore…"  
"Ark!" It was Nyara, back to her normal size. "Ark!"  
Link slowed her down. "It's okay, Nyara," he assured her when he saw her frenzied look. "She's not going to hurt him anymore."  
"Put him down, Zeel," Florella told the girl softly. "So I can heal him."  
Still crying, Zeel lay him down on the treasure underfoot.  
Florella's little hands moved over Ark's body as an intense look of concentration crossed her face. As she worked, Ark's bones moved beneath his skin, resetting and fusing together until they were all back the way they were supposed to be.  
He blinked and shielded his eyes from the bright sun with his hand. "It's bright…" He turned to Zeel. "Miss Zeel…are you okay?"  
She nodded tearfully as Nyara picked him up and rocked him back and forth.  
"Miss Nyara…I'm sorry I worried you," Ark yawned. "But I did it…I kept my promise."  
Link breathed a sigh of relief and patted his friend on the shoulder. "With flying colours, Ark." He looked up at the sky. "Look…the sun's come out."  
"It's warm," Florella sighed, climbing tiredly onto Link's shoulders. "Let's get out of this hole and rest a while…it looks like a beautiful day."


	86. Careful Interactions

**Chapter 85 – Careful Interactions**

Link was the first to clamber out of the great pit full of uncountable riches. When he reached the top he turned around and lowered the Key's straps back down so that he could pull up Nyara and Ark. "I got you," he said, taking Nyara and Ark's hands to pull them over the lip of the crevice.  
Florella fluttered up alongside a visibly exhausted Zeel as she flapped her large, leathery wings to keep herself airborne. They both landed on the lush, green grass, Zeel more awkwardly so due to a general lack of energy.  
"Are you okay, Miss Zeel?" Ark asked with genuine concern. Nyara allowed him to trot over to the demon, but she refused to relinquish a firm grip on one of his hands.  
Zeel nodded wearily. "Just tired…" she murmured. "…thank-you, Ark."  
He scratched the back of his head. "Oh, it's no trouble, Miss Zeel. You looked like you had some trouble getting up here so-"  
"Not that," she said, interrupting him. "For before, for saving me…thank-you."  
"O-oh," he mumbled. "Lady Florella deserves most of the credit…she did all the hard work-"  
"Hey, I had the easy job" Florella butted in. "_You_ were the one who did it all in the end. If it weren't for your desire to save her, Ark…Zeel wouldn't be here right now."  
Truer words had never been spoken. Through and through Ark had stuck by his belief in Zeel, trying his hardest to find a way to save her. It had paid off: Zeel was alive and well with her life no longer in danger and as the girl-half had believed, Ark _had_ been the key to her survival, but in a different way than she had thought.  
"Did…did you really mean what you said back there?" Zeel asked the grey-haired boy suddenly. "Do you…really think that I'm beautiful?"  
Ark blinked and then went very red. "A-uh…uhm…" he stammered awkwardly. "W-well…of course I…"  
Most people, generally speaking, would find somebody such as Zeel rather unattractive. The notion of thinking a demon – one with bat-like wings, strangely-coloured eyes, and green-streaked skin to boot – beautiful was severely out of the norm indeed. But then again, nobody in Ark's circle of friends was considered "normal" in any sense of the word. There was a Great Fairy intent upon marrying a blacksmith who could control and shape stone to his will, a Hylian Princess and a Gerudo witch competing for the affections of a boy fused with a shadow demon who had destroyed a godlike being, a Kokiri, one of the very last Sheikahs in existence, and a Meera who could become a gigantic, wind-wielding Bloodcat.  
Ark suddenly became aware of how painful his hand felt and he looked down to see Nyara's fist doing a fine job in crushing his digits into a fine powder. "A-ah…Miss Nyara?"  
Nyara, her face somewhat red and irritable, seemed to notice how hard she was squeezing Ark's hand and loosened her grip, but she did not let go altogether. "Does Ark think Zeel is pretty?" the Meera asked crisply.  
Ark couldn't figure out why her voice sounded so testy, but something told him it best not to answer her question. It didn't matter anyway; Zeel seemed to get the message that he _did_ think she was rather pretty from his rather garbled and embarrassed mumblings.  
"Wow…look, everyone," Link suddenly whistled, interrupting the uncomfortable air surrounding Ark, Nyara, and Zeel.  
"What is it?" Florella asked curiously.  
Link swept his arm in a broad arc. "Everything…it's so different than before."  
He was right. Green grass covered the ground, bending in the light, salty breeze that gusted up over the cliff the manor stood – used to stand – upon. The trees of the twisted forest looked far less threatening in the bright, warm sunshine. The most spectacular thing, however, was the sea – the bright blue sea that stretched out as far as the eye could see over the horizon.  
"It's all so pretty…" Florella breathed, shielding her eyes as she looked out over the water. "Yet just before…it was so dark and scary. Why and how did the sun come out?"  
"Because I don't need all of this anymore," Zeel murmured. She stood at the edge of the cliff next to Florella with her wings folded neatly across her back. "This place was created as somewhere for me to hide away from the world…where I festered in my own hatred for myself." She turned and smiled. "But Ark…when he said that he was a friend to my demonic half it introduced true happiness into her and began to chip away at what holds this place separate from the real world. And now that both halves, joined again, are at peace…this has all become unnecessary." She pointed off into the distance. "Look…it's becoming a part of the real world again."  
The others squinted off into the distance where, as far as they could tell, the realm itself was beginning to ripple like the broken surface of a pond as it returned once again to its real-world counterpart.  
"Ah…" Link coughed politely. "Should we be here when it reaches us?"  
Zeel suddenly looked unsure of herself. "Uhm…I really don't know."  
"We go back now," Nyara said brusquely. "Nyara no want to take chances with Ark after he just survive big fight. We go back to others."  
There was a general murmur of agreement from all assembled. Zeel, however, seemed oddly quiet as Link began to wind the Key's straps around the small group.  
She turned back out to sea and watched the end of her realm approach.  
"Hey!"  
Zeel turned sharply at the sound of the voice and saw Link gesturing for her to join the circle.  
"You're coming with us, right?"  
The demoness blinked. "You…want me with you?"  
Link nodded and gestured for her to come over once again. "Us demons have to stick together, right? Now hurry up and get over here."  
With tears prickling at her eyes, Zeel ran over and took the hands of Link and Ark as Florella began to chant the spell to send them back to Arbouren while Zeel's realm, no longer needed, faded back to the real world.

Fura yawned loudly and scratched her cheek. "Whewf…my turn?" she asked.  
"Your turn," Impa murmured, sorting through her cards.  
Several hours had passed since the departure of Link and the others. Fura and Zelda had become somewhat listless and weary, so Impa decided that they needed something to keep their minds busy. Talen had suggested a game of cards and everyone seemed quite enthused by the idea – Yula in particular, since she'd never had the opportunity to play a proper game of cards before and was eager to learn.  
"Ugh," Fura grunted disappointedly. She didn't have a very good hand.  
"See, Yula?" Impa murmured to the pale girl. "Learn to read your opponents. Fura obviously has a bad hand. It's the key to victory."  
Yula nodded, eagerly absorbing all of Impa's information. "I see," she said, nodding. She carefully studies her friends' expressions. "Ah…what about Talen?"  
Talen's expression was unreadable, probably because he was mending the hem of one of Florella's tunics with a needle and thread.  
Zelda rapped her knuckles on the tabletop. "Talen, are you actually playing?"  
Talen didn't reply for several seconds as he popped the needle between his lips and fiddled around with the tunic. "Hmm…yes, I'm still in," he murmured.  
Impa leant back over to Yula. "Don't let him fool you," she warned. "Playing cards with Talen is like trying to fool the Devil. He can wipe the floor with anyone and make it look like he isn't even trying."  
"It's your turn, Talen," Fura told the smith. "Stop playing seamstress and make your move."  
Talen flicked his eyes over to her briefly and then casually flipped over the cards he had lined up in front of him on the table with the needle. "And everyone else?"  
They all reluctantly showed their hands, none of which managed to match up or beat Talen's.  
"And Talen proves once and for all that Gerudos, Hylians, Sheikahs, Kokiris, and Arbourinians can't play cards," the smith said, going back to his sewing.  
"This sucks," Fura grumbled. She leaned back and ruffled her hair. "Well at least we weren't playing for money or anything."  
"Well, there's that game over," Saria sighed, pushing her cards into the centre of the table. "Talen _always_ wins at cards. What's something else we can do?"  
Nobody seemed to be able to suggest anything worthwhile. Fura and Zelda were both in a rather inactive state and didn't really have the drive to do very much, so they were quite useless when it came to ideas. Zelda was also barred from going swimming by Impa on account of her sunburn, so nobody was about to do anything that Zelda would be left out of.  
"Hey, if anyone needs anything fixed, clothes or shoes or anything – give them to me. I'm in a fixing kind of mood right now," Talen offered suddenly.  
There was an instantaneous rush as Fura, Zelda, Saria, and Impa dashed off and reappeared with all manner of apparel, dumping in on the poor blacksmith.  
"Thanks Talen, you're a gem," Fura grinned, patting him on the shoulder. "Who wants lunch? I'm getting hungry…" She wandered inside with Zelda, Impa, and Yula.  
Saria, in the meantime, seated herself across from Talen and began sorting through the pile of clothes.  
"You're staying?" Talen asked, peering at her from overt he top of his current work.  
Saria nodded and smiled. "It gives me something to do until the others get ba-"  
A plume of red and purple smoke erupted over the pool with a terrific bang, startling Talen and Saria out of their seats.  
"_Water!"_ somebody squeaked in a terrified kind of way before five people plummeted out of the mass of thick smoke. Two of the people stopped falling; one by means of a set of delicate wings and the other through the use of two long cords that seemed to grow from its neck. The other three, however, splashed into the pool noisily.  
"H-help me! I can't sw-swim!" one of the fallen cried out.  
Talen was the first on his feet. "Ark? It _is _Ark!" he exclaimed. "Saria, they're back! Get everyone here!" He ran to the pool's edge as people began to surface.  
"Eeee! Talen!" Florella squealed. She swooped down and caught him roughly around the neck. "We're back!"  
Talen peeled her arms away from his neck and set her down. "And you're all okay, right?" he asked. "I mean Zeel didn't…" He left it hanging.  
"Oh! Wait 'till you see-"  
A sudden cry issued from the doorway. "Ah! Linkie-do!" Fura came charging out with her arms outstretched. She stopped at the edge of the water as Saria, Zelda, Impa, and Yula and her family followed shortly. "Are you all okay? Come down from there and give Fura some love."  
Link watched her from his suspended position above the water. "I'm fine up here," he said. "And yes, we're all fine."  
"Nya!" Nyara mewed, splashing over to the edge of the water. "Ark out first." She was holding the terrified, floundering boy up so he wouldn't panic and drown. She handed him to Talen carefully and then climbed out herself, shaking the water off of herself in a great spray of droplets.  
"So…you did it?" Zelda asked. "You dealt with Zeel?"  
"Where is the other Zeel?" Impa asked. Her expression sunk. "Did she make it?"  
As if to answer her question, a hand reached over the edge of the pool and slapped down on the ground. A pair of black, leathery wings followed and then a coughing, spluttering face.  
Ark sat up and began wringing his cloak out. "Miss Zeel, are you okay?" he asked.  
Zeel nodded and flapped her expansive wings to dry them off. "Yes…I'm all right," she responded, sitting down to catch her breath.  
Fura was the first to react. "_That's_ Zeel!? How many of her are there!?"  
"Only one," Zeel sighed, wiping her wet hair out of her eyes. "Only one now."  
Link vaulted down onto the poolside and helped the bedraggled Zeel to her feet before he was set upon by Fura and Zelda, both of whom were immensely pleased to see him back in one piece.  
"What do you mean?" Saria frowned. Her eyes suddenly widened. "You mean to say that's-!"  
"The original Zeel," Link nodded. "Florella put the two halves back together again and now she has her whole life back."  
"You did it, Florella?" Talen asked the fairy clinging to him with some degree of surprise. "You saved the day?"  
Now normally, Florella would have simply _basked_ in Talen's praise, but as much as she loved it when Talen was pleased with her, she wasn't the lone hero in all of it. "Well I won't say that I had nothing to do with the way things turned out," she said. "But if you want to know who the real hero is, then talk to Ark."  
All eyes immediately locked on the grey-haired boy as he struggled with his wet and heavy cloak.  
"Pardon?" he asked as he noticed the stares.  
"You did it?" Fura asked incredulously.  
Ark floundered as his cheeks went pink. "W-well, I-"  
And so Ark's battle with Zeel's dark half was recounted by those who had witnessed it. Link and Florella did most of the talking while Nyara interjected a certain points in the tale to describe exactly how Ark dished out damage to "stinky Zeel".  
Zeel appeared visibly irked at the name, but she said nothing about it while she sat in the sun with her wings spread.  
"So…how did things get resolved in the end?" Saria asked once the details of the fight had been told. "Erm…no offence, Zeel, but you sounded nigh on unstoppable and pretty angry to boot."  
"None taken," Zeel shrugged.  
Florella shuddered. "It was horrible…she squeezed poor Ark and we could hear his bones snapping and breaking."  
Everyone cringed at that, particularly Elousin.  
"But," Florella continued. "Ark did it in the end. He stopped her, even though he was powerless to do anything."  
Zelda wrung her hands together. "How'd you do it, Ark?"  
Ark suddenly looked very embarrassed. "Ah…"  
"He told me something I had wanted to hear for nearly all my life," Zeel said. "That's all. It made me realize some things about the people in this world, namely those that mattered." She stood up and folded her wings. "If you'll have me, I'd like to go with you. Let me make up for all I've done to you."  
Naturally, the party was rather surprised to hear Zeel say that. Traveling and fighting alongside one once considered a deadly enemy was a strange thought indeed, but Zeel seemed changed now, no longer tied by the fear of the untimely death she had been marching unstoppably towards.  
"If it to help Ark, then I no say no."  
Surprisingly, it had been Nyara who had spoken. Her downright dislike towards Zeel coupled with her newfound jealousy had marked her as the one who would possibly be the most vocal against Zeel's continued presence within the group.  
The demoness blinked. She was perhaps more surprised than anyone. "Huh?"  
Nyara quite firmly took hold of Ark's arm. "Nyara still think that Zeel stink," she muttered. "But if she really want to help Ark, then Nyara will welcome her." She paused and swished her tail about. "But Zeel no do stinky things like bite-bite Ark anymore."  
Zeel glowered at Nyara and Nyara glowered right back.  
Ark, sensing the tension, began to crawl away. Unfortunately for him, Nyara was still holding onto his arm and she jerked him back over to her side before he got too far.  
"Hey, enough," Link growled, rapping his knuckle on the side of Zeel's head. "Or I'll dump you in the pool."  
Zeel blinked, her expression suddenly rather sheepish, changing quickly to surprised as Elousin swooped in on her and bundled her up in a towel.  
"Here you are, dear," she said, ruffling the towel in an effort to dry her hair. "I'll have some clothes set out for you in your room – ah, the room that the other you stayed in…erm…"  
Zeel actually managed a laugh then. "I remember where it is, thanks," she said.  
Elousin smiled at her and delivered towels to the other soaked children.  
"Maybe you should have a lie-down, Miss Zeel," Ark suggested. "You've been through a lot."  
"_She's_ been through a lot?" Link scoffed. "It's not like _you_ just went out for a picnic, Ark. Take it easy for a while. I'm going to have a nap myself." He yawned and scratched his side as he wandered indoors. "Oh, and welcome to the team, Zeel."  
Zeel's lips curved into a small smile as she followed Elousin to her room.  
"Oh dear," Ark breathed once Zeel had gone. "I can't believe we all got through that…goodness." He was shaking.  
Nyara poked her tongue out and scraped it across his cheek. "Nyara so proud of Ark," she said, patting his wet hair. "So proud." She squeezed him tight and began to purr.  
Ark was still shaking as his brush with death settled in, but he didn't look scared like he probably would have been in the past. He seemed more relieved than anything, like a tremendous weight had been lifted from his shoulders. That was true, in a way: he no longer had to worry about Zeel dying.  
He sighed tiredly and allowed his head to rest against Nyara's collarbone. "I don't think that beating up a lady is anything to be proud about, Miss Nyara," he said. "I hurt Miss Zeel a lot…"  
"But you saved her, Ark," Florella pointed out. "In more ways than one. You told Zeel how you truly saw her and it showed her that she had been wrong about herself the whole time."  
Ark made an uncomfortable little noise and hid his face behind Nyara's arms. "Lady Florella…" he mumbled quietly. "You're embarrassing me."  
Florella blinked and then laughed sheepishly. "Aha…sorry, Ark," she apologized. "But it's true, you know. In any case I think I'll follow Link's lead and take a nap…I'm tired after all of that realm-hopping." She took hold of Talen's hand. "But I won't sleep until I get all the chocolate you promised me."  
Talen winced. "I said I'd give you the chocolate?" He bit his lip. "Ooh…whoops…"  
The first faint signs of panic began to appear in Florella's face. "T-Talen…where's the chocolate? You promised me chocolate…all of the chocolate." Her little hand tightened her grip on Talen's fingers. "You have it…right?"  
"Well…I kinda forgot and while we were all waiting for you to come back we kinda…" He watched as the panic in Florella's face became horror. "…finished all of it. Sorry."

Link shut his eyes tight as the great whip of suds in his hair washed over his face. He was never one to really enjoy taking a bath and today was no exception. All the scrubbing and suds…how could anyone enjoy it? And then there was the smell of the soap. Why did people have to make scented soap? Why couldn't it be odourless?  
"I know what you're thinking, Link," Saria said crisply from behind him. "So don't even _start_ with your complaining."  
Baths were even worse, Link decided, when bossy people believed you incapable of washing your own hair properly.  
He sighed irritably. "I can wash myself, you know."  
"No," Saria countered. "You can't. There's always dirt left behind your ears and your fingernails are barely ever clean." She dumped another bucket of water of Link's head washing out the remaining suds. "Speaking of which…hands."  
Link obediently held his hands up over his shoulders for Saria to inspect.  
"Filthy, just as I thought," she tutted.  
Link muttered something under his breath before he felt the horrible sensation of a coarse scrubbing brush digging in under his nails.  
"Why can't you keep clean, Link?" Saria sighed. "You're like a naughty puppy."  
"You can't keep doing this forever, you know," the blonde boy grumbled. "And what happens if I'm taking a bath naked one day? What if you come barging in then, hmm?"  
"Link, since when have you _ever_ taken a bath without wearing underwear and a towel? You're possibly the most neurotic person in the world when it comes to their own body…I bet you were even _born_ wearing clothes."  
Link shifted and made an indignant little sound. "I'm not neurotic," he said.  
"You're wearing two towels now!" Saria snorted. "One for down below and one for up top. You never completely take everything off and it if weren't for the warm climate back home you'd probably do an Ark and have only your head and hands showing." Saria went silent for a while. "Besides…you don't have anything that I haven't seen before."  
Link gasped and he slipped under the water. His head immediately surfaced. "Wh-what!?" he demanded.  
Saria at least had the decency to blush a _tiny_ bit. "Oh come _on_, Link," she groaned. "Haven't you ever wondered why I just _happen_ to appear in your house just as you've finished dressing yourself on a rare day that you actually fully change? It's because I've gone and walked in on you and then zipped straight back outside again to wait for you to finish."  
Link stared at her. "Oh Heavenly Nayru!"  
Saria looked indignant. "Well it's not like you can lock a curtain, genius! What am I supposed to do?"  
"I can think of several things; calling out or knocking on the wall are two such options!"  
Saria growled and tossed the small, coarse brush she had used on Link's fingernails at the boy's forehead, striking him with a satisfying "klok" sound. "What are you going to do when it comes time to procreate with someone, huh? I'd like to see you try _that_ fully dressed," she scoffed.  
"Watch me," Link snorted. He put on an expression of mock surprise. "Wait a minute…you probably will anyway."  
Saria's face twisted into a scowl. "Har-de-har-har," she grumbled. "I'm off, you ungrateful beast. Don't soak for too long because I think some of the others want to bathe as we-"  
A sudden, boisterous whoop from the entrance of the bathroom cut Saria off and the grinning visage of Fura clad in a towel came rushing towards the bath's edge. _"Cannonball!"_ She jumped high into the air and curled her legs up under her backside and plunged into the water with an almighty splash. Link was sent tumbling through the water and Saria's legs were thoroughly soaked.  
"F-F…Fura!" Saria bellowed. "Watch what you're doing!"  
The Gerudo looked up at the Kokiri as she floated on her back. "Huh? Oops, sorry."  
Saria stormed out, leaving a trail of damp footprints in her wake. Saria hated having to change her clothes, especially her shoes.  
The fact that she was quite irked about things made Link feel that she had gotten her just desserts after trying to poke fun at him earlier.  
"Hey-hey, Linkie-do!"  
Link shuddered involuntarily and sunk low in the water.  
There was still the problem of Fura. Barging in on him whilst he was in the bath was perhaps one of the main reasons why Link never bathed naked; Fura could, after all, bust in on him at any moment. He'd grown so paranoid about it happening that even when she was all the way over in Gerudo Valley and he was in Kokiri Forest, he's _still_ keep some clothes on – even when she had been forbidden contact with anyone for a year.  
"Talen came back just then," the redhead said as she fiddled about with the knot of her towel. "He rushed out to get Florella more chocolate."  
Link winced as he recalled the hideous scream that had echoed throughout the entire manor. "I've never heard her make such a fuss before," he sighed. "Wailing, crying, shouting…all because she couldn't have any chocolate. Jeez, poor Talen. Let's hope his offering can keep her sedated."  
There was no reply from Fura, merely the sound of her fidgeting with her towel, and Link didn't dare turn around lest she be in a state of undress.  
Not that Fura would do anything to warn him if she _was_ without her towel.  
She suddenly floated by, covered up, luckily. "How's the water?" the girl asked, raising her eyebrows as she drifted along.  
"I don't know," Link murmured. "Perhaps you should get it all back in the bath and see."  
Fura poked her tongue out at him. "Funny stuff, Sweet-Cheeks."  
"Ugh," Link grunted, making for the edge of the water. "Can you _please_ stop calling me that? It's creepy." He continued to slosh his way towards the exit, but Fura pounced, latching onto his back with her full weight. Link staggered under the load and his knees buckled.  
"Hey, where you going?" the girl pouted. "Stay and talk with me, Babycakes."  
Link's expression grew very pained at the sound of another nickname of Fura's. There was no point in trying to get free; the iron-like grip Fura had worked on over the years was nigh on inescapable.  
"Okay, okay," the boy said, relenting. "I'll stay. No funny stuff, though."  
Fura placed her hand over her heart. "There will be no shenanigans or skylarking on my part, Darlin'-Pie." Her full, white lips parted in a catlike grin. "I promise."  
Link shuddered, reiterating to himself that Fura could be decidedly sinister sometimes. All of her frank and somewhat suggestive remarks seemed to be all in good fun, but there was no denying that there were some deadly serious undertones in all of it. It spooked Link something fierce.  
It was at that moment that the door to the bath opened and Zelda came wandering in, a white towel wound around her body in a similar fashion to Fura's.  
She squeaked upon seeing Link, as did he upon seeing her. Memories of a particular event that took place several years beforehand sprang to the fronts of their minds.  
"Hey," Fura called, waving her hand. "Zelda, jump in. The more the merrier."  
Zelda didn't exactly jump in; rather she waded in carefully and sat against the edge of the bath a respectable distance from Link, who was released from Fura's grip to sit where he pleased.  
They all sat in silence; though Fura whistled a smug little tune to let Link know that she was tickled pink at being able to get the better of him. It felt odd, however, all three of them in the room-sized bath, but perhaps that was just the nervous air surrounding Link and Zelda.  
Fura decided to get the ball rolling. "Hey, Zelda, what's Florella up to?" she asked. "Talen give her the chocolate yet?"  
Zelda, grateful for a distraction, answered immediately. "Oh yes. Florella was beside herself when he gave them to her; jumping and skipping about. She actually had tears in her eyes."  
Link shook his head. "And where is she now? Probably gorging herself on them I bet."  
"She wouldn't do that," Fura said, shaking her head. "If she did, Florella really _would_ be a pig. She'd never live it down."  
Link grinned ear to ear as he imagined it.  
"Link?" Fura nudged him with her foot. "Hey, back to reality."  
Link waved his hand dismissively at her. "I'm imagining heaven."  
Fura's eyes brightened. "You and me eating strawberries and cream off of each others' bodies? Funny, I'm thinking of that right now."  
"I said heaven, not purgatory," Link told her.  
Fura kicked him for that.  
Zelda, of course, found it all extremely amusing and had to cover her mouth to keep her giggles quiet.  
"Find it funny, Zelda?" Fura asked snippishly. "Perhaps you'd like me to mention _your_ little daydream."  
Zelda's giggling stopped immediately and her face went white. "N-no!" she squeaked. "You can't! You promised you wouldn't tell anyone!"  
Fura seemed to ignore her. "You should have heard her, Link," she said, shaking her head in mock disappointment. "Stuck up in that cage at Gaul's tower, our little Princess Zelda here confessed one of her guilty little fantasies about _you_."  
Link shook her head. "I don't want to know and I don't care," he said.  
"Fura! Stop it this instant!" Zelda shrieked. Her complexion had gone beet-red.  
Fura shrugged. "They say that the "good" girls have a real bad streak underneath it all. If that's true, then Zelda's is more like a road than a streak…it even put _me_ to shame."  
Link decided that both he and Zelda had had enough of Fura's teasing, so he promptly tossed her over to the other side of the bath with the Key.  
"Thank you, Link," Zelda said politely. "She was lying, by the way."  
"Of course." Link knew she was lying because she still wore her incriminating blush, but if he didn't acknowledge it, then it wasn't a problem. At least that's what he hoped.  
"Augh! Link, I'm seriously going to put my foot up your backside if you do that again!" Fura threatened savagely as she waded back over. She sat down next to Link and made sure to splash him as she did so. "It's your answer to everything. Fura's making me uncomfortable…I'll throw her away! Fura's being noisy…I'll throw her away!"  
Zelda watched as Link cringed away from the irate Gerudo. The Princess believed that avoidance was the boy's biggest problem. He didn't like talking about how he was feeling, he didn't like talking about his hopes for the future, and for some reason he didn't like talking about his family…or lack thereof. He'd slip out of entire conversations by pulling a swifty on whoever was making him uncomfortable and then sneaking off.  
"Okay, okay…" Link was in the middle of trying to calm Fura down with limited success. "I won't throw you around anymore."  
"Can I sit on your lap?" Fura appeared to be trying to get her foot in Link's sympathy door after his apology.  
Link's reply was delivered with his predictable flatness mixed with a pinch of embarrassment. "No."  
Fura pondered his answer for a few seconds. "Do you want to sit on mine? It's nice and soft."  
Zelda rolled her eyes and shook her head. Fura's straightforward advances on Link were generally met with flat-out refusals or shameless retreats. Zelda thanked the Goddesses on many occasions that Link was generally ignorant when it came to subtler attempts at closeness – the techniques that she herself used. Things such as accidentally brushing against him when reaching for something, pretending to fall asleep on his shoulder, and brushing imaginary dirt from his face were just three of Zelda's favourites, but Link wasn't so stupid that he'd remain unawares forever. If she reached for something, he'd quickly scoot out of the way, if she went to brush the imaginary dirt off his face, he'd quickly do it himself and so-on.  
"Fura…not so close," Link said, eyeing Fura warily as she shuffled closer and closer to him.  
Zelda snapped out of her musings and watched with interest.  
Fura brushed his concerns aside. "Look, I'm only _sitting_ near you," she told him primly. "Don't get so wound up. I'll give you a back-rub to make you feel more relaxed."  
Zelda sighed to herself.  
Fura had just made the fatal mistake of suggesting prolonged physical contact; not one of Link's strong points. In his book of rules, holding hands was a no-no, hugs or any kind of embrace was a big no-no. There were, however, rare occurrences when he didn't seem to mind holding hands or showing some other forms of affection. When he was feeling sad or lonely he almost seemed to welcome closeness with others – though mostly from adult women such as Isabella, Elousin, and Florella in particular, for some strange reason.  
Now Florella, for reasons unknown, _did_ exert some kind of authority over Link. It wasn't always visible – in fact it was barely visible at all with all of their bickering and fighting – but they did hold some kind of genuine fondness for each other that was apart from their usual friendship. If Florella wanted a hug from Link, he'd never refuse her. It seemed as if it were some kind of strange maternal thing.  
Zelda had always been severely disappointed that Link wasn't a touchy-touchy person. One of her favourite ways to pass a sunny afternoon was to sit out in the courtyard with Link. She would usually have to do a fair bit of coaxing in order to get him to hold her hand, but it was well worth it in the end. It was like a birthday for her every time he came to visit the castle. She recalled fondly the times when she had snuck out of her room after Impa had put out the lights to sit on the end of Link's bed and chatter with him until it was very late. Link usually did most of the listening in those instances, but the pleasure of his company was the whole point behind those excursions. If the Goddesses were _really_ smiling down on her, then Link would sometimes let her in to sit under the blanket to keep warm during winter, but never up at his end. Opposite ends of the bed was the usual arrangement, but at least it gave Zelda the opportunity to "accidentally" brush her very cold feet against Link's delightfully warm feet.  
"I don't want a back-rub, Fura. My back is fine," Link assured the Gerudo.  
Zelda watched as Fura began formulating some other hopeless plan. Her redheaded friend wasn't going to get anywhere and the Princess wanted to have at least _something_ of a meaningful conversation with Link.  
She cleared her throat. "Link, what did Ark say to Zeel?"  
Both Link and Fura turned to look at her.  
"Pardon?" the blonde boy asked.  
"Zeel said that Ark stopped her by telling her something she needed to hear. I was just wondering what it was. You were there, right?"  
Link pushed his wet hair out of his eyes and pursed his lips. "He told her that she was beautiful."  
Fura and Zelda both looked suitably surprised.  
Link continued before either of them could bombard him with questions. "It sounds strange, I know. Zeel nearly killed him – she _would_ have killed him, too, but when Ark said it she just stopped. It was all over after that."  
Fura frowned thoughtfully. "So…does this mean that Ark has a thing for her? What does Nyara think about all of it?"  
Link shook his head. "I don't think that's it," he said. "The root of everything Zeel went through was the fact that she, as a demon, was shunned by nearly everybody she came across. What she wanted from the beginning was to not feel lonely anymore…and perhaps to feel like she was a girl instead of the monster she believed herself to be." Link folded his arms across his chest and blew a puff of air out through his nose. "I guess that when Ark told her that she was beautiful he bared his heart to her – told her exactly how he saw her. Nobody had ever done that for her before."  
The two girls were left rather speechless at that – not solely because what Ark had done, but because of Link's remarkable insight.  
The towel-clad boy scratched the side of his head and gave a small laugh. "Who knows, though? Maybe Ark does have something special for her. Hey, even _I_ can admit that Zeel is a pretty girl, but that doesn't mean that I have a thing for her."  
_Cornered! _Zelda lowered an eyebrow and gave Link a scrutinizing glare. "Now you said that Zeel was pretty just then without any hesitation whatsoever…yet when it comes to Fura and I we're lucky if you compliment us once a year."  
Link, realizing his fault, flinched under Zelda's gaze. "Bu-but…you already know that I think…mmm…"  
Fura descended quickly like a she-wolf going for a downed deer. When Link's armour showed a kink, Fura was ever one to get her hooks through to the soft, vulnerable flesh inside.  
The boy went rigid as calloused fingers settled gently onto his shoulders.  
"Li-iiiink…" Fura sang in a honeyed voice. "It's been so long since you've told us that we've forgotten…so tell us again, Cuddle-Poo."  
Zelda merely smiled and watched. Fura would do most of the work for her, but it wouldn't hurt to do her own bit of persuading. "It's so nice when you say it…pleeease?" the Princess wheedled, giving her favourite doe-eyed look.  
Link whimpered something inaudible as he tilted his head away from Fura's pouty lips, which were centimeters away from his ear. "Y-you're both…" The rest seemed to get stuck somewhere in his throat. "…p-pretty!" The final word came out as a squeak.  
"Just "pretty"?" Zelda pouted, her bottom lip quivering.  
Link looked determinedly down at the water. "V-very…pretty…" he mumbled. "B-beautif…"  
The Princess and the Fire Witch hung on that last word with baited breath, but Link's metaphorical armour seemed to suddenly repair itself.  
"All right, enough," he declared, standing up quickly. "I'm getting out."  
Fura chuckled wickedly. "Fair enough, Loverboy. Beat it – Zelda and I need a proper wash." She squeezed Link's backside as he pulled himself free of the water, eliciting a squeak of embarrassment from the boy.  
"Link," Zelda said softly, taking hold of his ankle before he could walk off.  
He looked down at her suspiciously. "What?"  
Zelda crooked her finger, indicating that he bring his face closer.  
Against his better judgment, he did, but Zelda didn't have any nasty tricks in store for him.  
"Even if it was a bit forced, thank you for saying it, Link," the Princess smiled. She quickly brushed her lips against his cheek. "And I really do love you, you know. Both of us."  
He looked like he'd been hit in the side of the head with an iron pole. Being unused to actually hearing that word in reference to him, Link was never quite sure how to react. He'd often longed to hear someone say that word to him, somebody like a mother or father, perhaps. It was somewhat different, though, when it was Fura or Zelda. The pair of them didn't go around saying it all the time; they had told him that they felt doing so somehow cheapened it. But when they _did_ say it – usually during quiet, secluded moments shared with one or the other – it was full of meaning and countless unknowns that Link didn't fully understand. And, to some extent, it scared him a little. What possible response could he give to such a thing? Thank you? Don't say that? I love you too?  
"Go on, Sweetie-Pie," Fura said. "Skedaddle."  
And Link did, stammering something incomprehensible as he did so and silently thanking Fura for giving him the excuse to high-tail it out of there.  
The two girls could have sworn his face was so red it put out its own glow.  
"Ahh, bath time," Fura sighed pleasantly, sinking low in the water. "My favourite time of the day."  
Zelda had to agree with her.

_Enough of this. We have to destroy the accursed thing before it ruins all we've worked for. The Archetype is a failure; we'll have to do it properly this time without any mistakes.  
__No. I will not permit it. The Archetype will stay with me and with it I will undo all of the wickedness you have created.  
__So you're turning against me, is that it? I knew you were a liability right from the start. And just how do you plan on stopping me, old man? I have harnessed the power of the Eternal __Ark. I will obliterate you before you even come close to it.  
__As long as I have the Archetype with me I can come and go from here as I please…your own creation will be your undoing. The power of creation is not yours or anyone else's to wield.  
_Ark sat bolt upright as the phantoms in his head faded. "Wha…? What's going on?" he murmured, rubbing his temple.  
The dreams had not stopped. Ever since Gaul had messed with his head, the calming presence that had protected him from the nightly visions had been absent, leaving the dreams free to run amok as he slept.  
It was late afternoon, judging by the position of the sun in the sky. The horizon had begun to glow with that dusky orange colour that changed everything to the colour of warm embers. He had to have slept for a good several hours.  
With a wide yawn, Ark hopped out of his bed and padded across the sunset-stained room to the door before opening it and entering the hallway outside.  
Ark's dream weighed heavily on his mind. They were never very different – always about the mysterious Archetype and the two people fighting over it. One wanted it destroyed and the other wanted to keep it safe. Gradually, as the dreams had been growing clearer and clearer like fog lifting from a cityscape, Ark had begun to learn more and more. He could never see anything, it was always dark…but he had a feeling that the argument was taking place at or near where the Eternal Ark lay. Could the people in his dream be members of his family? And could the "power of creation" mentioned by the one referred to as "old man" be what the Eternal Ark contained? It was still all very much a mystery, but with the conflict with Zeel resolved, the way paved to the end of their journey was clear. All that remained was the final Lock…  
"The Compass," Ark mumbled absently.  
Nyara still had it. Retrieving it from her and finding out at least what direction the next Lock lay in wouldn't be such a bad idea, though Ark wasn't too keen on leaving Arbouren. He liked it there, up in the trees where it was nice and warm. It would be a nice place to live, if he could. He liked to think that he could visit Nyara in the Meera village, seeing as how it wasn't too far away…that's if they both survived to the end of their journey. A morbid thought, but it was a 's musings were suddenly cut short by a soft groan.  
"H-hello?" he stammered to the invisible owner of the groan. He heard it again from behind the door to the room Florella was staying in. "Lady Florella? Is that you in there?"  
Another groan drifted out. It sounded like the person behind it was in pain.  
"Whoever's in there…I'm, uh, I'm coming in," Ark warned, throwing caution to the wind. He pushed the door open and stepped inside…only to be confronted with a rather peculiar and disturbing sight.  
The one doing all the groaning was Florella. She lay on the floor, slouched against her bed with the now-empty chocolate pouch lying discarded off to one side. Chocolate covered her mouth like a brown clown smile and her face was mottled with chocolaty streaks and fingerprints. Her fingers were webbed in brown goo and she'd even managed to spear it all through her hair and over her clothes. Her stomach also looked rather swollen. In short; she was a complete mess.  
"L-lady Florella? Are you okay?"  
Florella groaned and looked up at Ark through half-closed eyes. They went as wide as saucers upon seeing him. "No!" she wailed, trying to hide her face with her hands. "Don't look at me!"  
Ark began to walk backwards. "I'll, erm…I'll go and get somebody to-"  
"No! Don't get the others!" Florella almost shrieked. "They can't see me like this…"  
"What…happened, anyway?"  
"It was the chocolate, I had nothing to do with it…it was just too delicious! I thought that I could control myself – that I would eat only a tiny bit at a time…but it got to me! The chocolate got to me and I ate it all in one go!" she cried, sounding quite manic.  
Ark stared at her.  
"It was just so _good!_ Oh, Talen…if you could only see me now…" she blubbered mournfully.  
Ark was about to make an excuse to leave when he suddenly felt somebody come up behind him.  
"What's all the noise abou- _SWEET DIN!_"  
Florella's dark eyes snapped up and focused on Link, who had just wandered in. "No!" she shrieked. "_No!_ Not you, anyone but _you!_"  
Link stared her up and down, his face the very image of horror. "You…what the hell happened here? You look like you've just torn apart a mud-monster with your _teeth!_" His eyes fell on the chocolate pouch. "You didn't!"  
Florella's little hands desperately shoofed it under the bed and out of sight.  
"You _did!_ You ate it all. You _pig!_"  
"Shut up!" Florella cried. "Shut up! Leave me alone! Ark, kill him!"  
Ark winced. "Ah…I don't think…"  
"How much was there? You must have eaten _heaps!_ One after the other, I bet. You just popped them into that greedy little mouth of yours in the privacy of your room. Nobody could see you chug them down greedily, could they? They would never know." He stared at her stomach. "And you really _do_ look fat now, Piggy."  
Florella actually _did_ start crying at that point. Big, salty tears rolled down her cheeks, mixing with the chocolate. "Waah!" she bawled. "I hate you! I'm not a pig!" Chocolate dribbled down her chin.  
Link shook his head despairingly and then shuddered. "Eww…stay there, Creampuff. I'll go and get Elousin."  
Ark moved to the side as Link left the room muttering something about wishing he still had his pictograph box…or something like that.  
"Oh God…" Florella was moaning. "Why? Why did he have to see it? I'll never hear the end of it now…ever. If only this chocolate wasn't so…mngh…" She crammed her fingers into her mouth to lick all of the melted chocolate from them.  
Ark stood there uncomfortably as Florella cleaned her fingers with a series of terrible lippy-smacky noises. He was most thankful when Elousin appeared at the door with Link trailing behind her.  
"Oh my goodness," Elousin gasped upon seeing Florella's sorry state. "What happened here, my child?"  
Florella's crying started anew. "E-Elousin!" she bawled. "Th-the chocolate, I-I couldn't s-s-stop…wahahaaa!"  
Elousin rushed over to the blubbering fairy and lifted her into a hug. She patted her back and crooned softly to her. "There, there, dear," she murmured. "It's okay. We'll get you into a bath and then you can change into some clean clothes, hmm? Better?"  
Florella sniffed loudly. "Y-yes…thank you, Elousin." She kissed the woman on the cheek.  
"Oh! Aren't you just precious? Come on, dear." And she carried her away.  
Link made choking sounds as they went past and Florella, still being coddled by Elousin, lashed her foot out and kicked the boy in the side of the head without even breaking her performance.  
And then everything was quiet again.  
"Oh…ugh," Link grunted, rubbing the side of his face. "Owww, she got me good…but at least I saw it, Florella at her most disgraceful. I'll treasure that moment forever."  
Ark had to admit that it _had_ been a rather amusing sight, but he'd never let Florella know he thought about it that way.  
But enough folly for now, Ark had to get the Compass back from Nyara. Her room was the first obvious choice, seeing as how she wasn't in his when he woke up.  
"I'm going to find Nyara, Link," Ark informed his friend.  
Link merely rubbed his cheek and nodded. "Yeah," he mumbled absently. "Okay. I'm just going to go tell as many people as I can about what just happened here."

Nyara's door was wide open when Ark arrived. He could see her inside, sitting in the open window with her legs dangling out as she hummed and trilled a happy little song while she groomed herself. There was no harm in it, so Ark decided to just listen to her for a while. There was, in Ark's opinion, not a song in the world that could match any of Nyara's.  
She began to rock from side to side in time to the rhythm of her impromptu song as she preened her tail meticulously. Though it didn't look like it, Nyara took a great deal of pride in her appearance. A runt she may be, but she would at least be a pretty runt. The pom-poms on her tail, shoulders, wrists, and ankles were always as white as could be – never stained or dirty – and her fur was kept as healthy as possible. Her markings stood out clearly and her coarse hair never hair burrs or tangles.  
As Ark watched and listened, he realized that he owed a great deal to the animalistic girl before him. Not the owing-your-life kind of owing, but all the little things. He recalled all the times she had kept him company, made sure that he was safe, and made him feel better when he was feeling out of it. As much as she embarrassed him sometimes, Nyara's face was one thing that he looked forward to seeing every time he woke up because it was usually then, after waking from some kind of nightmare, that her presence soothed him most.  
Nyara finished with her grooming quite suddenly and stretched. Those hidden muscles and sinews sprang to life again, writhing beneath her skin powerfully, hypnotizing Ark with their serpentine movements.  
He found himself staring.  
"Nya! Ark here to see Nyara!" the Meera girl chirped happily.  
Ark snapped out of his daze to see that she had turned around and was looking at him. "M-miss Nyara!" he squeaked, going pink in the cheeks. "I didn't mean to disturb you."  
Nyara rolled backwards off the windowsill, pushed off her hands from the floor, and folded up onto her feet in a fluid maneuver that left the boy wondering if she were a liquid rather than a solid.  
"Ark had a good sleep, yes?"  
Ark nodded. "Ah, yes, I did."  
Nyara clapped her hands together gleefully and skipped over to his side. "Now what did Ark come to see Nyara for?"  
Ark cleared his throat. "Uhm, the Compass, Miss Nyara," he told her. "I didn't get the chance to collect it from you before."  
Nyara immediately bounded over to her bed and began to rummage around under the blanket and sheets.  
Ark wondered idly why she slept with it in the bed. It would be quite uncomfortable if she rolled into it during the night. Then again, he had seen her body bend at impossible angles and she could squash herself through gaps that would never be able to accommodate any other person of her size.  
"So…where is Zeel?" Nyara asked suddenly, her voice a little muffled from her being under the bedspread. Only her lower body was visible.  
"I don't know. I expect she is either in her room or in the company of someone else," Ark mused out loud. "I think I'll go and see how she is…"  
Nyara's tail immediately turned into a bottlebrush, though Ark didn't seem to notice it.  
"Ark want to spend time with Zeel, then?" she asked. Her voice was uncharacteristically frosty.  
"Oh, I suppose so, yes," Ark said, completely missing the edge to Nyara's voice.  
Nyara's rummaging had gradually become less and less enthusiastic.  
"How…much does Ark like Zeel?" Nyara queried slowly. Her tail swished slowly from side to side.  
Ark found her line of questioning puzzling, but he answered anyway. "Miss Zeel is…" He groped for the right word. "…special to me, I think."  
Nyara's searching halted. "Ark likes Zeel more than he likes Nyara, doesn't he…" she said bitterly.  
Ark was stunned, to say the least. He stared at Nyara's face as it emerged from beneath the blanket.  
Her expression was hurt. Her lips were pursed together tightly as if holding something in, and her eyes, filled before with glee, were hurt and bitter.  
"Wh-what?" Ark stammered. "What are you talking about? Like her better than you?"  
"Ark call Zeel beautiful…the way he looked at her then is nothing like how Ark look at Nyara," she said petulantly. "Ark never tell Nyara she beautiful…Ark never tell Nyara she special to him." She tossed the Compass to him.  
Ark fumbled it, but managed to grab onto the smooth sphere without dropping it. "M-miss Nyara?"  
Nyara merely stared at him through red-rimmed eyes.  
Like Zeel more than her? The thought had never entered his mind. Ark liked Zeel a lot, maybe even on a similar level to Nyara, but never more. Never. He could see that she was obviously very upset about it, but he was lost as to why. They were friends, right? It wasn't like he was the boy back at her village that she seemed to be in love with.  
Ark blinked.  
The boy she was in love with back at her village. That particular thought sent an odd pang through Ark. He was unfamiliar with it, but perhaps, just perhaps, he wouldn't have minded being that boy.  
He shook his head. No, it wasn't time for that now. He needed to set things straight with her – seeing Nyara unhappy was like a knife twisting at his insides. He would do anything to get her to smile again.  
He crossed the distance between himself at Nyara's bed carefully before sitting down next to her and placing the Compass on the bedside table. "Miss Nyara, I have no idea what you're talking about," Ark began, a little unsure of himself. "I don't know why you think I like Zeel more than you – I don't even know why it upsets you to think it, either."  
Nyara didn't turn to look at him, but rather watched him out of the corner of her eyes.  
"Miss Zeel is b…" He stumbled. "Miss Zeel is…beautiful." He said it quietly. "And she needed to hear it said."  
Nyara made to stand up, but Ark took hold of her wrist in a bid to keep her there. It worked, and Nyara halted. He was unsure whether to keep his hand where it was or to move it…so he simply continued speaking, though with a tremendous amount of difficulty.  
"I thought that it wasn't my place to say it and all…seeing as how there's that boy waiting for you back at your village and all."  
Nyara turned her head and stared at him with a slightly unbelieving look.  
"But I do think that you…uhm…that you're very beautif…" He took a deep breath and steeled himself. "You're very beautiful, Miss Nyara. You're so graceful and you're kind and…when you're in the water I curse myself for my fear of water because you're so pretty underwater…you look like you're made of silver and-" Ark brought himself up short. His face was very red and he was fidgeting terribly.  
Nyara, on the other hand, was staring at him with wide, teary eyes. "R-really?"  
Ark turned and looked at her with a kind of hopeless expression, the same one he wore when he had seen her dressed up for the Aurora Ball.  
Nyara didn't need a response. Ark's expression was enough.  
Wordlessly, she enfolded him in a bone-breaking embrace that squeezed all of the air out of his lungs. "Nyara stupid," she said in a half-laugh-half-cry. "Ark silly, too…but Nyara sillier. Sorry, Ark."  
"Fff-or – ack – wha-t…?" the boy wheezed in response.  
Nyara licked his cheek roughly and then nuzzled him affectionately. "Thinking wrong things about Ark. That all."  
Well, Ark thought, at least she's happy again. He still didn't understand it all.  
"Compass," Nyara said suddenly, picking up the blue ball. She plopped in into Ark's hands and released him – she kept an arm around him, though.  
"Ah, yes," Ark said, holding it up. "Let's see where the next Lock is. We'll go together."  
But the Lock, it seemed, didn't lie anywhere like they thought it would. As Ark and Nyara gazed at the tiny white pointer, they could see something very unusual and, most likely, wrong with it.  
The Lock was moving, and it was moving towards them.


	87. Back From The Dead

**Chapter 86 – Back From the Dead**

It felt rather strange, Zeel thought, to have somebody brushing her hair – strange in the sense that she had never had somebody else do it before. It felt rather nice, however, and feeling nice was something that Zeel would like to experience more frequently in the future.  
"You have very nice hair, Zeel," Saria murmured, brushing away with a borrowed soft-bristled brush from Elousin.  
Complements were also things that Zeel wished to experience more of. The Kokiri girl…Saria, her name was, she was nice. There was something almost…sisterly about her.  
"Really?" Zeel responded.  
Saria nodded and continued brushing. "Very nice. You also sit nice and still, something which Link is incapable of. All he does is fidget- well speak of the Devil…"  
The boy in question came wandering into the room. Upon seeing Saria and Zeel he changed his course and headed over to them, taking a seat nearby. "Hello Saria, Zeel," he said pleasantly.  
Saria kept on brushing Zeel's hair, thought she stopped briefly as the demoness turned to greet Link back. "Link," Saria murmured. It was a half-response to his greeting and a half-beginner for a slight admonishment. "Elousin came through here before with Florella. Our dear fairy fried was crying…did you have anything to do with that?"  
Zeel's recent rescue from the depths of despair had thrust her into a world entirely unfamiliar to her. It was a world of light, a world of happiness, and a world of friendship. Even the one called Nyara – with whom she felt a twinge of jealousy over her close relationship with Ark – had accepted her into the fold, and so Zeel watched these new friends with interest. Every conversation with them was the sweetest song and their company was a treasure so vast it was uncountable.  
And so Zeel watched Link – the one like her, her unofficial confidant – as he fidgeted guiltily under Saria's speculative gaze.  
"I didn't mean to," he said lamely. His tone suddenly became rather heated. "She was only bawling because I caught her being a pig. She ate all the chocolate that Talen gave her!"  
Saria threw the telling-of she was about to give Link out the window. "_All_ of it? Jeez! There was a whole bag."  
"I _told_ you she was a pig," Link said, jabbing his finger at her.  
As Zeel understood it, Florella and Link had some kind of love-hate relationship going. They were at each others' throats constantly, but she had been told that it was just their strange way of showing affection. Zeel didn't understand it entirely, but went with it anyway.  
"In any case," Saria sighed. "I'll go and see how she is. Maybe I'll get Talen as well, he'll cheer her up if she's feeling blue." Saria hopped out of her seat and headed out the door, twirling the brush around her fingers as she went.  
"Hey, thanks for the hair," Zeel called after her.  
A faint, "my pleasure" echoed in from the hall.  
Zeel smiled appreciatively and stood up from her position in front of Saria's chair and dusted off her new clothes.  
She had been given a rather nice green tunic – similar to Link's, only with a long diamond-ish wedge of material that extended from her waist to just between her knees. Rather than leaving her legs bare, she had clad them in a set of black leggings, which were perhaps a throwback to her darker side.  
"How are things with you?" Link asked her as she approached the window. "You're okay?"  
Zeel paused and looked out at the shafts of sunlight filtering down through the thick, green canopy overhead.  
"Zeel?" Link pressed.  
"I've lost my home, all of my belongings, and every last ounce of my wealth," she sighed, leaning on the glass.  
Link cringed.  
He had helped in taking all of that away from her – he'd never be able to pay her back for all of that and he'd been surprised that she had taken it so well. The least he could do would be to apologize.  
"Zeel, I'm sorry about all of that, but I'll do what I can to help you find-"  
"But," Zeel interrupted. "I am happy. So I'd say I'm more than okay."  
Link smiled awkwardly as Zeel turned around.  
"So there are no regrets." Her face fell slightly. "Well…one or two. I've lost the leather outfit that my darker half used to wear. It's strange, I know, but part of me was _really _attached to it."  
Link frowned thoughtfully. "Zelda could probably help you find one like it."  
Zelda was the Hylian Princess, Zeel reminded herself. Blonde, _very_ pretty, quite girlish and sweet, and, it seemed, rather smitten with Link like the Gerudo girl, Fura. Though it appeared to Zeel that Link spent most of his time trying to hide from them when they were feeling particularly amorous, which she thought as rather strange. She would have thought that most boys would kill for attention like that…but it _was_ true that Link wasn't "most boys" at all.  
Zeel brought herself out of her thoughts to reply to the boy's suggestion. "She would? I don't picture Zelda as the type to wear leather."  
Link scratched his head. "Well I remember I was putting her clothes away once – she made me clean her room – I found this weird black leather outfit at the back of her wardrobe. It wasn't _quite_ like yours and it had this little riding crop hung up next to it, so maybe it was a part of a fancy-dress outfit. I say part because there were all these places where the leather didn't cover and if she wore it out it'd reveal far more than would be appropriate…" He was getting sidetracked. "She seemed rather distressed that I'd seen it and told me not to tell anybody, so maybe it was for a surprise party for Fura or somebody. I asked her, but all she said was that if things went right she'd show me what it was for one day…anyway, if you ask her where she got if then I'm sure she'd tell you."  
Zeel stared at him disbelievingly.  
It appeared to the demoness that Link was as sharp as a tack in some areas, but as dull as a knife used against a rock in others. Revealing black leather outfit? Riding crop? Show him what it's for one day? The kind and ladylike Zelda suddenly appeared to Zeel in a very different light.  
She patted Link on the shoulder. "I'm sorry."  
He looked confused. "For what?"  
"Nothing at all."  
Link looked suspicious, but left it at that. In his experience, getting girls to explain thing he didn't understand usually left him embarrasses and wishing he'd never asked. Ignorance was bliss.  
Zeel sat down on the windowsill and once again looked out over the city. "Is Ark awake yet?"  
"Yes, I saw him just a short while ago when El Florella Diablo ate her own weight in chocolate," Link said mildly.  
Zeel's ears twitched up.  
"He went with Nyara, I think."  
Zeel's ears drooped. "Oh." The demoness fell silent for a while before turning away from the window. "Hey…Ark's family could be behind this mess that you're in, right?"  
"_We're_ in," Link corrected her. "You're with us too, Zeel. And yes, it could very well be."  
Zeel digested that information with her lips drawn into a straight line. "No-one really knows anything about him, do they."  
Link shook his head. "Ark's past is very muddy. With his memories tampered with and everything, I think it's become even muddier." He paused and sighed. "If Aarden were still alive we'd know a whole lot more about Ark and the rest of his family."  
Zeel hummed softly and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "When…when I went back to his village when I had Ark imprisoned at the manor, the townsfolk…couldn't remember him. It was as if he'd never existed in the village – even his parents' graves had disappeared. They remembered Aarden, but not Ark."  
Link looked up sharply. "Wh-what!?" He scanned Zeel's face. "Nobody at all?"  
Zeel nodded, but then stopped herself. "Wait…there was one person," she murmured. "When I was at the place where Ark said the graves would be there was somebody in the forest. I couldn't see them, but I could hear them. They told me to protect Ark…that Ark was central to this person redeeming himself for something he had done."  
Link's mind raced. Things were beginning to become clearer. Ark's family _had_ to be involved with the Eternal Ark. The missing graves more or less proved that his parents had never died and they were, perhaps, at the Eternal Ark at that very moment. And when he got close to the Locks…  
"We have to get the others," Link said suddenly.  
Zeel looked startled. "H-huh?"  
"Go and round up everyone you can and bring them back here. This is important, Zeel. It could prove something that I've suspected for a long time."

It was a glorious day. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and a pleasant breeze drifted in through the window to feather lightly across Talen's face.  
The smith was busy, not _busy_-busy, but occupied-busy. The tiny fragment of near-indestructible Gorodite ore given to him by the Zoras of Seavale was the most difficult thing he had ever worked on. No amount of heating had managed to make it malleable – his forge hadn't even been able to warm it above body-temperature. Talen had to give props to the Goron the ore was named after; the heat from whatever forge he had used must have been terrible indeed.  
"Still," Talen sighed. "Worth it in the end." He enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment more than anything, and would it ever be an accomplishment to complete _this_ little project. Over three long years of work would-  
"Oooh! My stomach!"  
The moan of discomfort startled Talen so much that he nearly dropped the precious metal. He quickly stuffed it into his pocked and looked over the back of his chair.  
"Oh, Talen dear." It was Elousin. "There you are. I'm afraid she's been asking for you."  
Talen took a look at the thing Elousin was holding – well, not so much a thing rather than a person.  
It was Florella. She was clutching her swollen stomach rather painfully as Elousin carried her over.  
"What's wrong with her?" Talen asked. He sounded quite concerned.  
"I think she ate a little too much," Elousin said, handing the Great Fairy to the not-quite-prepared-to-take-her Talen. "Just sit with her a while and get her to drink this until the ache goes away." She gave him a bottle filled with a milky liquid.  
Florella looked utterly pitiful. Her usually-flat little stomach looked as if it was straining to contain a watermelon that had been swallowed whole. Her small hands clutched at it, her fingers twitching as spasms of pain went through her frame.  
"I'll leave you to it, dear," Elousin said, departing.  
"T-Talen…" she sobbed pathetically before he could protest to the regent's wife. "My tummy hurts…"  
As if to agree, the fairy's belly gurgled noisily and drew a squeak from the girl.  
"There, there," Talen shushed her, patting her head somewhat awkwardly.  
She shivered at the contact. "Haah…don't leave until it stops hurting," she whimpered. "Please."  
"I don't think I could. Your big old stomach's keeping me pinned here," he said jokingly.  
Florella whimpered again. "Don't," she pleaded. "It hurts…don't laugh."  
Talen frowned and then looked at the bottle in his hand. "Here," he said, shifting her so that her head rested on his shoulder. "Drink some of this."  
"What is it?" the fairy asked cautiously. "I don't feel like swallowing anything else today."  
"It'll help with your stomach," the smith told her calmly. "Go on."  
She took a sip and winced at the taste. Her stomach gave an immediate rumble as the milky-white liquid entered it. "Ow-ow-ow!" she wailed. "It makes it worse!"  
"Of course it does," Talen said reasonably. "Medicine always makes things worse before it makes them better. You and Saria say it all the time."  
"Don't listen to us, then!" she squawked. "Take it away!"  
Talen shook his head. "We can't have you all bloaty forever now, can we?" He held the bottle to her lips again. "I'll spill it all over you if you don't drink."  
Florella drank some more, not wanting to get the stuff all over herself.  
"There," Talen said after her stomach gave off another exceptionally-loud gurgle. "That wasn't so bad now, was it?"  
Florella's bottom lip trembled and salty tears sprang into her eyes. "It still hurts!" she blubbered.  
Talen winced at her distended belly – even her tiny bellybutton had reversed itself into a little bulb. "You ate all of the chocolate, didn't you?" It was more of an accusation than a question.  
Florella's whimpering stopped in a little gasp.  
The Great Fairy was absolutely mortified that Talen had uncovered her shocking display of piggery. The mere thought of Talen seeing her as a glutton twisted her insides even more than they already were.  
There was silence…then there was loud crying.  
Talen cringed as Florella's infinitely-ranging voice shot up into the unbearable end of the sound spectrum. He almost had to cover his ears. "Florella! Stop crying, please!"  
She eventually did, but not before Talen's ears were left ringing.  
"Oogh," he groaned, wiggling a finger in his ear. "Thank-you." He sighed as her watery eyes stared up at him. "Florella, you don't have to be upset."  
"You think I'm a pig," she sniffled, her bottom lip trembling dangerously.  
"No, I don't," he assured her. "You're too small to be a pig, Florella. This…" He gestured to her gurgling stomach. "…is a little piggish, I'll admit, but it's not like you do it all the time. It's the first time it's happened, right?"  
Florella lowered her eyes guiltily. "Second," she mumbled. "And again, because of chocolate. I _love_ the stuff, but any more than a little bit gives me a terrible bellyache."  
"And you ate a whole bag…" Talen whistled. "Ouch." He brought the bottle back up to Florella's mouth and got her to drink a mouthful or two.  
He stomach churned noisily and she twitched about in pain. "Urgh…ooh…but it's not as bad this time," the fairy groaned. "At least you're here to- hnng!" She jerked about as pain gripped at her once again.  
Talen threw all caution to the wind and tentatively rubbed her painfully swollen stomach.  
Florella quivered at his touch and seemed to calm down with a pleasant-sounding sigh. "O-oh…that's better," she murmured. "Give me more of that hideous medicine…it's easier if you're rubbing my tummy."  
Talen gave her the bottle and watched as she chugged the rest of the milky medicine.  
Her face scrunched up even before she finished with it, but she drank the lot of it all the same. "Horrible!" she exclaimed.  
Talen suddenly felt her stomach shudder and gurgle beneath his hand.  
Florella squeaked, but the feeling of Talen's rough hands on her stretched belly was so nice and tingly that it almost made the fairy girl forget about the pain entirely. Almost. "Gah…my tummy hurts."  
"I know," Talen said simply. "It'll go soon, I'm sure." He removed his hand from Florella's stomach since he was getting just a _little_ uncomfortable with the prolonged contact with her exposed midsection.  
"Ahh! Don't! Put it back!" she squawked, flailing her arms in an attempt at grabbing the smith's hand. "It stops my belly from hurting! Please!"  
Talen reluctantly put his hand back on the bulbous stomach.  
"Hah-haaaaaaah," Florella breathed in relief. "If you're not there to hold it down, my tummy feels like it's going to burst."  
Talen frowned as Florella's stomach gave another violent gurgle. The medicine was obviously doing something in there, though Talen knew not what.  
"Oogh…it's getting weird in there," the fairy groaned, looking down at her stomach. "I hope this is over soon…I look so fat."  
"Mm-hmm," Talen hummed in agreement.  
Florella stiffened. "Talen! Don't say that…you're supposed to disagree-" Florella halted her indignant outburst with a start. Something wasn't right; her stomach was churning worse than ever and it showed no signs of stopping. And then that powerful, unmistakable urge hit her…  
Talen looked down at her, concerned. "Florella?" he asked. "You okay?"  
"Bucket," was all she said.  
Talen blinked. "Bucket?"  
"Get me a bucket! I'm going to throw up!"  
Talen raced into the hall with a groaning Florella in his arms. The only place he could think of that would have a bucket was the laundry, but he had no idea where it was. The gardening shed could possibly have one, but he'd never make it outside before Florella's insides decided to empty themselves.  
Suddenly, he saw it: the perfect substitute.  
Talen pivoted on his heel and turned around, racing into the sitting room he had just gone past.  
Nearly everybody was in there – bar Link – and they all shared the same look of surprise as Talen thundered in carrying a big-bellied Florella.  
The smith headed straight for a large flowerpot.  
"Wow!" Fura exclaimed, noticing Florella's predicament. "Talen got Florella _pregnant!_"  
"Fura," Talen groaned, his voice strained. "Not now." He tore the flowers, complete with the dirt encrusted around their roots, out of the pot, and then immediately thrust Florella's face over the now-empty container and held her hair back.  
Florella, free of the task of having to hold everything in, let it all out – literally.  
Talen, as well as everyone else, cringed as a stream of semi-digested chocolate poured out of Florella's mouth and into the flowerpot with a groan from the girl and the hideous accompanying sound of thick splashing.  
For someone as small as Florella, she certainly held a lot in her, for the muddy river flowing from the diminutive Great Fairy nearly filled the pot to its brim. But, thankfully, she was soon finished, but not before she let out a window-rattling belch. Her stomach now appeared to be back to its normal size.  
"Are you okay?" Talen asked the fairy.  
She nodded and wiped her mouth. "Yeah…ooh…I'm fine. Remind me never to take any of Elousin's medicine again."  
Talen laughed wryly and rubbed her back. "It did the trick, though. The best thing to do was get it all out and that's what it did."  
Florella nodded. "I suppose, but…given the chance I'd do it all again. Chocolate, I could do with some more right now."  
Talen looked at the brimmed flowerpot. "There's plenty in there."  
Florella shuddered and shielded her eyes from it. "Oh…don't even joke about it."  
Fura approached and patted both Talen and Florella on their backs. "Morning sickness, eh?"  
"Oogh…don't make fun of me, Fura," Florella gurgled. "I'm feeling delicate."  
Fura ignored her plea. "So when did you guys do it? In a linen closet? If so, tell Zelda what it was like, because she said she'd like to fool around in one someday-"  
The response from Zelda, Florella, and Talen was delivered in unison. "Shut up, Fura!"  
"I call Godmother," she said quickly before scuttling back to her seat.  
"Oh…" Florella panted. "Oh, thank the Goddesses." She patted her flat stomach. "Back to normal."  
Talen guided her to a seat.  
Fura began to sob. "Oh F-Florella…you poor, poor thing…to have your very first baby miscarria-"  
"So help me God, Fura, if one more pregnancy joke comes out of your mouth I'm going to leap out of this chair and rip all of your hair out with my bare hands."  
Fura shrugged. "Fair enough."  
Impa clapped her hands to silence the bickering parties. "All right…is everyone here?"  
"Link isn't," Zeel said. The demoness was seated near Ark. "He's probably looking for Florella and, uh…Talen."  
"And they're here now, right," Impa frowned. "I suppose we'll have to wait for him."  
"Well while we're doing that I think I'll get rid of this steaming flowerpot of joy, here," Talen said, picking up the receptacle filled with the former contents of Florella's stomach.  
Link wandered in during Talen's absence after a fruitless search for the smith and Florella. Unsurprisingly, he was a tad irked for wasting all of that effort. He said nothing, though, and sat down near Zeel.  
"Talen will be back shortly," Impa told the blonde boy. "He's just cleaning something up."  
"What, did Florella throw up all over him? That gut of hers is gone, I see."  
Florella made a rather savage threat of serious harm to Link's person, shutting him up.  
"I'm back." Talen strolled back into the room, minus one flowerpot.  
Nobody seemed to want to know where he'd put it.  
"Ahem," Impa coughed, bringing everyone to attention. "Now, let's get down to business. Link and Zeel have-"  
Nyara suddenly grabbed Ark's hand and lifted it into the air. "Ark find out something important!" she exclaimed. "Last Lock is moving closer. Ark say it come here."  
"It's coming here?" Saria asked. "Are you positive?"  
Ark nodded tentatively. "The white dot is moving closer and closer to the absolute centre. It's slow, but steady."  
"How long until it reaches us?" The question came from Fura.  
Ark made a vague gesture with his hands. "I'm afraid I have no idea…thought it looks to be soon."  
Link and Zeel glanced at each other.  
"Then we need to say this quickly. There are some things that we – me and Zeel – have been talking about," Link began. "And they relate to the Eternal Ark and, possibly, the involvement of Ark's family." He gestured to Zeel.  
The demoness stood and cleared her throat. "When I went to your village, Ark – well, when half of me went there – I went around asking people about you, but…" She trailed off upon seeing the concern in Ark's face. "…nobody in the village could remember you. Not one person."  
Ark couldn't believe what he was hearing. "N-nobody? They've all f-forgotten me?"  
"I'm sorry, Ark," Zeel sighed. "I was going to tell you when I returned to the manor after I left that day…but the demonic half of me had released you." She shook her head. "But there was one person who knew you. I went to the site of your parents' graves, but they were both gone-"  
"Gone!?" Ark sounded agonized.  
Zeel winced. "There was somebody there – a man. I couldn't see him, but he spoke to me and said that I had to protect you. He said that you had something to do with helping him to "set things right again", or something."  
Nyara squeezed the ashen-faced boy. "Ark okay?" she mewed.  
"Ark," Impa said, frowning in concern. "Do you want to wait a while so you can digest all of that?"  
Ark shook his head numbly. "No, keep going," he whispered. "I want to hear the rest."  
Link picked up from where Zeel left off. "Ark, I don't think your parents died and I don't think you grew up in Agria Village." He paused as Ark watched him unblinkingly. "What I think happened was that Aarden took you there when you were still quite young and implanted a false knowledge of you into the minds of the villagers so that you wouldn't be out of place."  
Ark nodded. "G-go on."  
Link nodded and sighed before continuing. "Remember back at Aurora when you got sick that night?"  
Ark nodded.  
"It was the Locks, Ark. The Locks made you sick when you tried to touch them."  
There was a flurry of confused talking from the others assembled in the room. Guarded looks were thrown in Ark's direction, but the boy didn't seem to notice any of it.  
"Link, what are you getting at?" Zelda asked. "How could the Locks have made Ark sick? They don't affect anybody else, why should it be so different for Ark?"  
"I believe that Ark's strange healing ability came from the Eternal Ark. The Locks are designed to seal that power away, so when Ark came too close, they affected the power of the Ark and made him sick."  
Ark looked like a stunned mullet. "Buh-but…the Eternal Ark? How could I have received power from it? You can't be right."  
"It all makes sense," Link said, shaking his head. "Gaul messed with your memories so that the knowledge of the Ark couldn't be passed to us through you in case you somehow remembered about it – how to get there, what's in store for us and such." He paused. "You were there, Ark, when you were very little. You were at the Eternal Ark when they tried to open it."

Fura sat with one leg draped over the other on the arm of a chair in the lounge room. She was watching Link with a kind of detached interest as he paced back and forth across the room.  
It was late afternoon. The rather heavy-laden discussion had ended some time ago and everyone seemed to have drifted off to come to grips with things – Ark in particular.  
His reaction to Link's theory had been a strange one. He was rather shaken, that went without saying, but he hadn't really said anything. He had nodded at the end of it all and then excused himself so that he could mull things over. In fact, he had seemed strangely determined for some reason.  
Fura, in any case, couldn't put her finger on it. She simply decided to stick around with Link while everyone else wandered off to get various things done before the final Lock – and who or whatever was carrying it – arrived.  
"You'll wear out the floorboards if you keep doing that," the Gerudo commented as Link continued to pace.  
The boy seemed to ignore her, and Fura _hated_ it when Link didn't give her attention when she asked for it, especially since they were the only two in the room.  
"I am going to hurt you if you do not stop pacing and talk to me right now, Link," she said rather ominously.  
Link heard her that time and stopped his repetitive wanderings to look at her. "Huh?"  
"Don't ignore me," Fura told him.  
He gave her a rather tired look and waved his hand. "Sorry." He sat down next to her – a surprising move by Link standards. He seemed too preoccupied to worry about any embarrassment Fura may cause him.  
The Gerudo looked down at him from her spot on the chair's arm and frowned. "Don't look so glum, Linkie-do," she told him. "Rupee for your thoughts – tell big sister Fura what's on your mind."  
Link made a vague little noise and pulled his ever-present cap off his head to rake his fingers through his hair. "It's nothing much," he mumbled. "I'm just wondering whether telling Ark all of that was such a good idea. Poor guy has a lot on his plate right now and then I come along and heap even more on."  
Fura sighed and cradled his head in the crook of her elbow. "Ahh, I'm sure Ark'll be fine. He looks like a bit of a weakling, but he's tougher than he's given credit for." She absently tucked in loose locks of hair in behind his ears. "I think Ark just wants to get everything over with. He'll be able to move on with things after that and he won't have to worry about any of this ever again."  
Link hummed in response.  
"I'd like to see him settle down one day and start a family of his own. That'd be something, wouldn't it? Maybe with Nyara…I'd like to see that." She grinned. "Or maybe with Zeel, hmm? Little Ark and Nyaralings or little Ark and Zeelings, which will it be?"  
"Zeel?" Link murmured.  
Fura laughed and patted his head. "Yeah, why not? Ark simply adores Nyara; you can see by the way he looks at her, but he's also quite attached to Zeel. I wonder if a time will come where he'll have to choose one over the other…like you!"  
Link cringed and Fura laughed.  
"Speaking of Zeel, though," Fura began. "You and her seem to be getting on like a house on fire."  
Link nodded. "Yeah, I like Zeel," Link said honestly. "She's nice. A little rough around the edges, but nice. She's still adjusting to being a whole person again."  
Fura nodded. "I guess it's nice to have somebody around who's kinda the same, right?" she said, referring to Link and Zeel's demonic traits.  
Link nodded and then looked at his black arm. "I think Zeel got the better end of the deal, though," he muttered. "I'd rather stripes or at least _some_ kind of pattern instead of big chunks of black all over me."  
"Your arm would be missing now if it weren't for that big patch of black, remember," Fura reminded him.  
Link shuddered as the memory of Zeel slicing his arm off resurfaced. "Good point."  
Fura released Link's head from her gentle hold and stood up and stretched.  
Link aimed his vision at something else in the room until Fura had finished stretching. Generally speaking, Link had more or less come to accept that Fura would never ever tire of wearing her rather revealing outfits. What he could only manage to tolerate, however, was the fact that she seemed to enjoy showing off just how revealing they were – particularly when she was stretching. As uncomfortable as it made him feel, though, he did not hold it against her.  
"You know, I wonder what my mother would think of you if she was still alive," Link said absently.  
Fura's back almost cricked out of place is mid-stretch.  
His mother? Link _never_ talked about his family. It was something of a sore spot for him – he felt he'd been cheated out of a mother and father. To some extent he held the four Gods responsible – the Fierce Deity in particular – though he never cursed them for it.  
"Are you saying that she wouldn't approve?" Fura asked, frowning slightly.  
Link shook his head. "No, I don't mean that," he said quickly. "I just- would it matter to you if she didn't?"  
Fura mulled it over for several seconds. "Nope," she said shortly. "In the end I only care whether or not you approve. I would have liked to meet your mother, though. Your father, too"  
"So would I." He sighed and stood up. "Oh well, no use dwelling on stuff that's already happened; there's enough gloom around here as it is." His stomach rumbled. "Oogh, at least food will cheer me up, ah…do you want to go and eat with me?"  
Fura's eyes lit up. "Yes," she said quickly. She wasn't particularly hungry, but Fura knew that Link was currently feeling rather lonesome – he only spoke of his family when he was feeling as such, so his request was more of a plea for company more than anything. He also seemed most at ease when he was eating something, and Fura always jumped at an opportunity to spend time with Link when he wasn't so guarded.  
"Where's my hat?" Link mumbled absently, lifting the cushion on the chair.  
Fura noted that he'd stuffed it into his pocket and forgotten about it, but rather than tell him she simply stared at his backside as he poked about the chair. The Gerudo reached out with something of a dirty-old-man-leer to give his bottom a requisite grab, but she thought better of it and withdrew her hand. "It's in your pocket, Link."  
"Huh? Oh, whoops." He put the headwear back on with a slight flush of embarrassment creeping into his cheeks. "Okay, let's go to the kitchen. I'm in the mood for stealing."  
Fura grinned and followed, mourning slightly over her lost opportunity. But now wasn't the time for making Link uncomfortable, she reasoned. No, if Link merely wanted company, then that was all she would give.  
As she made to leave with Link, however, a peculiar twinge of guilt came over her. There was somebody else who would like to accompany them. "Perhaps we could find Zelda on the way, hmm?" Fura suggested. "I think she'd like to come too."

Ark sat on the third floor decking with the Compass in one hand and his staff in the other. His expression was set in a rather grim frown – an expression that was generally best reserved for the likes of Link.  
Nyara was there, Zeel and Yula too, playing a board game. Though they were supposed to be watching over Ark, it didn't stop Nyara and Zeel from letting off some competitive steam.  
Yula, however, was paying more attention to the morose Ark than the game and she soon left the duelists behind to go and sit with the grey-haired boy.  
"Hello, Lady Yula," he murmured as she sat down. "Aren't you playing your game anymore?"  
The pale girl shook her head. "It was getting a little too competitive." She looked ever her shoulder as Nyara and Zeel rolled their dice rather savagely and slammed their pieces around the board. "I am concerned about you, however. What Link and Zeel said must have come as some shock."  
Ark sighed and smoothed back his untamable fringe. "Yes, it did," he admitted a little brokenly. "But I can't keep feeling sorry for myself. Miss Robin made me promise myself something, so I have to stick by that promise to the end of this journey. If I was there at the Ark when they tried to open it, and if my healing ability is a result of that, and if it's my family, then some of the responsibility rests on my shoulders. I'll fight as hard as I can…even if it's against my own family, and to absolve myself – that is what I want." He looked Yula dead in the eyes. "And to make sure they both see it through to the end."  
Yula glanced back at Nyara and Zeel as they began hurling dice and game pieces at each other. "I am happy for you, then," the pale girl smiled. She gestured to the blue sphere in his hand. "Can you make an estimate as to how far away the Lock is?"  
Ark held the Compass up. "It's hard to tell," he frowned. "The pointer is close to the middle, but it's moving quite slowly. Relative to actual distance, I'm not sure if that means it's far or close-" He stopped suddenly.  
Yula looked concerned. "Ark, what is it?"  
"Th-the pointer!" he squeaked. "It just…zipped right to the middle! It's here! The Lock is here!" Ark leapt from his sitting position. "Miss Nyara, Miss Zeel…the Lock!"  
Nyara's head jerked around at the sound of Ark's frantic calling, allowing Zeel to pull away from her and extract the game piece the Meera had just shoved up her left nostril.  
"What about Lock?" Nyara asked, cocking her head to one side.  
"Didn't you hear him, cat?" Zeel snorted, rubbing her nose. "He said it's here…along with whatever's carrying it."  
Nyara immediately began sniffing the air. "Nyara no can smell anything," she frowned. "We go inside to others."  
"No…" Zeel said slowly, narrowing her eyes at the door that led inside. "It's here." Into her right palm ghosted a large scythe much like the one her dark half wielded; only it was red instead of purple.  
Nyara followed suit and extended her claws with a sharp slicing sound.  
Ark's teeth grit together. "Show yourself!" he shouted at the empty doorway. "If you come bearing us ill will, then you made a mistake."  
There was nothing, not even the slightest indication that there was anything there.  
But then a voice, tired and heavy, sounded from the empty space. "Hello, my dear boy," it said wearily. "I am so glad to see you safe and sound."  
Ark was, to say the least, taken aback.  
"That voice!" Zeel hissed. "You're the one from the cemetery."  
"Yes, I am," the voice responded. "And I see that you have done what I asked of you. You have my gratitude."  
Zeel ran her tongue over her teeth. "Enough talk, whoever you are," she snarled. "Show us who you are."  
The voice didn't respond. Then, as if coming out from behind a curtain, an old man stepped out from thin air.  
The kindly, wrinkled face, the small pair of reading glasses, the long, white beard, and the grey hair; it all hit Ark like a thousand pounds of bricks as recognition dawned on him. "It…can't be…" he breathed. "You…you're…" He couldn't believe it. The words wouldn't come out.  
Aarden was alive.


	88. To The End

**Chapter 87 – To the End**

Link had heard the shouting as he was wandering back to his room. With Fura and Zelda in tow, he raced to the third floor balcony and was confronted with the last person he ever expected to see. "A-Aarden!" he gasped. "You're alive!"  
The old man turned and smiled fondly at the blonde boy. "Link, Bearer…it is good to see you again, too…though you do look different to when I first saw you." He looked past him to Fura and Zelda. "And the young ladies."  
"Oh my giddy aunt," Fura breathed.  
Aarden sighed and turned back to the still-shocked Ark. "Ark, my boy," he said. "I was hoping that news of my supposed demise hadn't reached you, but I can see now that it did. And I am certain that other revelations have come to pass as well…"  
"Why, Aarden," Ark asked quietly. "Why didn't you tell me about my family? Why did you tell me they were dead?" His voice began to escalate. "Why didn't you tell me you were at the Eternal Ark? Why didn't you tell me that I was there too!?" His face twisted into an expression of fury. "You lied to me! You fabricated my whole life instead of telling me the truth!" He slammed the butt of his staff onto the decking with a loud thud. "I want answers!"  
Aarden flinched back at the tone of Ark's voice.  
The usually passive, quiet boy was furious, and it unnerved his friends to see him so. But as he stood there, fuming away, Nyara padded up behind him and put a hand on his shoulder.  
"Nyara no like to see angry Ark," she mewed softly. "Ark please no shout anymore."  
Ark flinched and looked at her guiltily. "S-sorry," he mumbled, allowing her to lick his cheek.  
Aarden's kind old face looked agonized. "I am so, so sorry, my boy," he sighed mournfully. "Nothing I can do or say can make up for what I have done. I was only trying to…" He floundered. "I was only trying to make things fair for you, if only for a while."  
"Navi, go and get Talen, Saria, and Florella," Link told his partner before turning his attention back to Aarden. "You knew everything all along, didn't you. And you have the last Lock that we need. What's your game, Aarden? What is it you need to make up for?"  
Aarden sat down with a heavy breath and wrung his hands together. "I helped him open the Eternal Ark," he said, speaking quietly. "And in doing so, I gave him the power he needed to accomplish his goal. I know not what it is exactly, but it has something to do with this world." He buried his head in his hands. "I was such a fool…such a fool."  
Navi returned at that point with Florella, Talen, and Saria in tow.  
"What's going on out he- oh my goodness!" Saria squeaked, her hands going to her mouth.  
"Aarden," Talen hissed as Florella's little hand wormed its way into his. "You're alive?"  
"Right now, Aarden, please," Ark implored the old man. "Explain everything."  
Aarden sat there for a few moments with his head hung before he looked up at the expectant faces before him. "I will tell you what I can," the old man sighed, coming to a conclusion. "But I will not be able to say everything."  
Zelda frowned. "Why not? Don't you owe it to Ark to tell him everything he wants to hear?"  
"Do not misunderstand me," Aarden implored. "I want to tell you everything…but I'm afraid that even I have fallen afoul of the one who now controls the power ebbing from the Ark. He has placed certain limitations on me that I have been able to fight against to some degree, but not entirely."  
Ark nodded. "Just tell us what you can, Aarden."  
The old man nodded. "I am the last descendant of a tribe sworn to keeping all knowledge of the Eternal Ark a secret. I was young and very much in love with a girl of the village. Her name was Amara and she had red hair and the bluest of blue eyes." His old, weary eyes saddened. "But she had a weak heart from birth and one spring day while we were walking in the forest she collapsed…and then she was gone. The terrible dawning of that moment never left me; the very instant that the person most dear to me left forever and became nothing more than a memory." Aarden rubbed his temples. "I buried her in the graveyard myself and visited her every day to pay my respects…but one day I was visited by those who wished for the Ark to be opened. They told me that she could be brought back using its tremendous power, and I foolishly agreed to take them to the Eternal Ark." He pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose. "I don't expect you to understand why I did it, but I so wanted to be with my beloved again that I didn't question their motives."  
But Fura and Zelda understood. They had felt the same as Aarden when Link had died three years before. Their hearts swelled with pity for the old man before them.  
"We succeeded in shattering the Lock, raining its pieces down upon the world…but the Ark refused to open," Aarden continued. "They were furious, and when my hope of bringing my beloved Amara back faded, I knew that I had made a terrible mistake. I tried to leave, but the Eternal Ark's power began to seep from it – not much, but enough for them to harness it and use it against me. My will was bound; I couldn't go against them…so I bided my time, working against the prison of my mind until, finally, I was able to break free and…" The old man paused at that point, his brow furrowed in concentration.  
"So that's why you tried to open it," Florella squeaked. "Aarden…that's terrible. You poor man."  
Zeel frowned at him. "So what happened then?"  
Aarden winced. "…and…" He raised his head and gazed at Ark. "…and I took you away from them. I took you away so you wouldn't come to be like them. I can't quite remember, but…you were young, very young."  
Ark stared at his adoptive father. "They were my parents, right?" he asked tentatively. "My real parents…weren't they?"  
Aarden's expression grew helpless. He was unable to answer. "I took you back to Agria and seeded false memories of you into the minds of the villagers so that you would grow up without ever knowing that you had simply arrived there out of the blue. I created the fake graves and I told you the story about how your parents were killed by bandits and how you were dumped in the river to satisfy any curiosity you may have had about your origins." Aarden's tired old eyes met with Ark's and a sad smile graced the corners of his mouth. "You were the son I would have had with her. I'm sorry, my boy. Please forgive me."  
The grey-haired boy's expression softened. "When I thought you were dead, I kept telling myself that if you were alive I'd be furious with you for lying to me," he said quietly. "But…now I am glad that you did all of it. If you hadn't taken me away from them, then I would never have grown up to meet Nyara and Zeel and Link and everybody else." He put his hand on the old man's shoulder. "Let's just do what we have to do, Aarden. I want to go home."

Aarden had quite an appetite and consumed a considerable amount of food at the outdoor dinner table. After the attack on his home he had gone into hiding; sleeping out in the wilderness, traveling alone across the lands, and generally keeping a low profile to avoid the likes of Gaul. He had more or less followed them over the globe; keeping his distance and never actually catching up.  
Link frowned curiously after the old man's story. "So how _did_ you keep track of us, anyway?" he asked.  
Aarden reached into his tattered clothing and pulled out a small object. "The Lock," he said. "The Compass can point them out, but only because the Locks emit a force that pulls it towards them. Tapping into that force, I was able to follow the Compass and therefore follow you." He pushed the small object over to Link. "I believe this is yours, but don't activate it yet."  
"So that's why you never gave it to us," Impa frowned. "You were planning on meeting up with us again from the beginning."  
Aarden nodded. "Correct, madam." He corrected his glasses. "But it was also so that I could stay alive long enough to meet up with you again to show you the way."  
The members of the table looked confused.  
"Show us the way?" Fura asked, raising an eyebrow.  
"To the Ark, of course," Aarden elaborated. "We depart for it, and arrive, tomorrow."  
Ark blinked. "S-so soon?"  
"The sooner the better," Aarden murmured. "We must put things right again…but I must warn you, Ark; there may be things you will learn there that you do not wish to know."  
Ark's face blanched at Aarden's words, but he nodded resolutely. He would go no matter what.  
Zeel spoke up suddenly. "So you can't tell us about the one behind all of this, right?" she asked.  
Aarden shook his head. "Once again, I apologize."  
The demoness made a disappointed sound through her nose.  
"But may I ask your name, young lady? I don't seem to recall seeing you before…" Aarden frowned thoughtfully.  
"Zeel," the demoness said brusquely. "I was hired to kill Ark by his parents – if they really are his parents, that is.  
Aarden stared at her disbelievingly.  
"It's true," Ark said. "But Miss Zeel was never contacted directly by them, so she can't tell us anything."  
Aarden frowned in concern. "Are you sure she's-"  
Zeel glared at the man.  
"It's okay, Aarden," Ark told the old man. "I trust Miss Zeel with my life."  
Aarden nodded and smiled. "You're right, Ark. I was being presumptuous. Accept my apologies, Zeel."  
Zeel's glare softened and she sat back in her seat. "Thank you, Ark," she murmured quietly.  
Elousin suddenly cleared her throat. "Mister Aarden…I understand it that, as Ark's adoptive father, he will be living with you after your journey is over?"  
Aarden dabbed at his mouth with a napkin. "Well, good lady, that decision is mostly up to Ark. I haven't exactly been the best of father figures, and I did _informally_ grant the young lady here guardianship over him." He gestured to Nyara. "It is up to them."  
Upon being reminded of that fact, Nyara stuck her tongue out at Zeel, who snarled silently in response from the other side of the red-faced Ark.  
"Oh dear," Elousin sighed. "I would so much have liked to have a son…"  
Ark choked on his food. "P-pardon?"  
"Well," Elousin began, lifting several sheets of parchment onto the table. "You're just so precious that I wanted to keep you, so I had some adoption papers written up just in case…" She trailed off with a wistful sigh.  
"She's tried to adopt me five times so far," Link whispered across the table to Ark. "But since my technical guardian is the Great Deku Tree, it's kinda hard for her to get the signature. She actually wrote a letter that she got Saria to deliver asking for custody once."  
"But the Deku Tree said that it was up to Link," Saria butted in with a smirk. "Elousin's still waiting for him to accept. She waves the papers under his nose every time he visits…and I'm actually surprised she hasn't tried to convince him yet."  
Link shook his head. "I could never live in a place without cooked meat," he said. "It's almost as bad as that Agora Town we went through. At least they have lots of fruit here, though."  
Aarden, in the meantime, was sifting through the adoption papers with his glasses on the end of his nose. "Hmm," he hummed. "Very well." He scribbled his signature on one of the papers and handed them back to Elousin.  
"Wh-what did you just do?" Ark squeaked.  
"Planning ahead, my boy," Aarden said. "Should anything happen to me or the young Meera lady, you shall live here as their son."  
Ark gaped at him. "B-but-!"  
"Ah!" Elousin breathed, snatching up the papers excitedly. "They've already been signed. Too late!" She quickly read over the documents. "Ooh, a son!"  
"Aarden has to be, you know…for anything to happen, Elousin," Link reminded the ecstatic woman.  
"One can always be hopeful," Elousin told him crisply. She suddenly slapped her hands to her mouth. "Oh my goodness! That came out entirely wrong! I am so sorry, Aarden. I didn't mean that I was hoping you'd…"  
Aarden held his hand up and smiled with a twinkle in his eye. "There's no need to apologize, my lady," he chuckled.  
Elousin nodded and ferreted the papers away before staring expectantly at Link.  
"What is it?" he asked.  
She held up a sheet of parchment and jiggled it before him. "Please sign it."  
Link shook his head and shuffled backwards in his chair. "Nuh-uh. I'm not leaving Kokiri Forest for anything, thank you."  
Elousin pouted miserably, but then she was suddenly smiling again as she held up another slip of parchment to Florella.  
"Ooh! Me?" the Great Fairy squeaked. She absently reached for it.  
"Florella, don't you have an obligation to somewhere else?" Talen asked.  
Florella's hand stopped in mid-reach. "Oh pooh," she muttered. "I'm sorry, Elousin."  
"No matter," the woman sighed, turning to Yula. "Wouldn't it have been nice, Yula dear? Two brothers and a sister."  
"Yes mother," Yula said patiently.  
"Oh well. At least there's a chance for _one_ brother." She waved Ark's adoption papers at him while he stared.  
Nyara silently fumed.

Talen wandered the moonlit halls of the manor in a state of restlessness. Sleep had refused to claim him, so he had taken to moseying about until he felt tired enough to head back to bed, all he while holding the tiny chunk of Gorodite in his fist.  
The smith, though not much of a night person, enjoyed the nighttime. It reminded him of the cave-city, Rockvale; his home. The nice house he shared with his father, his room full of odd bits and bobs from all manner of things, and the dim, grimy workshop. He could hear the pounding of the metal, see the glow of the metal, and feel the heat of the forge whenever he was in the dark – it was comforting to him.  
Florella would visit often; showing up unannounced at the end of a hard day's work smelling of spring, while he gave off a scent that resembled metal, sweat, and charcoal. She was never unwelcome; in fact it was usually with relief that Talen and his father greeted her, mostly because she puttered around the house doing some much-needed cleaning – the Oreads weren't very good at keeping things spick and span. She didn't spend much time in the workshop itself, though; the heat was too much for her and she wilted like a flower. Like clockwork, however, she'd show up right outside the door with a damp towel and lead him off to the bath, which she would have already drawn and filled with bubbles.  
Talen never had the heart to tell her that he felt like a pansy for taking a bubble bath…particularly when he came out smelling like peach or strawberry…or lavender or some other odd fragrance that belonged on a flower or tree instead of a person.  
The smith rounded a corner, lost in his musings…until he collided with a fairly solid object.  
"Oh!" a voice gasped from down below. "I'm sorry. I wasn't watching where I was headed."  
Talen picked it out immediately. "Ark?" He held his hand out and helped the smaller boy up off the floor. "What are you doing up?"  
"Hello, Talen," the grey-haired boy said, dusting himself off. "Me? I can't sleep. What about you?"  
Talen nodded. "Same," he sighed. "Thinking about tomorrow. That's when we're going, isn't it."  
Ark nodded and the two of them began to wander together.  
It was with a great deal of skill that Ark had actually managed to leave his room in the middle of the night. He had been more or less pinned to the bed by Nyara's weight – not to say that she was bulky at all; it was just that Ark wasn't strong enough to push her off. In the end he'd managed to wriggle out from underneath her arm and tiptoe out of the room.  
"I'm worried," the smaller boy said quietly. "After we leave…after we get going…we won't be able to turn back. It's the last leg of the journey."  
"I'm worried, too," Talen said simply. "About what awaits us – it's certain not to be easy – and whether or not everyone will make it through."  
Ark looked at Talen. He never thought the smith to be much of a worrier. He always seemed so calm and in control. He was a bit of a rock when it came to the rest of the group; always a person to rely on.  
"Really?"  
"Of course," Talen replied. 'I worry all the time, and sometimes I'm scared out of my mind, but you need to push the fear aside with something stronger."  
Ark frowned. "Like?"  
"Well…like the will to protect somebody special."  
Ark nodded. "You mean like Lady Florella?"  
Talen gave a small start, but composed himself quickly. "Ah…yes, I suppose so," he coughed.  
"It's nice to watch you and Lady Florella," Ark said. "You look…nice together. Are you going to let her go on this last part?"  
Talen frowned. "There's nothing I'd ever be able to do that would make her stay, so I'll just have to try my hardest to keep her safe." He threaded his fingers together behind his head. "Florella may be a Great Fairy, she may have vast powers at her command, and she may be several thousand years old…but she's still just a girl. She cries when she has a bad dream, she can't lift anything _remotely_ heavy, and she gets scared when she's by herself. Florella can't fight; she doesn't know how…and she shouldn't have to. It's _my_ job to keep her safe, and while I can still be scared, I simply will not allow the fear to prevent me from doing that job."  
Ark thought about that for a while and decided then that Talen was perhaps one of the wisest people he had ever met. It wasn't knowledge that made him wise, but his practicality; knowledge wasn't much good unless you could put it to good use.  
"Uhm, Talen?" the grey-haired boy asked. "What happens if there's more than one important person you have to look out for? I mean, I'm…" He trailed off.  
"You know, you're stronger than you give yourself credit for, Ark. We've told you so numerous times before, but you never seem to be able to absorb it," Talen grinned. "Remember I'm going to be there as well, so you're not going to have to look out for them on your own."  
A third member joined the party. "I'll be helping as well."  
Ark and Talen turned to see a barefooted and bed headed Link standing beneath Navi's glow. "Room for one more?"  
The smith waved him over. "Link, if Ark and I didn't let you hang around us then _we'd_ be the ones getting into all the trouble."  
"I take it this is the worriers' club, then?" the blonde boy asked.  
"A little, yes," Ark sighed, smiling lopsidedly. "I take it you're concerned about tomorrow, right?"  
Link clicked his tongue and nodded. "Yeah, I am," he said. "But we've come this far, right?"  
"That we have," Talen murmured. "And we've survived every single conflict, if only by the skin of our teeth. Let's not break tradition."  
Ark wrinkled his brow in thought as they wandered out onto the third floor balcony and looked out over the city. He didn't like to think morbid thoughts, but he couldn't help but ponder the possibility of one or more of them not making it back.  
"Something on your mind?" Link asked, noticing his friend's thoughtful expression.  
"Uhm…" Ark mumbled. "I was just thinking…could both of you promise me something?"  
Link and Talen glanced at each other.  
"Sure, go ahead," Talen nodded.  
"If…something should happen to me," he began in a halting voice. "Will you both look after Miss Nyara and Miss Zeel for me? Make sure they're both okay…and help Miss Zeel find a good home. She can't be all alone again, she just can't."  
Link clapped his friend on the shoulder. "I'll do it…as long as you promise to watch over Fura and Zelda. Make sure Zelda gets married or something to a good man, and make sure the poor soul that Fura gets her vampire teeth into treats her properly."  
Talen clapped Ark's other shoulder. "Florella, too," he said. "The part about marrying a good man, that is." He frowned. "Make sure they like bubbles in their baths, though."  
Link and Ark looked at him strangely.  
"Never mind," the smith mumbled, flushing slightly.  
"So…it's a promise, then?" Ark asked, holding out his hand.  
Link and Talen nodded and placed their palms atop Ark's to agree.  
Navi fluttered down onto the balcony railing and faced the three boys, her bright glow illuminating their faces. "So your wills have been finalized, then?" she asked humorously, turning to Link. "What happens to me? Where do I go, partner?"  
Link picked her up and held her in the palm of his hand. "You," he said. "Go wherever you want. Just…keep an eye on everyone okay? Be as big a help to them as you have to me over the years."  
Navi saluted sharply and then fluttered up to her usual orbit around his head.  
"So…" Talen began. "Is anyone here the least bit tired?"  
Link and Ark shook their heads.  
Talen sighed. "I thought so." He scratched his head. "In that case…the kitchen's unguarded and I'm feeling hungry."

Nyara padded through the halls of the manor after waking from her peaceful slumber only minutes before. She had discovered, to her chagrin, that Ark had been nowhere in sight. Even a search under the bed had yielded no results, forcing the Meera girl to go in search of him.  
Normally, if a person was absent from their bed at the middle of the night, it meant that they had more than likely gone to fetch a drink of water or something, but normal circumstances and Ark didn't exactly go hand in hand.  
"Ark," Nyara mewed into the dark. "Ark, where are you? Ark come back to bed."  
"Ugh," a voice grunted out of the shadows. "Do you realize how that sounded, cat?"  
Nyara's night-piercing eyes quickly zeroed in on the source of the voice: Zeel. "What is Zeel doing out of bed?" she asked flatly, placing her hands on her hips. "Why is Nyara not surprised to find Zeel sneaking around in dark?" Her tail swished from side to side, scuffing the floor lightly.  
Zeel ignored that. "Go back to sleep," she said dismissively. "Ark's with Link and Talen. I think tomorrow is weighing a bit on their minds."  
Nyara twitched her nose. "Where?" she asked.  
"Hey, don't go butting in on them and dragging Ark off," Zeel frowned, flexing her leathery wings. "They're probably a little scared about tomorrow and they're just trying to ease themselves up a bit. Perhaps boys need other boys to boost morale."  
Nyara frowned and folded her arms across her chest. She hated to admit it, but Zeel was probably right. "Is Zeel scared about tomorrow?" She almost hoped that she was.  
"I'd be lying if I said I am unafraid," the demoness said. "Though I'm more worried about Ark than myself, I suppose. "He beat me, but I don't think that kindness is going to win over whoever it is that's behind this whole mess."  
"Mmm," Nyara hummed in agreement.  
Zeel frowned speculatively as she watched the girl in front of her. "Let me ask you something, cat…what exactly _is_ Ark to you?"  
Nyara eyed Zeel off. "Whenever somebody else ask Nyara that question, Nyara has always told them that she not entirely know; that Ark is very special to Nyara in some way," she said. "But now, near end of journey together, Nyara get the feeling that Nyara not want journey to end; that she want to keep moving with Ark forever." She paused, her light-reflecting eyes glinting in the dark. "Nyara will answer Zeel's question by telling her that Ark has filled this here." She held her hand over her left breast, right above her heart. "This is Ark, forever."  
Zeel watched her for the longest of times, her gaze unwavering. "Ark is a disrupting force," she said finally, quietly. "An aberration in the order that I once held onto. A fork in a road that was supposed to be straight. A ripple in a pond that was once perfectly still."  
Nyara simply stared back, her hand still over her heart.  
"But it was that straight road that led to oblivion, and that still pond that held nothing but ruin beneath its surface," the demoness murmured. "If my body is the pond…" She slowly lifted her hand and placed it over her own heart, mimicking Nyara. "…then surely Ark is the heartbeat that causes it to ripple." She smiled then, her pointed incisors glinting in the moonlight. "So it would appear…we are much the same in that respect."  
Nyara's expression was unreadable as Zeel began to approach her. "What happen now?" she asked.  
"You rub me the wrong way a little, cat, but I got nothing against you for how you see Ark," the demoness said rather bluntly. "Let me put it to you that we work together until this is over. Do all that we can to make sure that Ark is safe." She held out her hand in order for Nyara to take hold of it. "And if one of us falls, then the other shall watch over him for the rest of his life."  
Nyara seemed to consider what Zeel had just said. Then, with a small nod, she took Zeel's hand and shook it.  
"Then it's done," Zeel smirked, her mismatched eyes catching the moon. "I look forward to fighting by your side tomorrow, cat. Show me what you can do."

The sky glowed blue, the trees shimmered green, and the sun burned bright. It didn't feel like the day of an impending battle; it felt like just another hot day in Arbouren.  
But it wasn't just another hot day in Arbouren, Link decided. No, today was the day he would try- no, he _would_ close the Eternal Ark for good.  
"The morning…" Saria said quietly. "It's gone by so fast."  
It was time to go. Time to depart for the Eternal Ark.  
They were all in the garden, assembled in a group with no particular order. Tannis, Elousin, and Yula were there as well.  
Elousin was beside herself with worry; her precious little darlings were going off somewhere dangerous and there was nothing she could do about it. She had tried tempting Florella to stay behind with the lure of as much chocolate as she could ever desire, but the Great Fairy would not be swayed.  
Saria had also refused to be left behind. "I'm going to see this through to the end," she had said. "If there's the slightest chance that I can do anything, no matter how small, then I'll take it."  
Elousin blew her nose loudly in a lacy handkerchief. "Oh…" she sniffled. "Make sure you come back safe and sound, Ark. Mother will be waiting right here for you. So will…oh dear…so will daddy and sister." She started bawling at that point, and she swooped in and delivered a bone-breaking embrace unto Ark.  
"L-lady Elousin!" he squeaked.  
Yula came to his rescue by taking her adoptive mother gently by the arm and leading her away from Ark. "It's all right, mother," she said patiently.  
Elousin sniffed, gestured towards Ark, and then started sobbing again.  
"Ark, I think it would be best if you returned in one piece," Yula told the boy, smiling slightly. She gave him a quick, perfunctory embrace. "And you would be a most welcome member of the family. May the Goddesses smile upon you, Ark. Come back safe." And then she drifted over to the others, saying goodbye to them one by one.  
Tannis and the worried-sick Elousin said their goodbyes as well, with the latter fussing incessantly over everyone and trying to wheedle them into staying, tempting them with promises of all manner of sweets and candies.  
Link sighed when she finally got to him. "I'll be careful, Elousin. I promise."  
"Oh dear," she whimpered, embracing him and patting his head. "Make sure you are…and look after everyone. Bring them all back here when you're done. We'll have a big celebration and everything!"  
Talen's voice sounded from the background. "With watermelon."  
"Right, with watermelon," Link agreed. "All the fruit you can find. You'd better get to it."  
"Oh, yes, yes," Elousin nodded. "Quickly now, Tannis. Get the kitchen notified…a _big_ victory feast!"  
Tannis smiled. "Yes dear," he said.  
"Are we ready?" Aarden asked once all the goodbyes had been said.  
Ark turned to Aarden. "We're ready."  
Aarden gestured to Link. "The final Lock, Bearer," he said. "Activate it."  
Link nodded and then transformed the Key into its alternate form. He hefted it in his hand as if testing it before bringing out the final Lock. "Key!" he commanded loudly, tossing the Lock into the air. "Lock!"  
As the familiar, blinding white keyhole appeared before the Lock, Link drove the Key into it and twisted it sharply. The was a loud, recognizable click, and Link withdrew the Key as the white keyhole dissolved, leaving behind the activated Lock.  
It was much the same as the others; small enough to fit in one's palm, but with a unique design to distinguish it from the rest of the relics. This Lock was that of hate – a jagged, black, and quite unfriendly-looking little thing.  
Link took it carefully. "And that's it…we have them all."  
Suddenly, there was a squeak of surprise from Ark. His hand dove into his cloak and he pulled out the Compass as it began to quiver and glow in his hand. "Wh-what's it doing!?"  
"It's showing us the way to the Ark," Aarden told him. "Don't be afraid."  
The Compass got brighter and brighter until, suddenly, the pointer shot straight up and a grand pillar of blue light erupted around it, blasting up into the sky and beyond.  
Ark had jumped back as soon as the light show had begun, and he looked down at the ground to see a large, blue disc – just like the Compass' original form back at Agria Village.  
"Oh my goodness!" Zelda gasped, hopping back.  
There were similar gasps and exclamations of astonishment from the others.  
"Where…where does it lead?" Saria asked nervously.  
"Above the world," Aarden said simply. "That is where the Eternal Ark resides. Now we must hurry, before our enemy has a chance to stop us." And with that, he stepped into the pillar of light and was gone – spirited above the world in an instant.  
"This is it," Impa said steadily. "There's no going back from here."  
"You know…you don't have to go, Impa," Zelda told her guardian. "It could be dangerous."  
Impa smiled at her charge. "Wherever you go, Zelda, I go as well. I'll see you on the other side." She turned to Saria. "Come with me, Saria."  
There was a flash of blue, and they were both gone.  
Talen and Florella went next. They hopped onto the blue disc at the same time and were then sent rocketing upwards as two glimmers of blue.  
"Let's go, Ark, cat," Zeel said levelly. She took Ark by the shoulder as Nyara held his arm. "Link, Zelda, Fura…we'll see you there."  
"Let's go," Ark murmured quietly.  
Link watched them ascend rapidly out of sight before he himself set his eyes on the Compass.  
"I'm…a little unsure about this," Zelda frowned.  
"It can't be worse than anything we've already gone through, right?" Fura suggested reassuringly.  
"Right," Link nodded in agreement. Surprisingly, he took their hands in his own and held them tight. "This is child's play." And then he led them into the light of the Compass.  
It surrounded them; warm and gentle like a summer wind. Everything seemed so blue from within.  
"Don't worry," Link told them at the last instant. "I'll keep you both safe."  
The world seemed to dissolve into blue, and everything seemed to rush past like their first use of the Compass. But there was no sound this time; no deafening roar or rush of air. It was almost pleasant.  
"We'll go together."


	89. Origin

**Chapter 88 – Origin**

Things came into focus a little slowly for Link. The blue haze from the Compass seemed to linger behind his eyes for a few moments, swirling wraithlike before fading like fog hit by the sun.  
"Are you three okay?" Impa had asked the question. She stood there, peering at them.  
Link blinked and looked around to see the assorted faces of his companions. "I'm fine," he said, blinking again. "Fura? Zelda?" He looked around for the two girls.  
"Safe and sound," Fura said, raising her hand from just behind him.  
"Me too," Zelda chimed in.  
Link nodded. "Good. Now let's- _ahh!"_ he squawked, looking down.  
When people find that they are standing upon something solid, it is generally assumed that they are either on some kind of floor, the ground, or a surface of some description. What they all appeared to be standing upon now, however, appeared to be nothing at all. It_ seemed_ solid enough, though, despite its transparency, but it was not so much the invisible floor that had surprised Link so much, but the presence of billions of stars, a moon, a sun, and a gigantic, cloudy, blue sphere that hung in the black nothingness below.  
"Is…is that…?" He left it hanging, not quite trusting his eyes. Perhaps they were still a little hazy from the Compass."It's our world," Florella told him. "Incredible, isn't it? It's hard to believe that's where we all came from…"  
Zeel whistled in amazement. "Look at all the stars…there's so many of them."  
Link looked up from the dizzying height feeling just a little on edge. He noticed that Ark was looking determinedly straight ahead so as not to scare himself by looking down.  
Nyara was busy crooning reassurances to him whilst stroking his head.  
So they were finally here, Link thought to himself. The Eternal Ark.  
Currently, they were all standing in an enormous, empty room. Four walls constructed from some kind of strange, shiny metallic-stone material stretched up towards the ceiling, only to be lost in the shadows. The light that enabled them to see came from a series of torches wedged into iron rings hammered into the walls. The torches burned, but no smoke rose from them, nor did it seem that the flames were actually burning any of the fuel.  
"This place isn't anything like I expected at all," Impa murmured. "Where is the Ark itself."  
"This _is_ the Eternal Ark," Aarden told her. "Part of it, anyway. It exists as a great temple in a spiritual realm above our world. It cannot be seen from the outside, nor does it really exist from the outside…but it's there. It is difficult to explain properly."  
Fura shook her head. "Don't bother," she told the old man. "Let's just do what we came here to do."  
Aarden nodded. "As you will," he said quietly. "Ark, you must lead the way."  
The grey-haired boy looked at Aarden sharply. "M-me? Why me? I don't know where to go…"  
"No, you don't," Aarden agreed. "But see that doorway over there?" He gestured towards a huge doorway set in the wall farthest from them. "We cannot get through it without you."  
Talen squinted at it and frowned. "Doesn't look all that hard to get through to me," he said.  
Aarden managed a small smile as he led them over to it. "Trust me, good smith, there is a barrier there – a barrier that none here can break. It was put in place by the ones who took control of the Ark to prevent anyone from getting in…but Ark can dispel it."  
Florella trotted up to the doorway and peered at it.  
"Careful, Florella," Talen warned her. "Don't get too close."  
The Great Fairy seemed to sense something about the doorway and she shuddered and immediately retreated to Talen's side. "I can feel it," she muttered. "That barrier…you can't see it, but it's there. It's like…like a wall of nothing but evil and corruption. I refuse to go near it." She actually looked ill.  
"H-how do I break it?" Ark stammered. "I mean…the only magic that I know is thunder magic."  
Aarden patted his back reassuringly. "Just walk through, Ark," he told the boy.  
"Is it safe?" Zeel asked, grabbing Ark's hand with Nyara before he could go. "He won't get hurt, will he?"  
Aarden shook his head. "He will be perfectly safe."  
"Ark go," Nyara said eventually, releasing him from her grasp.  
Zeel did the same.  
Hesitantly, Ark made his way up to the edge of the doorway and looked through to find that, thankfully, the other side appeared to have a solid stone floor. "All right," he said in the bravest voice he could muster. "Here I go…" And he stepped through.  
There was nothing. No sound, no flash of light, and no explosion that signified the falling of the barrier in any way, shape, or form.  
"Is it gone?" the grey-haired boy asked.  
Florella reached her hand out towards the doorway and wiggled her antennae about, searching for something. "Yes…yes, it's gone," she said finally. "I can no longer feel it, thank goodness. It was beginning to make me ill."  
Through they all traipsed, onto the solid stone floor. There was a certain air of relief amongst everyone at being able to stand on visibly solid footing, but now a long, menacing hallway stretched out before them, leading into the shadows ahead.  
"Aarden," Saria said before they moved on. "How _did_ Ark break that barrier?"  
The old man opened his mouth to reply, but no words came out and all he could do was stare at her helplessly.  
"Oh," the Kokiri mumbled. "You can't say, right?"  
He shook his head. "I apologize, once again. We must keep moving, however," he said, walking ahead. "Our enemy is no doubt aware of our presence here with the collapse of the barrier."  
And so they began their trek along the long, narrow corridor. Talen stuck close to Florella, Impa and Saria weren't far apart, Nyara and Zeel held Ark's hands, Link walked between Fura and Zelda, and Aarden led the way.  
"Ah…Aarden?" Link spoke up suddenly.  
"Yes, Bearer?" the old man replied from the front.  
Link frowned. "This is probably going to sound a little dumb, but…what am I actually locking?" he asked curiously. "I mean, if we're in the Ark now, won't we be stuck inside if I lock it up?"  
Aarden didn't slow or turn around to answer. "While we are technically inside the Eternal Ark, it is the Ark's core itself that you will be sealing. _That_ is where all of its power comes from."  
"And…" Zelda began. "That's where we're headed?"  
Aarden nodded. "Correct. At the end of this hall we shall find ourselves at the core…and that is where our enemy awaits." His brow hardened as he let out a long breath. "There is nothing in the universe that even comes close to describing the core. You have to see it – _feel_ it in order to realize what it truly is."  
Link frowned as he listened to Aarden talk. The Ark's core…if it defied description, then it wouldn't be until they arrived that he would know what powers he could potentially be facing. But still…he was almost there.

_Are you afraid, Ark?  
_Terrified.  
_Of what?  
_Of being left alone. I have a horrible feeling that…something very bad is going to happen.  
_But there is something else, isn't there.  
_…The dark…being lost in it forever. At the back of my mind, it's always there. I don't want to die or…something worse.  
_You will have to make a choice, though.  
_I…remember you saying that I did, but…what is it? What choice?  
_It does not matter now. When you make the choice…the choice you make…that is all that matters.  
_Will I make…the right one?  
_Your choice will determine how he accomplishes his task – how the Ark is secured from the most malevolent of forces.  
_Link…you're talking about Link, aren't you? My choice will determine how he…how he locks the Eternal Ark.  
_Lock, secure – it is the same. All that matters is that the Ark is protected. Your choice will determine how it is done.  
_But…why me? How can I possible affect the outcome of something as important as this? I mean, Link just has to lock the Ark, right? Why should I have any effect on how he does it?  
_Because you are our dear…our sweet…our Ark.  
_You…you've called me that before. Who…are you? Please tell me…it's strange not to know who I've been dreaming about and talking to for so long.  
_We will be there soon, Ark. We'll be there to help as best we can. Do not lose hope.  
_"Ark okay?" Nyara mewed softly.  
Ark blinked and snapped out of his daydream. He found that he was still walking, but for how far he could not be certain. "P-pardon? Oh! Yes, yes, I'm okay. I was just thinking, Miss Nyara."  
The Meera girl squeezed his hand, almost completely encasing it. "Ark sure?"  
He nodded.  
"Up ahead!" The subdued, yet sharp call came from Fura. "Look, it's the end of the corridor."  
"Be prepared, everyone," Aarden murmured. "There's no telling what we may face inside."  
The sound of weapons being drawn echoed softly along the stone corridor and the fighting force of the group moved to the front.  
"Don't let me down, cat," Zeel murmured to Nyara.  
"Same go for Zeel," the Meera hissed back.  
They approached the end of the hall.  
"Ark…" Aarden murmured just before they entered the room beyond. "I'm so sorry."  
Ark didn't seem to hear.  
The size of the chamber defied description. It was vast, eclipsing any other unnatural construction with its sheer size. It appeared to be made out of that shiny, metallic-stone substance, only more coppery-coloured instead of black, like the rest of the Eternal Ark. The walls rose into oblivion, lost in the shadows where the light from the ever-burning torches did not reach. Great, black pillars as thick as the great trees of Arbouren towered up to become indeterminable from the darkness above, lining the edge of the titanic chamber like silent spectators. A spectacular model of the planet spun lazily in the air above the centre of the room. So detailed was the globe that it actually had what appeared to be actual clouds covering parts of its blue surface.  
"By the Goddesses," Talen whistled, gazing about. "You could fit Hyrule Castle in here…and then some!"  
Link, however, wasn't taking in the spectacular chamber. His eyes traveled up a grand red carpet that ran up the centre of the room to the foot of an immense throne surrounded by burning torches. Uncountable riches surrounded the throne, spilling out of chests with priceless gems glittering like coloured stars.  
"There…on that throne," Ark said quietly. "My parents…that's where they are." He clenched his fists and began to walk purposefully along the carpet with the others not far behind.  
"Careful, Ark," Zeel warned, catching up to him. "Who knows what they have in store."  
They approached the treasure-laden throne carefully, listening and watching for any sign of an attack. Up to now, they had met nothing of a resistance bar the barrier that Ark had somehow broken.  
And then they heard it; a voice.  
"So you're here at last," it said. The voice was that of a male. It sounded young and there was something strangely familiar about it. "All the Locks, the Key, all of you…together."  
The throne appeared empty, so where was the voice coming from?  
"Who are you!?" Fura demanded. "Show yourself!"  
"You presume to order me, Gerudo? Me?" the voice asked with a definite edge. "The one who controls the power of the Eternal Ark?"  
"Control the power of the Eternal Ark? Don't be ridiculous," Aarden scoffed. "You're a parasite; you leech what little power you can to create…" He gestured to the riches all around them. "…these meaningless baubles. Control it? You can barely use it."  
Silence.  
Link narrowed his eyes. The voice sounded _so_ familiar, but where had he heard it before? His mind's eye drifted through flickering images of past enemies that could still be alive, people he'd met, anyone. Unfortunately, he came up with nothing. Whoever the voice belonged to, however, they had met before.  
"So…meaningless baubles, is it?" the voice asked, a hint of amusement evident in its tone. "Would you like me to show you what else I created?"  
Link's hand tightened around the hilt of his sword. "Careful," he whispered.  
"I created this grand hall, I created these vast riches; I created everything you see here." And then the voice's owner stepped out from behind the throne.  
A collective gasp echoed around the vast room.  
"I-it can't be!" Florella exclaimed.  
Ark shook his head in disbelief. "Bu-but you're…you're _me!_"  
"What in the name of the Goddesses is going on here?" Impa hissed, narrowing her eyes.  
The boy before them looked nearly identical to Ark. Slightly taller, a bigger build, and without the gravity-defying fringe. Even his voice sounded the same, but it was just that little bit deeper and it contained a darker, more sinister tone…but, undeniably, it was Ark.  
Ark himself took a step towards him. "Are…you my…twin?" he asked haltingly, confusion ringing clear in his voice.  
"I am Akeron," the Ark look-alike announced. "And no, I am not your twin." He looked directly at Aarden. "Aarden, you treacherous old fool. It's nice to see you again. I'm surprised that Gaul failed to kill you."  
Zeel shook her head. "Wait, wait…you mean to say that the person behind everything to do with the Eternal Ark…is a kid?  
Akeron smirked. "Zeel, my very bad investment. Hired to kill the one you're now fighting alongside," he chuckled. "But you flatter me. I couldn't have done it all on my own." He sat on the huge throne and snapped his fingers.  
Immediately, two cloaked figures appeared from behind the throne. One was a man and the other was clearly a woman.  
Ark gave a sudden start. "A-are they my…parents?" He was very, very confused, yet his voice sounded somehow hopeful. He had expected to find a middle-aged man and woman waiting for him there – his parents.  
"Parents?" Akeron asked incredulously. "Hah! Of course not. You don't even know, do you? You have no idea…" He was grinning like a Cheshire cat as he gestured to the man and the woman. "Meet Aira and Kor."  
Aira had a rather beautiful, well-defined face with high cheekbones and quite angular eyes. Her hair was a dark, olive-green colour, as were her eyes.  
Kor was a rather big man with a shaved head, broad shoulders, and thick, muscular arms. His jaw was quite square and set, and his dark eyes hid a glimmer of wisdom and strength.  
"Where Ark's parents?" Nyara demanded suddenly. The Meera girl looked like she was quickly losing patience. Her hackles were up all the way and her pupils had grown very large, a sign that she was on the very edge of fighting-mode.  
Aira and Kor smiled in amusement.  
"You'd like to tell him, wouldn't you, Aarden?" Akeron asked mockingly. "But it appears that the proverbial cat has your tongue, eh?"  
Aarden shook with anger.  
"No, Aira and Kor are my faithful servants," Akeron smirked airily. "Certainly not Ark's parents."  
Ark still looked confused. "I don't understand…Gaul said that I was his brother. My family should be here, shouldn't they?"  
"Oh yes, Gaul _was_ your brother," Akeron agreed in an eerily pleasant tone. "But in a different sense. Let me start from the beginning."  
Aarden put his hand on Ark's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, my boy," he sighed brokenly. "Forgive me."  
This was it, Ark's mind told him. He was about to find out the complete truth of his origin.  
Akeron grinned at the old man's apology. "I was born and raised into a wealthy family in Hyrule Town. My life was luxury; everything I wanted I got…but then as I grew older I saw the squalor of the world outside my home. All those lower-class rats…filthy, disgusting peasants reproducing and spreading across the globe. I couldn't stand it. And so, with a lot of research from Aira and Kor here, I managed to track down information about the Eternal Ark. I tracked down Aarden and, after learning of the loss of his woman, easily convinced him to take us here." He paused and gave a broad sweep of his hand, causing his throne to vanish.  
There, at the very back of the chamber, was an immense door. Great carvings that depicted suns, moons, stars, and planets decorated its surface. But up the middle of the great door was a thin, almost unnoticeable crack that told of its partial opening. And from behind that crack shone the most brilliant, beautiful light that anyone had ever laid eyes upon. It shone with all the colours in the world, glowing with all imaginable life. It was hypnotizing, captivating, and completely indescribable.  
"The core of the Eternal Ark…" Link breathed. "It's incredible…you were right, Aarden."  
Akeron snorted in a superiorly. "You don't even know what it's for, do you?" He held out his hand and the light behind the door seemed to pulse.  
And then, like a wisp of smoke from a freshly extinguished candle, a serpent-like strand of red light twisted out of thin air and threaded into a outline of a jewel. That strand of light then burned molten, flaring up and then dying down, leaving behind a solid, tangible ruby the size of a fist.  
Akeron tossed it carelessly in amongst all of the other jewels. "The Ark is creation itself! Housed within that door is the power to create whole worlds!" he exclaimed, stretching his arms out in a grandiose manner. "But the Ark would not open, even when we broke the Lock. Aarden turned on us then, and so we enslaved his mind using the small amount of power that began to seep out."  
"So was it riches you wanted?" Fura asked flatly. "Is all of this about greed? The lust for riches and power?" Her voice held an unmistakable tone of disgust, mirrored by the look in her eyes.  
Akeron shook his head and laughed; a horrible, harsh sound that sounded so alien in a voice that sounded like Ark's. "Fool…if I attain the power of the Ark…I become a _god!_ I will wipe out all filth on this world and create a new one by my own hand. A perfect world!"  
"So that's what the Ark does," Florella squeaked. "It's like…it's like…"  
"A forge that can create anything," Talen muttered. He shook his head. "So what does this have to do with Ark? Tell us!"  
Akeron raised an eyebrow. "As a god I would have my own holy army…an unstoppable force that would march across the world and purify it. But with the Ark refusing to open, I had to figure out a way to get the Key and the Locks…so using the power of the Ark that seeped out, I focused all of my will and power into creating a single, glorious creation: the Archetype."  
Ark narrowed his eyes. The Archetype! The thing from his dreams, the thing that seemed to be behind a lot of what was going on.  
"Ark…isn't that what was in your dream?" Zeel asked the boy.  
He nodded.  
"Archetype?" Zelda asked.  
"In my dreams I could always hear an argument…it was always over something called the Archetype," Ark murmured. "Was it a memory? It _must_ have been…a memory that Gaul failed to erase."  
Akeron was clearly amused. "But to create the Archetype I had to use a language older than the world itself…the language used by the Goddesses when they created the world." He folded his arms across his chest. "As such there were bound to be errors, and I made a mistake. The Archetype was a failure."  
Ark gulped. "And…what was the Archetype?" His mind was burning, making his body numb. He had to know more than anything else in the universe…he had to know what the Archetype was.  
"Why Ark," Akeron laughed. "The Archetype is you."

It can be said that time can sometimes appear to slow in a moment of intensity. It can slow very slightly or it can slow to nothing more than a trickle. For Ark, it stopped completely for the second time in his life. An eternal heartbeat for one intolerable moment.  
"Ark is the Archetype!?" Zeel exclaimed. "Just what the Hell do you think you're talking about!? Ark's a boy! He's not some _thing_ that you made! He's fourteen years old!"  
"Wrong, Zeel. Ark's several months old at best…and he's spent the majority of those months with all of you. When he started out to find the Bearer, he was probably a week old at best," Akeron said smoothly. "Ark was the first of what would become my greatest and most powerful servants. He was the archetype on what all the others were based upon." His face suddenly twisted into a furious snarl. "But he came out wrong. I worded the complex incantation incorrectly, and instead of becoming the faithful, obedient servant I wished for, he was created as nothing more than a weak image of myself."  
"No!" Nyara roared, clutching Ark to her chest. "Ark is Ark! Ark not Archetype!"  
"But that wasn't what made him dangerous, was it," Aarden said quietly.  
"No," Akeron growled. "It wasn't. You see, whereas all of my other creations after you were filled with malice and corruption, _you_ were filled with the purest of innocence and life."  
Florella gasped loudly. "That's why you wanted Ark dead!" she exclaimed. "He was the only person capable of breaking through that barrier of yours. His innocence negated your corruption."  
Akeron clapped his hands. "Bravo, fairy," he laughed mockingly. "Bravo. That old traitor Aarden took him away so that he could use him to break through the barrier to escape…and return. You're not even real, Ark. You're a soulless tool created precisely for the purpose of fighting against these friends of yours."  
Ark was still staring at him blankly when his jaw began to quiver. "I am not a tool!" he cried, tears forming in his eyes. "I'm a boy, a real boy!" He fought back the urge to cry. "I'm real! I have a soul! I have blood in my veins, a beating heart, breathing lungs. I can laugh, I can cry, I can be happy, I can be sad…I have parents!" But even as he said that, he knew that what Akeron had told him was true. It was Aarden and Akeron, he realized, who had been arguing in his dreams – arguing about him. Aarden had taken him away while Akeron screamed at his underlings to destroy him. He felt chilled at that thought; like a dead weight had just been loosed in his chest to sink his heart to the pit of his stomach.  
Akeron shook his head. "_I'm_ the closest thing you have to a parent, Ark. I created all the others after you; the first one I sent to stop you on the way to the Bearer, the second to stop you on your way to Hyrule Castle...I created the Golem that blocked the way out of Gale, Gravan, too. All of them were made the same way you were, only correctly. And then I created Gaul as a match for the Bearer…he was perfection." He shrugged. "In a way, they were all your brothers…and you killed them all."  
"_NO!"_ Ark screamed suddenly. He tried to lunge at Akeron, but Nyara held him back.  
"Don't, Ark," she warned. "He hurt you!"  
Akeron continued talking. "I gave you the name of Archay, which means "half-formed" in the ancient language. Fitting, don't you think? But then Aarden renamed you after he took you away, after the very thing that helped to create you…The Eternal Ark. And your healing ability? It's simply the creational life energy of the Ark inside you. It filled your body upon the point of your creation, fusing with your very blood to heal your wounds whenever you're injured."  
"Goddesses…" Zeel breathed, realization dawning on her. "That's why you taste so sweet…it was the taste of your innocence. And the amount of vitality it gave me…it was the Ark's energy. All those plants that grew from your blood, that's it as well."  
Ark shook his head violently from side to side. He still didn't want to believe it, but Zeel had more or less confirmed it. He sobbed hopelessly into Nyara's bosom. It could have been that last time he'd ever be able to find comfort with her, for perhaps now, after learning what he truly was, she would reject him.  
But Nyara did not. She held him close and firm with those powerful, steel-like muscles.  
Akeron sniffed dispassionately and turned to Aarden. "Fat lot of good your fake memories do for him now, hmm? It simply made it all the more painful for him to have them torn down."  
Ark had given up trying to stop himself from crying. His small body shook with each sob, jolting Nyara as she held him. "That-that's why I c-couldn't remember my f-favourite food and colour a-and things," he choked. "Th-they never existed. I w-wasn't alive for l-long enough to h-have any."  
Akeron's lips were a thin line of smugness. "So now you know the truth, Archay. That nagging question of where you came from has finally been answered. How does it taste?" He smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. "Bitter? I thought so."  
Zelda and Saria were in a state of openmouthed shock, unable to believe that somebody as good Ark had been created by somebody as foul as Akeron. They couldn't bear it; watching as poor Ark's life was torn down around him.  
"That's enough!" The sharp, furious command came from Impa. The tall, fearsome woman's face was mottled red with anger and her hands were balled into fists so tight that her knuckles looked like they were about to break through her skin. "Half-formed? A failure? Not real? You call Ark these things, but the only person they describe is _you_." She drew herself up, seething with suppressed fury. "Ark has grown; he's adapted, struggled through conflict, and overcome his fears. He's experienced kindness, friendship, loyalty, happiness, sorrow, anger, loss, and love…but what about you? You've spent all this time in here, festering away in your own misguided self-righteousness without ever learning to appreciate what beauty this world and its people has to offer. Ark's not the failure, Akeron, you are."  
Akeron seemed stung by Impa's words. His face twisted and contorted into a scowl of indignation and anger. "You _wretch!_"  
A metallic clang rang out sharply across the great chamber. "You know what, Akeron?" It was Link. He was tapping the tip of his sword on the floor, a thoughtful frown playing about his lips. "There's nothing I hate more than somebody who thinks that they know what's good for people more than they do."  
For the first time since meeting him, Akeron focused all of his attention upon Link, or rather the Key around his neck. "Bearer," he sneered. "I believe you have some things that I need. Give them to me now and perhaps I will allow you and your friends to live through my reshaping of the world."  
Link snorted. "Your sense has obviously been dulled by that big head of yours," he frowned. "You don't play with a person's life, Akeron. I won't kill you unless I'm forced to…but I can't say the same for Nyara and Zeel. You're theirs to claim."  
Akeron held his hand out before him and grinned maliciously. "Then let them claim me," he scoffed, clenching his hand into a fist. "If they can. I was hoping that you would try to do things the hard way. It gives me the opportunity to try out some of the creations that never got the opportunity to test themselves." He gestured sharply to his two servants. "Kor, take the blacksmith. Aira, you take care of the demon. I'll let the rest deal with everyone else." He turned on his heel and marched off towards the Ark's core.  
"Akeron!" Zeel snarled. "Come back here so I can gut you!" Her wings billowed and she went for him, but Aira was suddenly blocking her path.  
"If you want to face master Akeron…then you must get by me," she said darkly.  
"Fine," Zeel spat, running her tongue over her teeth. "I'll feast on you _and_ your precious master."  
Then, without so much as a warning, the occupants of the great chamber – bar Akeron, Ark, Link, and Aarden – vanished into thin air, leaving only a faint echo of voices behind.  
"Where did they go?" Link demanded. "Answer me!" He aimed the tip of his sword at Akeron's throat.  
"Heh," Akeron snorted. "I wouldn't do that if I were you. Try anything, _anything,_ and the places I have sent them will collapse in upon themselves…along with your friends."  
Link's teeth ground together audibly, but he returned his sword to the scabbard on his back.  
"So," the self-proclaimed master of the Eternal Ark began nonchalantly, smirking at Link's obedience. "What shall we do to pass the time?"

Nyara flailed her arms about as disorientation took hold. One instant she had been near the core of the Eternal Ark with Ark held firmly in her grip, the next she was falling through the air in what appeared to be a forested area. She twisted mid-fall and landed perfectly on her feet. Her highly-attuned reflexes kicked in, picking up the sound of rushing air as another plummeting body fell towards her. Reacting quickly, she caught who she expected to be Ark, but was instead greeted with the sight of a confused Zeel.  
"Ugh," the demoness grunted. "What happened?" She blinked and looked up to see Nyara's face peering at her.  
With a dispassionate grunt, Nyara dropped her to the grassy ground and flicked her tail about irritably.  
They were in the middle of a clearing surrounded by tall trees that stretched off endlessly in every direction. There was grass underfoot, earth, too…but something seemed out of place.  
"Nice going, cat," Zeel scowled, standing up and dusting herself off. She opened her mouth to berate Nyara some more, but their current situation suddenly quickly garnered her attention. "Hey…where are we?" She looked around a little more frantically. "And where's Ark?"  
"We sent somewhere," Nyara muttered. "This forest, though…not normal forest. Doesn't smell right." She raised her head and sniffed the air. "We still in Eternal Ark…and there someone here with us."  
Zeel frowned. "Friend or foe?"  
Nyara's claws extended with that familiar "snikt" sound. "Foe," she growled.  
Zeel's red scythe instantly appeared in the demoness' hands, ready for use.  
"Well it seems that things have not gone exactly to plan," a cool voice murmured. Aira moved between the trees that ringed the clearing. "Everyone should have been separated, so why are you both together?"  
Nyara crouched low, assuming a battle-ready stance. "Nyara and Zeel promise to fight together, that why," she said.  
Zeel glanced at the Meera briefly in annoyance. "Don't be idiotic," the demoness hissed quickly. Her voice rose to a yell. "You can talk stupid later, cat. Time to fight!" And she was off, racing at top speed towards the last tree that Aira had disappeared behind with a fierce battle-cry. With a splintering of wood, she sheared clean through the trunk.  
Aira, however, was no longer there.  
"What? Where'd she go?" Zeel growled, wheeling around just in time to see a set of sharp, metallic claws slicing right at her. For a split second, Zeel thought it was Nyara attacking her, but a warning cry from the Meera told her otherwise.  
"Stupid Zeel move!" Nyara ordered sharply, diving and tackling her out of the way of the oncoming strike.  
The metal claws were, in fact, Aira's weapon of choice. Attached around her wrists and held steady by a hand-grip each, they were a quick, deadly, and accurate set of blades.  
"She move very fast," Nyara warned, picking them both up as Aira circled around them slowly, a cocky smirk gracing her lips. "Nyara and Zeel have to work together."  
Zeel glanced at Aira and then turned her attention back to Nyara. "Ugh…ah, right," she agreed, albeit reluctantly.  
Aira struck again, moving with such speed that it was nearly impossible to see her. She flicked her hand out and her metal claws sung through the air. Instead of collecting with flesh, however, they connected with Zeel's scythe.  
"Too slow!" Zeel remarked. She pushed her opponent's weapon aside and then twisted sharply, grabbing Nyara's hand and swinging her around one hundred and eighty-degrees. As the Meera came around, she whipped her foot out and kicked Aira solidly in the side of the head and sent her sprawling on the ground.  
"Heh, interesting," Aira commented, picking herself up. "This could be more fun than I thought. Let's see if the two of you combined can defeat the magnificent power my master has given me." And then she sprung, blurring out of sight only to reappear again as her metal claws clashed with Nyara's organic ones in a shower of sparks. Then she was gone again, appearing in front of Zeel this time to slash at the demoness' face. She missed, though, as Zeel arched over backwards, the metallic claws passing just over the tip of her nose.  
The corners of Zeel's mouth turned up into a little smile, exposing her pointed incisors. "Your master, eh? I'm looking forward to feasting on that miserable roach once we're done with you," she chuckled. "Now enough friendly banter…time to die!" Zeel made to attack, but she stopped short and, to Aira's surprise, Nyara vaulted suddenly over her shoulders.  
"Nyah!" Nyara yowled, twisting like a sapling and twirling like a top as she shot through the air. Her feet whizzed dangerously close to Aira's face, one after the other, forcing the fast-moving young woman to leap back.  
"Watch out for the claws!" Zeel barked as Nyara landed on her hands.  
The Meera flipped up and her claws met with Aira's with a loud clack, holding together despite being organic instead of metal. She slashed and swiped with as much strength as she could muster, and Aira, though possessing great speed in terms of movement, was about equal to Nyara in terms of fighting speed. So, with each offence on Nyara's part, Aira just managed to counter it and vice-versa. Nyara, however, was far more acrobatic and sinuous than Aira was.  
"Hah!" Aira yelled victoriously, thrusting her claws forward.  
Nyara made no move to block the strike and then promptly bent straight over backwards, reached _through_ her legs as Aira overcommitted her thrust, and grabbed the young woman's ankles. With a rough jerk, Nyara sent her crashing onto her back. Then, like a sapling bending back up after being flattened, the Meera girl whipped Aira through her legs, swung her up into the air as she bent back upright, took Aira over her head with her momentum, and slammed her onto the ground with all of her strength.  
Aira grunted sharply as all the wind was knocked out of her. She could taste that metallic flavour of blood in her mouth, but she didn't have time to lie around. As Nyara descended upon her for a heavy strike to her head, Aira jerked herself up and sliced out her hand.  
Nyara gave a sudden yowl of pain as Aira's claws scratched her forearm. Biting back the pain, she feinted to the side and delivered one, two slashes to Aira's ribs, catching her on the second swipe, and then a third strike; a powerful blow to the gut that sent her reeling back. Nyara went for her again, but Aira braced her hands on the ground and thrust her feet straight up, catching the Meera under the chin.  
"Nngh!" Nyara groaned, staggering back. The blow to her jaw had accidentally forced her to bite her tongue. With the sharp teeth of a Meera, such a thing was very painful. She winced through the mist in her eyes and saw Aira rushing her, but, with the reflexes of a cat, she ducked under the first strike, smashed her right fist into Aira's solar-plexus, her left fist up under her arm, and then balled both fists together, brought them up over her head, and drove them straight into her opponent's face.  
Aira sailed through the air after her nose had been rather violently shattered by Nyara's two-fisted blow. She decided that perhaps it was time for a different tactic – the Meera was simply too good at hand-to-hand combat.  
"Eeeyaa!" Nyara yowled, pouncing towards the downed Aira. Before she hit her, however, the young woman blinked out of sight.  
"Where'd she go?" Zeel muttered, arriving at Nyara's side. She scanned the trees for any sign of their foe, but she was nowhere to be seen. "What's she up to?"  
Their answer came in the form of a sizzling ball of blue fire that came rocketing out of the trees. Zeel caught sight of it first, uttered a startled warning, and then dove to the side as Nyara did the same. The fireball struck the ground where they had been standing, exploding with a great shower of dirt and grass.  
"Cheap," Nyara growled, rolling to her feet.  
"Magic, hmm," Zeel grunted. "Cat, follow me on the ground." And with that she spread her leathery wings and pushed herself into the air. She soared into the trees, her eyes peeled for any sign of Aira. Another ball of blue fire whizzed by, forcing Zeel to roll to the side to avoid it. Fortunately, the attack had allowed the demoness to locate her enemy.  
She was there; darting through the upper branches from tree to tree like some kind of spectre.  
"Gotcha!" Zeel roared triumphantly. She brought her scythe up, the blade humming and aglow with red magic, before bringing it down and sending off a wave of energy at the retreating Aira. It hit the tree she had pushed off from, ripping through the trunk and spraying bark and woodchips everywhere. Unfortunately, it missed its intended target, but Zeel had never been one to be put off by a simple setback. Again she swung her razor-sharp blade, weaving s-like through the trees after her quarry and cutting clean through two more trunks.  
Aira, however, always remained just out of reach; leaping from tree to tree like some kind of high-speed acrobat whilst also finding time to launch counterattacks of her own – counterattacks that forced Zeel to use all of her flying skills to avoid.  
"Augh!" the demoness screamed, firing off short bursts of red and purple energy. "Stay still so I can hit you!"  
While Aira didn't stay still, Zeel finally managed to do some damage. One of her attacks whistled through a gap in the trees, not hitting the one that Aira was on, but, by pure chance, hitting the tree she was leaping towards. Aira faltered in midair, slowing down as her landing place erupted into a shower of woodchips and a flash of power.  
Zeel looked like a cat about to catch a mouse. She flattened her wings flush against her body and whistled straight over to the faltering Aira. She reached out as she passed overhead, grabbing her opponent by her hair and twisting her own body around sharply, hurling Aira straight into the side of a tree.  
Aira, however, proved to be remarkably resilient. No sooner had she crunched into the hard wood that she immediately blinked out of sight to appear off to Zeel's side, loosing several balls of blue fire in the process. They struck Zeel unawares, detonating and blasting her through the air and tearing one of her wings in the process.  
"Rragh!" Zeel growled furiously. She flared her wings and brought herself to a stop.  
Her wing, though torn, was still capable of keeping her airborne. That didn't mean that it wasn't hurting like Hell, though, and the spot on her side where she'd been hit by the full brunt of the blast was burnt and aching, too.  
Suddenly, her sense of approach kicked in and she wheeled around just in time to blast out a wide wave of red energy at Aira, who had snuck up behind her. "Aha!" she yelled triumphantly as Aira was swallowed up in the explosion. She swooped down low, expecting Aira to fall…but she didn't, and Zeel didn't notice until it was too late.  
"Foolish demon! I have you now!"  
Zeel jerked her head up in time to see her opponent coming straight at her from a completely different tree – she had somehow evaded the blast and circled around to come from another direction. She raised her scythe a little too late as Aira swung her arm as hard as she could. A loud clang echoed through the trees as the metal claws caused Zeel's scythe to bounce to the side, jarring her arm. And then, as if in slow motion, the second strike came towards Zeel's unprotected chest in the form of a thrust. Zeel's mouth opened in a silent gasp, her eyes as wide as saucers as the three-pronged claws streaked unstoppable towards her.  
But it never came. Nyara, having followed closely on the ground, struck at that moment…though not in the fashion Zeel had been expecting.  
Like a great leviathan rising from the deep, the enormous form of Nyaragon burst up through the branches, collecting her enemy in her jaws as she surged upwards. She held the struggling Aira's legs between those terrible teeth as she braced herself between the trees.  
"Release me!" Akeron's follower shrieked.  
Nyaragon swung her head to the side and smashed Aira into a thick, unforgiving branch, almost knocking her senseless. Her hands released their grip on her claws and they flopped uselessly at her wrists.  
"Jeez, cat," Zeel breathed. "Cut it rather close, didn't you?"  
Through the pain of having her legs crimped between a set of razor-sharp incisors, Aira suddenly laughed. "Don't get so cocky. Lord Akeron will extinguish the lives of any and all who oppose him like one snuffs out a candle. The power he has attained from the Eternal Ark is unimaginable!" She coughed and then grinned. "And that boy…that useless creation…Archay will be the first to go."  
Before Zeel could react in the violent manner in which she would have liked, a low rumble reverberated from Nyaragon's throat.  
"Ark!" she growled. "Naeng ish _Ark!_"  
There was the sound of breaking bones, a gurgle from Aira, and then she was gone, disappearing down the Bloodcat's throat as she bit down and swallowed.  
Zeel watched, fascinated and somewhat repulsed by Nyaragon's gruesome display of savagery. Never before had she heard of someone actually _eating_ their enemy once they had beaten them. "Oh God…" she breathed as all near-twenty feet of Bloodcat muscle arched her back and bellowed a single deafening roar of triumph.  
And then, as suddenly as they had appeared in the strange forest, they were gone.

"F-Fura?" Zelda asked timidly. "Do you have any idea where we are?"  
Fura scratched her head and peered about. "You know what? I don't know."  
In the same time it took to blink, the two girls had suddenly found themselves separated from everyone else. They were in a field of long, green grass scattered with unmarked posts about eight feet high and wide enough to conceal the average person. The wind was blowing, fanning the green blades out flat between the posts like the water of a swift flowing river moving around the rocks breaching its surface. There was a blue sky up above, dotted with clouds. There was no sun, but it was quite light.  
"But…" Fura continued. "I do believe that we may still be in the Ark."  
"I think you may be right," Zelda agreed as she peered about uneasily. She felt ill at ease in their surroundings. All that could be heard was the wind howling through the strange posts and the blades of grass whispering against each other.  
"Link's not here," Fura muttered, turning in a tight circle.  
"No. I can't feel him either," Zelda said quietly. She moved closer to Fura. "I don't like this place…there's something here that bears us ill will."  
Fura immediately went on alert. "Where?" she asked, sliding her twin scimitars from her back slowly. "Is it close?"  
Zelda looked about and then gave Fura a rather helpless gesture. She couldn't tell.  
"Damn," the Gerudo grumbled. "And these stupid posts everywhere don't make it easier to see." She twitched her head, motioning for Zelda to follow. "Let's see if we can find our way out of here. Stick close to me…and don't be afraid to use some of that magic of yours if things call for it."  
Zelda nodded and the two of them began to pick their way through the jumbled mess of posts.  
The posts themselves were quite unremarkable; plain, perfectly straight, and with absolutely no markings on them whatsoever, save the grain of the wood. They seem to have been placed at random, leaving virtually no straight lines of clear sight. But despite not being able to see very far into the distance, a ring of mountains was visible above the jumble of posts, giving the feeling of being in a giant crater.  
"I have no freakin' idea where we're going," Fura sighed after several minutes of walking. "You can't use some royal family magic hoo-hah to figure out what direction we should go in?"  
"No, I cannot," Zelda replied somewhat tersely. "And if it isn't too much trouble, Fura, please don't refer to my bloodline's inherent abilities as, "royal family magic hoo-hah"." Her demeanour quickly changed and her tone became slightly mischievous. "Or it'll be, "witchy-poo fire spitting" for you from now on."  
Fura ran her teeth over her tongue. The one thing she hated about her position was her status as a witch. It brought up images of a wrinkled old hag instead of a wild desert beauty.  
"I'll take your silence as an agreement, then," Zelda said cheerfully.  
Fura, however, suddenly stopped dead, causing Zelda to walk straight into the back of her.  
"What is it?" Zelda asked.  
Fura held a finger to her lips, silencing her. "There's something nearby," she whispered. "Can you hear it?"  
Zelda froze and strained her pointed ears. There was the whistling of the wind, the whispering of the grass, and…there it was. It was the sound of something moving through the shin-deep grass. Zelda could hear the faint swishing sound it made against the green blades, like somebody with pant legs that brushed against one another. And then, abruptly, it stopped. "F-Fura," Zelda squeaked. "I can't hear it anymore."  
Fura peered about as she brought her twin scimitars into a defensive position. Whatever was following them definitely wasn't friendly. She could sense it; only something nasty would stalk then like that. "Zelda," Fura hissed. "Take this." She reached into her thick mass of red hair and pulled out a small dagger. "It's not much, but it could help you out in a pinch."  
Zelda accepted the knife gratefully and held it out before her. Her stance and the way in which she held the tiny weapon would have told anyone watching that she was not proficient at all with it. The Princess, however, didn't care one way or the other.  
"Careful…" Fura murmured, her eyes narrow and alert. She raised one of her scimitars as the tip of the weapon began to hum and glow red with heat. A ball of sizzling, popping fire flickered to life in the air just above the metal and, when it was sufficiently charged, the Gerudo brought the weapon down so that it was aimed straight out in front of her. The sound of grass being snapped as something moved through it reached her ears. Fura's eyes widened almost manically. _"There!"_ And then she thrust her scimitar forwards as if she were intending to skewer something. The ball of fire shot from the tip of the weapon with a loud crack, backfiring a halo of sparks towards the blade's hilt. The fireball rocketed through the forest of wooden posts until it was out of sight, until…  
"Cover your ears, maybe," Fura said quickly.  
Before Zelda could comply, a deafening, eardrum-rupturing explosion rocked the ground. A great, swirling dome of fire rose up a short distance away, sending a plume of dirt, grass, and fragments of wooden post high into the sky.  
"Aha!" Fura laughed. "That'll show 'em we mean business! Come and get us!"  
Zelda, her ears still ringing from the blast, watched as what appeared to be a stringless puppet rushed at them from behind one of the posts. It moved in eerie, jerky, somewhat lifeless motions with a horribly vacant expression.  
Fura, riding high on the euphoria of springing so suddenly into battle, twirled around and neatly lopped off its head. The puppet fell at her feet – and it was clearly _not_ made out of wood and cloth like a normal puppet. This one seemed to contain all the bits and pieces of an actual person.  
"Oh…goodness," Zelda breathed, going white. She promptly looked away from the headless body.  
Fura scowled at her fallen foe. "That can't be it," she muttered. "This thing's just some kind of lifeless zombie. It's not a real person, Zelda…it must be something that Akeron made." She smashed her fists together. "That punk'll pay for toying with life like this."  
"Fura, look out! There's more of them!" Zelda shrieked.  
Whole groups of the puppet-men – all identical – came pouring out from the post forest. They all moved in that same eerie manner as the first, unnerving the two girls to no end.  
Fura, however, didn't remain so for long. "You want more? Then take it!" she roared, challenging them. She loosed a burning-hot ball of fire at the closest group, blasting them apart in a fiery explosion. Whirling around, she decimated a second party with a single sweep of her hand. "Zelda," she barked. "Get down!" Zelda obeyed, and Fura disintegrated several of the puppets as they sprung from behind.  
"Eeh! Fura, they're everywhere," Zelda squeaked, pointing a shaking finger at more of the lifeless enemy.  
Fura's eyes twinkled maliciously. "Too bad they suck at fighting! Come get some red-hot justice!" She ran at the approaching onslaught of at least fifty of the puppets, sheathing her scimitars and welling up a ball of fire in each hand. She weaved from side to side until she was in the thick of things. "Rr-rr-rr-rr-_RAA-HAA!_" She loosed her fireballs with what sounded like two cannons firing and everything was swallowed up in a great plume of fiery vengeance.  
Zelda watched from a distance, covering her ears as Fura blew up nearly everything that moved. The ground shook, searing sheets of flame licked at the air, and the Princess suddenly found herself in awe of just how destructively beautiful Fura could be. She watched as the Gerudo's scimitars found their way into her hands, transforming the copper-skinned girl into a twirling marionette of death. She danced, spun, and leapt about, slicing through her opponents with her shining blades like they were nothing but butter. It was almost hypnotizing to watch; she was so _graceful_. Her hips rocked from side to side like those of an exotic dancer, her body flowed like water, and her hair sprayed out like a sheet of fire – all while cutting down and burning scores of enemies. Fura could make a girl feel very inadequate without even trying.  
Quite suddenly, however Fura's fiery dance ceased and she was left standing amongst the remains of the puppet-men. She looked around, then up at Zelda, and bowed, leaving the Princess to fight the urge to clap.  
"You're making me feel useless, Fura," Zelda smiled. She looked around nervously for any sign of more creepy puppet-men. "Let's get out of here…I don't particularly care for standing in amongst all of this carnage."  
Fura beamed with pride. "I _did_ do a pretty good job, didn't I." She nudged an errant arm with her foot. "Though they weren't exactly the strongest of enemies; they seemed to come apart too easily."  
Zelda covered her mouth and wrinkled her nose. "Oh…Fura! That sounds horrible."  
The Gerudo grinned and clacked her blades together. "Doesn't it, though? Ooh…I can't wait to get my hands on Akeron. I'll stick needles into his eyes and then heat them up so that they burst and send eyeball juice all over the place."  
Zelda gagged, but that gag quickly turned into a gasp. "Fura! Behind you!"  
Fura about-faced, brandishing her twin scimitars threateningly. Standing atop one of the few posts that hadn't been completely blown apart or charred, was a lone figure. He appeared to be male, judging by the clothes it wore, but he wore a strange wooden mask that had no real distinguishing features except for two narrow slits for him to see through. He was clad in a rather tight outfit, much like those of the midnight assailants that had kidnapped Fura and Zelda after leaving the Meera village.  
"Who's this clown?" Fura snorted, squinting at him.  
The masked man said nothing; instead, he raised his arms to allow a blade to emerge from each elbow. He crouched in a strange, low stance with his arms held out either side of his body so that his elbow-blades flared out.  
"I think I'll stay out of this one," Zelda squeaked, taking refuge behind a post.  
"A-heh," Fura chuckled, snorting a puff of smoke out of her nose. "Think you're hot stuff, huh?" She gestured to the scattered pieces of the puppet-men that lay about on the scorched earth. "You want some of this, Masked Wonder? Come and get it!" And then she broke into a run, her twin scimitars held out on either side like a pair of wings.  
The masked man sprung from his post, uncoiling himself like a spring. He hit the ground running, his arms held tightly against his chest and his blades sticking out. Fura swung one scimitar as he approached, curving it in a broad arc. Her strike missed, however; the masked man ducked underneath it in a fluid motion and positioned his arm so that his elbow-blade was aiming right for Fura's stomach. Instead of piercing her copper flesh, though, the Gerudo quickly swung her second scimitar and knocked the man's blade off course. Blade met with blade again as the man whirled around and soon they were both slashing and lunging at each other. The masked man moved in quick, short movements, whereas Fura flowed gracefully from one maneuver to the next; twirling in circles and flaring out her scimitars to catch her opponent's elbow-blades in showers of yellow sparks.  
Zelda watched from a distance, entranced by Fura's movements. The Gerudo seemed almost unconcerned, but Zelda could see the furrow in her brow that spoke of intense concentration. Graceful in nearly every other aspect, Zelda had to admit yet again that the Gerudo were especially elegant when it came to fighting. It was similar to watching Impa fight; the Gerudo and Sheikah styles of fighting relied not on offensives based upon single strikes from different directions and angles, but instead they relied on allowing a series of strikes to flow from the same movement. If her back was turned, Fura could cross her arms anywhere over her front to bring her scimitars around to protect her back – one over her shoulder and the other up from her hip, or simply around her sides. It was, in a way, like watching a dance.  
Fura frowned as she whirled around to face her opponent. He was pretty quick, that was certain. She would have to be a lot more careful with the masked man; he wasn't just some fancy-looking fop in a mask.  
Said fop suddenly went on the offensive, darting towards Fura in a zigzag manner. He pounced, throwing a sharp jab at her – not with his fist, but with the tips of his fingers which were held together, paddle-like. Fura evaded, jerking to one side and then the other as the masked man shot out his other hand. He suddenly japed at her head, forcing her to sway out of the way, but he followed through, bringing his elbow-blade frighteningly close to her face – so close, in fact, that he actually managed to cut a thin line of red across her cheek.  
"Damn you," she hissed. The Gerudo rolled, readying a sphere of fire in her fist as she rocked back which she then loosed upon coming to a stop on her haunches.  
The masked man seemed to sense what she was doing and beat a hasty retreat from the oncoming ball of volatile flame. The burning sphere ploughed into the ground where he had been standing, digging in momentarily before tearing apart the earth in a jarring explosion.  
Fura grinned. Magic obviously wasn't his strong point. With that thought spurring her on, Fura raised her hand to her lips. "Try this, Masked Wonder," she cooed, blowing him a kiss. But instead of just blowing a kiss, Fura blew a great stream of roiling fire that lashed through the air and swept along after the masked man as he powered along to avoid it. As Fura's breath ran out, the man took off towards the forest of posts. "Trying to run away? Outrun _this!_" Fura tossed her twin scimitars into the air and they burst into flame, clanging together and fusing at the hilt. She caught burning weapon, reared her arm back, and then let fly with a shout of effort.  
The man ran, dashing into the mess of wooden posts as Fura's spinning weapon streaked after him. As he ducked around posts, the spinning blades lopped clean through them like a set of trimming shears through a hedge. It cut a swath after the masked man, clearing a great, curved line of the posts as the masked man circled back around to where Fura stood, guiding her weapon through the flames enveloping it. He suddenly burst back onto the scene, running straight at Fura with the twin scimitars gaining on him. At the last moment, however, he rolled forward, allowing them to pass just overhead. As Fura caught her weapon and separated it, the masked man aimed one of his elbow-blades at her and, to Fura's surprise, shot it towards her like an arrow loosed from a bow. The projectile blade punctured clean through her thigh, forcing a cry of excruciating pain from her throat. She hadn't been expecting _that_.  
"Ugh…cheat…" she hissed, grabbing at the blade protruding from her leg. She went to pull it out, but the searing pain made her falter and sink to her knees.  
The man rushed at her then, his remaining blade aimed right at her. She went to raise her weapons to block his strike, but the realization that she had dropped them quickly set in. She closed her eyes, the strike came…but it did not make contact.  
"Uhh…huh?" Fura opened her eyes and gasped. The man's blade was there, quivering mere millimeters from the bridge of her nose. Holding it there was a thin film of yellow light. Fura looked past the weapon, past the masked man to see Zelda standing in the background with her face twisted in concentration.  
"It's okay, Fura!" the Princess said, straining. "I have it!"  
But the masked man suddenly turned and went for her, running low. Zelda barely had time to gasp as he appeared before her and backhanded her to the ground.  
"Zelda! Look out!" Fura screamed as the man aimed his blade down at the blonde girl.  
Zelda squeaked and rolled to the side just as the man plunged his weapon down. It pierced the ground, bringing him to a stop about two feet above the Princess.  
"The knife!" Fura shouted. "Use the knife!"  
Zelda had almost forgotten it. Still clutching it in her hand, she jabbed it straight at the man's masked face without even thinking, sliding it neatly into one of the eye holes like a key into a lock.  
The man reared back, clutching at his masked face and letting out a scream that sounded more animal than man. He staggered back, thrashing about with the knife's handle protruding from his face.  
"Finish him off!"  
This was it. Zelda summoned up all of her offensive will like some burning ball of malice inside of her and released it. Her hair flared out and her clothes billowed as if blown by an intangible wind, and thousands of tiny points of light streaked from her body, each one leaving a blazing trail in the air. They snaked towards the masked man at incredible speed, much like they had when Zelda had attacked Gravan out on the ocean. They skewered him, threading through his body as if by the had of a sewer, burning brighter and brighter until, in a flash of light and a roar of sound, the masked man was swallowed up completely by Zelda's light, exploding violently and knocking the Princess off her feet.  
There was silence for a while. Fura was breathing heavily, holding her hands firmly against her wound to stop the blood from flowing so freely. Zelda, on the other hand, lay sprawled on her back, staring up at the sunless sky as the euphoria of survival began to trickle through her.  
"I did it…" the Princess breathed. "Fura! We beat him!"  
Fura grinned lopsidedly and winced. "We did…ach…ow…ah, you mind helping me out here?"  
Zelda gasped, remembering Fura's plight. She scrambled to her feet and ran over to the redhead. "Oh my goodness!" she uttered. "It's gone right through."  
"I kinda knew that already," Fura groaned. "Can you…can you do anything to dull the pain? I have to pull it out."  
"Oh, uhm…sure, hold on…" She placed her hands around the wound as Fura gripped the blade. "Okay…I think that's the best I can do."  
Fura nodded. "Excuse my language…" And then she pulled the weapon free of her leg, letting out a sting of extremely loud and extremely prolific obscenities.  
And then, quite suddenly, she and the Princess both blinked out of the strange field, leaving behind scorched grass, burnt posts, and Fura's swearing lingering in the air.

"Talen!" Florella squealed. "He's coming again!" The diminutive Great Fairy shrieked and covered her eyes as the blacksmith rolled to the side, evading another powerful blow.  
It had started when Florella and Talen had suddenly found themselves at the bottom of a wide, deep endless pit. The walls seemed to stretch up to scrape the sky, leaving only a strip of blue high above to contrast the red rocks and soil of the imposing canyon. Boulders lay here and there on the dry ground as if dropped in carelessly from above by the hand of a giant, but there was not one sign of plant life anywhere in the red depression. No shrubs, no weeds, no grasses; nothing. Talen had been the first to point this out; saying how unnatural it was to have to plant life at all, seeing as how their roots played an important role in keeping the soil together.  
While the smith was musing, the man who Akeron had referred to as Kor appeared quite suddenly from behind a boulder and knocked him flat on his back with a solid blow to the chest. Kor struck again as Florella shrieked a warning, but missed as Talen rolled to the side and pushed himself onto his feet, leaving him in his current situation.  
"Be careful, Talen," Florella warned, her voice high from the sudden shock of Kor's ambush. "He's strong; maybe even enough to hurt you!"  
Talen nodded. "I'll be careful," he assured her calmly. "Get to a safe distance, Florella. I don't want you getting hurt." Once the fairy girl had scuttled away to take shelter behind a boulder, Talen turned to face his assailant. "That was a little low, wasn't it?"  
Kor's mouth creased into a smile. "Heh, you're still in one piece, aren't you?" He clenched his fist and a layer of stone sprouted from inside his sleeves, creeping down his arms until they were both completely encased in the hard coating.  
Talen's eyes widened momentarily, then narrowed.  
"Talen!" Florella's shocked cry bounced around the pit. "He has the same power as you! This is bad!"  
"Stay there, Florella," Talen called back. "I will be all right."  
Kor flexed his stone-coated fingers. "All right, huh? Let's see if you still carry that sentiment _after_ I beat the stuffing out of you." With no warning at all, he shot a thick stone needle straight at the smith.  
Talen caught it with his bare hand and snapped it neatly in half. "You'll have to do better than that; this is my specialty, too." Like Kor, Talen's arms became encased in a layer of hard stone.  
Kor grinned. "Which is exactly why my master gave me this power," he said. "To defeat the one who destroyed his mighty Golem. What better way than to use his own power back at him?"  
Talen snorted and assumed a ready stance. "Have at you, Kor!"  
Stone smashed against stone as Talen and Kor's fists met in a single, bone-jarring blow. Both were sent skidding back from one another before they again met in a terrific clash of strength. Talen struck Kor under the ribs, hooking his fist up to inflict as much damage as possible. Kor retaliated by cracking the smith across his brow with a stone-encrusted fist, sending Talen staggering back with a sizeable cut above his left eyebrow.  
"Bleeding already?" Kor laughed, approaching the dazed boy. "Come on! Give me a challenge!"  
Talen decided to do just that. As Kor neared, Talen reared up and drove his fist into the man's face once, a second time, and then he followed through and smashed his elbow against his opponent's forehead. Kor sailed back and hit the ground solidly, but recovered quickly and created a solid shield of rock. Kor was thrown back again, but he drove his hand into the ground as he landed, creating a massive hand out of the red rock underfoot. Talen dove to the side as the massive hand slapped down and shook the earth.  
Talen growled. That was _his_ trick. Not wanting to be outdone, the smith hit the ground and created his own colossal fist. As Kor's hand rose, Talen's slammed into it, locking fingers.  
Florella watched what essentially boiled down to an arm wrestle from her hiding spot. "Eeeh! Talen!" she squeaked. Watching the two colossal arms as they fought to topple each other made the fairy squirm, particularly when Talen's began to show signs of yielding. "You can do it!"  
Seemingly spurred on by Florella's encouragement, Talen's hand began to push Kor's back. The smith was sweating heavily and the blood from the cut on his forehead was stinging his eye, but he pushed on, and with a great surge of effort, he managed to slam Kor's rock hand onto the ground, shattering it. "Got you!" he growled.  
"Do you!?" Kor laughed. He raised his voice. "Now, my servant!"  
Talen let out a startled oath and turned his head just in time to see a knife-wielding man rush out from behind a nearby boulder. The smith pushed himself out of the way of his attack, but it wasn't enough, and the knife sank into his shoulder.  
"_Talen!"_ Florella shrieked as he staggered back, blood seeping through his sleeve.  
"Insurance, little girl," Kor smirked, forming another stone hand that grabbed Talen and held him still. "To be beaten by a boy…not a fitting defeat for one of Master Akeron's servants." The big man nodded and his underling pulled another knife from his belt. "Finish him."  
And then something happened that Talen never expected. As Kor's underling plunged the knife towards Talen's chest, Florella rushed out from behind her boulder, her hands moving so fast that they almost blurred. In that split second, the smith saw a look of utter loss on the child-fairy's face as she released her spell. And then, without even a sound, the man who was just about to kill him keeled over and fell to the ground. He was dead; his life taken from his body in an instant.  
"T-Talen…" Florella whimpered. "I…"  
The brown-haired boy shifted his gaze back to the Great Fairy as she faltered, stretched out one of her small hands towards him, and collapsed. "F-Florella?" Talen called. Horror crept into his face. _"Florella!"_ Suddenly, as if possessed, Talen began to struggle like a madman. "Rrgh! Let…me…go!" The stone hand that held him shook, cracked, and then fractured. He ran; faster than he ever had before, over to Florella's side. "Florella! What's wrong?"  
She didn't respond, nor did she even move; she just lay there, face down in the red earth.  
Talen reached out, but his hand froze as his eyes fell upon her gossamer wings. They looked all…shriveled up and dry, and pieces of them were beginning to flake and disintegrate like the wings of a long-dead dragonfly. "Florella, no!"  
Her skin looked colourless and her cheeks, once a healthy, rosy pink, were grey, dry, and lifeless. Her lips were cracked, her antennae drooped, and her violet hair that was so shiny and vibrant was now colourless, ragged, and limp. And her eyes, those dark, round eyes, had gone pale-grey and dull; their youthful energy gone.  
Talen stared. He carefully brushed the red earth from her face. There was no puff of breath against his fingers, nor was there the steady thump, thump, thump of her heart. She was a withered flower who had lost her petals. Florella's life, like the man she had killed, had been lost.  
He had lost her; Florella was gone. "No…no…Florella, I'm sorry…" Talen began to cry, his tears dripping down onto the face of the withered fairy. Talen never had to cry over the loss of someone precious before…over losing a loved one.  
"No need to cry," Kor chuckled from behind the grieving smith. "You can die with your woman right now."  
And then Talen's sorrow was gone; replaced instead with white-hot fury. It burned his blood and seared his vision, making him see red. He turned his head slowly and fixed his eyes on Kor, who was slowly covering himself in a silver-like coating.  
"You didn't think that my master would limit my power to just the weak rocks of the earth, did you? Behold! The strength of Gorodite," Kor declared. "The hardest metal ever-"  
"I know," Talen said quietly, reaching into his pocket. He produced the unfinished ring he had made from the small chunk of or he had received from Seavale. "But it's not so hard that it cannot yield." And then, like a dam bursting, Talen's usually-calm exterior broke apart and out poured all of his anger and malice. _"I'll tear that armour into a million pieces and break your body with my bare hands! You'll pay for her death!"_ Like a charging bull, Talen rushed headlong at his target, his face twisted into a snarl of absolute rage.  
"Hah! Foolish boy!" Kor growled.  
Talen wound his arm back and threw a mighty punch. Kor caught it in his armoured fist, halting Talen's assault. He began to squeeze, delighting in the popping sounds coming from the smith's fist.  
It was hard, so hard, and so very painful. Talen struggled to move, but Kor's Gorodite armour held him fast.  
"Beginning to feel hopeless, yet?" Kor asked smugly. "My armour is unbreakable…" He wound back his free hand and smashed it into Talen's face, knocking him into a state of near-senselessness. "…and your woman is dead. Just lay down and die. At least you'd be with her again."  
Through the throbbing pain in the side of his face, Talen remembered all the time he and Florella had spent together at his house; the way she cleaned, the way she cooked, the way she drew his bath after a long day over the heat of his forge. And then he recalled her painful, swollen stomach; how he had stayed with her and made her drink her medicine. It was just a stomach ache, but she had needed him, and not even the pleasure of making or fixing something came remotely close to what he felt when her feeble little voice had told him to stay with her. But, in one terrible instant, all hope of hearing her ask him to look after her had gone forever.  
"Hmm? Why fight for someone who's already gone?" Kor asked, cruelly forcing Talen's head around to make him look at Florella's fallen body.  
And then, using all of his strength, Talen twisted back around to look Kor in the eye. "Because she would want me to live."  
Kor smirked, but his expression soon changed to uncertainty and then to surprise as the smith closed his free hand around Kor's and slowly forced it open. He looked up in time to meet Talen's fist face-first. Kor's head snapped back and he was sent sailing straight into a boulder.  
Talen, wiping the blood from his eye, charged at him, smashing Kor further against the rock with his body. Kor lashed out with his fist, but Talen caught it in his own and began to squeeze. There was nothing at first, but then tiny hairline cracks began to appear in the ultra-hard metal.  
"Impossible!" Kor gasped.  
The Gorodite encasing his hand suddenly shattered under the incredible pressure exerted by Talen. The hand now bare, Talen wasted no time and crushed it completely in a stattaco of breaking bones. Kor roared in agony, and then Talen, like some kind of unstoppable battering ram, began pounding away at the man's chest, crying out his agony and loss with each hit.  
"I _loved_ her!" the smith cried at the top of his lungs. "I loved her more than anything!"  
Kor's chestplate, battered and bent, finally broke, leaving Kor with a look of absolute horror on his face. "Y-you can't have! _Nobody_ is that strong! No-_nngh!_"  
Talen began slamming his fist into Kor's unprotected midsection. The sound of breaking bones and Kor's agonized groans filled the air as the usually-quiet blacksmith laid out pure and unbridled vengeance. "And your master is next!" Talen hissed. "I'll crush him into nothing but a speck!"  
Kor opened his mouth to speak, but Talen's hand locked around his throat. He brought his face inches from Kor's. "This is for her." And in one swift motion, he snapped the man's neck and let him fall, limp, to the ground.  
It was done. Justice had been served…but Talen did not feel any better. Talen felt worse than he ever had before. He staggered back to Florella, bruised, beaten, and bleeding, to kneel at her side. He looked at her, his vision blurring with tears. Her eyes were closed now; she looked even more lifeless than before. With a low cry, Talen picked up her small body and held her against him, burying his head in her shoulder and weeping uncontrollably. "Why did you do it?" he sobbed. "Why?"  
But Florella wouldn't answer. Florella couldn't answer. Her dry, cracked lips would not pass her sweet, girlish voice, and her ears would not even hear his question.  
And then, in a swirl of red dust, they were both gone, leaving only Talen's damp tears behind on the blood-red ground.


	90. Fate's End

**Chapter 89 – Fate's End**

"To think," Akeron mused, pacing back and forth in front of door to the Eternal Ark's core. "That this all began because of a simple little mispronunciation." He glanced at Ark as the boy sat like a ragdoll against Aarden. "I suppose you're lucky, in a way. If I had gotten it right the first time, then none of you would have had any hope of getting here."  
Link snorted as he stood there, tapping his foot on the floor. "Not off to a good start, are you. A God that can't read properly doesn't particularly fill me with awe."  
Akeron paused his pacing and regarded the Bearer carefully. "But one who has the lives of your companions in his hand should fill you with humility," he responded coolly. "You seem to be tapping out quite a beat there. Worried about your little friends, are we? Concerned that one of them may kick the proverbial bucket?"  
Link truly had to force himself not to beat Akeron senseless then and there. Truth be told, Link _was_ worried – _very_ worried. Fura and Zelda were somewhere; lost in the Ark and trying to battle who-knows-what and they could very well be by themselves. Zelda couldn't really fight; what could she do?  
"They will be all right," Aarden assured the worried Link quietly. "They will return, and then you will be free to lock the Eternal Ark."  
Akeron smirked at the white-haired man. "You think so, old man? I'm saving my trump card for last," he said, his voice dripping with smugness. "Let's see if you still want to lock the Ark after I've played it, hmm?"  
Link narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?"  
"Now, now," Akeron chided lightly. "You know how a game of cards works…you don't show your hand until the time is right."  
Link scowled as Akeron continued pacing in front of the door to the Ark's core. The blonde-haired boy looked down at Ark. "Hey…Ark? Are you okay?"  
Ark didn't respond. He appeared to be in a complete state of shock; the truth behind his origins had hit him quite hard.  
"The poor boy," Aarden sighed. "I think he's having something of an inner-crisis. We shall have to wait until he comes to terms with things on his own." He smoothed the boy's hair back.  
Link frowned. "Crisis?"  
"Would it not shake you if you had just discovered that you were created to exterminate good men, women, and children…even your closest companions? I think that Ark is trying to work out what he is…and only he can do it."  
Link decided not to press it any further. Akeron was going to pay in _spades_ for everything that he'd done. He'd-  
Link's thoughts were cut off by a great rush of air and a burst of light. He jerked his head up and zeroed in on the source of the disturbance; seeing, with great relief, that his friends had made it back. "Fura, Zelda!" he called, relief washing over him. Impa, Saria, Nyara, Zeel, Talen, and Florella were there as well, all looking somewhat beat up. "Is everyone okay? I was worried."  
"Fine and dandy, Sweet Cheeks!" Fura grinned, wincing as the deep wound to her thigh twinged painfully. Zelda had managed to heal it somewhat, but it was still rather bad. "A few cuts and bruises, but still in one piece. Zelda saved the day, you know."  
Zelda beamed. "Well…Fura did most of the fighting."  
"Myself and Saria are fine," Impa breathed. She looked quite out of breath and her long dagger was stained red. "She did not get hurt, thankfully."  
"I'm going to puke!" Zeel grunted loudly. "Nyara ate our opponent…_ate_ her! I could hear the bones cracking!" She looked up at the massive Bloodcat with a look of disgust on her face.  
"Hungry," she said, eyeing off Akeron, who looked more than just a little miffed at seeing everyone back. The Bloodcat made a horrible hacking sound in her throat and then spat something out of her mouth. It sailed through the air and landed at Akeron's feet – it was Aira's cloak. "Akeron join her in belly. Nyaragon still hungry."  
"Ugh," Zeel shuddered. She walked over to Aarden and knelt down next to Ark. "Ark? Are…you okay?"  
His lack of response made Aarden speak. "Look after him for a while, my girl," he said, handing the boy to her. "Keep him safe until he snaps out of it."  
"E-everyone," a quavering voice spoke. It took a while for everyone to identify it as Talen's.  
"Talen?" Zelda asked curiously. "You're crying! What's wrong? Did something-" Her eyes traveled to the still form held tightly in his arms and a cold chill swept over her. She couldn't finish her sentence.  
Like a child holding a broken toy out to his parents, Talen held Florella out as tears trickled down his cheeks. "Sh-she just…wilted," he sobbed. "A-and she w-was gone. I-I couldn't…"  
Everyone stared at Florella's tiny form.  
"She's…gone?" Link asked numbly. He was aware of Fura pulling him into a crushing embrace; the Gerudo knew that the Great Fairy held a special place in Link's heart, even if they did fight all the time. It was almost like losing a sister or a mother.  
Saria began to cry and buried her face in Impa's side. The others still appeared to be in shock.  
"I-I n-never got to t-ell her…" Talen began. The rest refused to come out.  
"Tell her what, Talen?" Zelda asked, her voice thick. Tears were beginning to brim in her eyes.  
Talen lay Florella down and placed her hands carefully on top of one another. "I…l-loved her…"  
That was it for Zelda. Overcome, she held out her arms. "Oh…come here," she whimpered. Talen obeyed and let the Princess draw him into a sorrowful embrace. "I'm so sorry, Talen…I'm so sorry."  
Talen cried – he cried more than he ever had before in his life. It was an utterly heart-wrenching sound that nobody could stand against; soon, they were all crying over the pale, withered body of Florella. Even Impa – stoic Impa – was reduced to tears.  
"Well at least I managed to get rid of one of you," Akeron sniffed. "Even if it was only a little girl. Not a _total_ waste."  
Zelda instantly felt Talen's entire body tighten. The boy raised his head from her shoulder and stared. "Wh-what…did you say?" he asked incredulously.  
Akeron raised an eyebrow. "I was just talking to myself," he said. "Don't mind me."  
"Akeron…" Talen growled, his sad expression twisting into a snarl of pure anger. "She was to be my _wife!_ You took her life away from me, so I'll take yours away from _you!_" And with a cry of rage and despair, Talen charged mindlessly.  
"Talen, don't!" Zelda shrieked, flailing as she tried to grab hold of him.  
Talen, however, was blind to all but Akeron. That smirking face filled his vision – the face that had taken the one thing most precious to him. He would tear that face apart; crush it in his hands like an eggshell until Florella had been avenged. But, as he neared his target, Akeron raised his hand in a simple gesture and Talen was suddenly hurled back as if hit with an invisible sledgehammer. He hit the floor feet-first and slid back, his boots screeching against the floor until he ground to a halt near the back of the colossal room.  
"Well, well," Akeron tutted. "Is the poor bwacksmif upset about his widdle girlfwend?"  
If possible, Talen went even more berserk. Shouting madly, he slammed his whole body into one of the massive pillars, spreading his arms out in a kind of bear-hug.  
"Talen! Come back!" a voice cried. "What are you doing? That thing's bigger than those trees at Arbouren!"  
Talen's ears were filled with the roar of the blood rushing through his veins, however. He could not hear them. Straining with every muscle in his body, he began to tear at the immense stone pillar.  
"Nyara…stop him before he hurts himself," Saria pleaded. "I don't want to lose anyone else…"  
The Bloodcat wiped the tears from her eyes and went to go pull the smith away from the pillar, but a resounding _crack_ echoed throughout the chamber, stopping her short.  
An immense fracture had appeared at the base of the pillar. It spread; working its way around the great, black column as Talen let out a painful yell – his muscles were burning, but there was another kind of pain that stung him even more. Then, with a grunt of effort, the smith tore the great pillar away from the floor – a section of it fell from the shadows above where it had come away from the ceiling – and stood there; holding it with both arms. His eyes, burning with hatred and loathing, were fixed upon a clearly shocked Akeron.  
"No _way!_" Zeel yelled, still holding Ark. "No freakin' way!"  
But the others had seen it before. Talen had lifted the giant Iron Knuckle that had attacked Windhill three years ago and had thrown it several kilometers. Still, back then he had remained calm and collected, but now…now Talen, the humble, quiet smith, was an angry, raging berserker. He lurched forward – staggering slightly – before breaking into a lumbering run.  
"No!" Akeron barked, raising a shield composed of tiny green hexagons. "Stay back!" It was perhaps the most futile thing anyone had ever said.  
Talen – once at the appropriate distance – swung the massive column horizontally, smashing it into Akeron's defenses with such force that it shook the entire chamber. The shield struggled to stand against the colossal blow and each tiny hexagon flickered like the blinking light of a firefly. Again Talen swung his terrifyingly-massive weapon – as if it weighed no more than a simple hammer – from the side two more times in such a vicious and savage manner that it was almost scary. With each impact the shield weakened more and more, until Akeron was screaming in mindless terror from within.  
"_No!"_ he shrieked. "You cannot! I am a God! I am a-" He was cut off abruptly as Talen raised the black pillar above his head and brought it down a final, earth-shattering time, crushing the Ark look-alike beneath tons upon tons of metallic rock.  
So powerful had the force behind that final blow that great fissures had appeared in the floor, spider-webbing out to every corner of the room. The worst of the damage, naturally, surrounded Talen himself. The floor was left shockingly uneven; slabs of stone were left askew and pointing up instead of lying flat, and of course, the enormous support column lay there; embedded into the floor to such an extent that it was doubtful that anything – bar Talen or even the Goddesses themselves – could ever pull it up again.  
And Talen, his strength spent, knelt there by the black column, leaning against it as the fire in his muscles gradually subsided. He cried, though, despite what he had done; for even though Akeron had been ground into nothing more than paste, it would not bring Florella back. Ever. "Florella," he sobbed through clenched teeth.  
And then there came a small, almost inaudible gasp – like a person coming up for air – from where the others were assembled.  
"Oh my God!" someone cried, a female.  
And then another voice called out. I was barely above a croaked whisper, but he heard it. "Ta…len…?"  
"Talen!" Fura called desperately. "It's Florella!" Talen raised his head in response to her call. "She's still alive!"  
Talen's heart nearly stopped. He whirled around, eyes wide. "Wh-what?"  
"I said she's still alive! Hurry up!"  
Talen wasted no time at all. Like a man possessed, he ran back to where the others were grouped around the fallen fairy. He knelt at her side and lifted her wilted body into his arms. "Florella? Florella, can you hear me!?" She moved her head and Talen felt a charge run through his body. "Florella!"  
Her eyelids fluttered open and her pale, faded eyes flicked about before fixing themselves on his face.  
Talen let out a low cry of relief. "Florella…thank the Goddesses…I thought I'd lost you." He smoothed her hair back.  
Saria and Zelda, meanwhile, started bawling and clung to Impa while Link, overcome, sank to his knees while Fura patted his back and held back tears of her own.  
But then Florella spoke. "Ta…Talen…" she croaked, licking her dry, cracked lips. "I…can't stay with you…anymore." Her voice quavered and one of her little hands rose up and clasped Talen's.  
Talen's look of relief faded. "Wh-what? What are you talking about? You…you're alive!"  
"I'm dying…" she sighed, closing her eyes before opening them slowly. "I did what…what I was never supposed to do…"  
Talen's eyes searched her face as the others listened, breathless. "N-never supposed to do…? What…?"  
"I am…I am the Great Fairy of Spring," Florella explained in a dry voice. "Love…affection…the very essence of myself. I cannot live…without it." She took a few deep breaths. "When I killed that man…when I struck him down…" She paused again, the strain of talking draining her strength.  
"Florella, no talk," Nyara – now back to normal – mewed.  
Florella shook her head. She intended to say what she meant to before her final breath. "To _kill_ another is…the ultimate act of hate. I couldn't…survive it…and all that hate just…took all the love from me." She looked up at Talen's face, a sorrowful smile forming on her drained face. "You never saw it, Talen…but when…when I assumed my adult body…when I grew up for those brief moments…my adult body is a lot stronger than my younger one. It was to protect me from harm should…should I have to fight…"  
Talen looked confused. "Adult…body…?"  
Zeel suddenly spoke. "Hey…_that's_ why I saw you all grown up that night…it was so you wouldn't hurt yourself when you were warding my demon half away from Ark."  
Florella nodded and then turned her head to Link. "Come here, Link…" she ordered weakly. Link obeyed. "My…my final wish for you, Link…" She clasped her fingers around his hand. "…I want you, no matter what…to make sure you get _married_. You can't be alone…forever, my dear Link…you don't deserve it…"  
Link managed a tiny smile, but it was lost in the expression of hopelessness that washed over his face. "Please don't die," he pleaded with her. "Don't leave…"  
Florella turned her head back to Talen. "And Talen…my dear Talen…forgive me for…for trying to force marriage upon you…" Tears began to well in her eyes and trail down her cheeks. "I…really did fall in love with you, but…towards the end I came to realize that…you didn't see me the same way that I saw you."  
And then, as if loosened, the gold ring that had encircled Talen's middle finger for the past three years slipped from his digit and fell to the floor with a dull ping. Talen picked it up and stared at it, unblinkingly.  
"And so I release you, Talen," Florella sighed sadly. "The binding I so wrongly imposed upon you…is gone. I…hope you will still think of me, though…when you have a wife and children of your own…" And then she closed her eyes and sighed.  
Talen stared at her, his eyes wide in disbelief. "N-no!" he protested suddenly. "You _can't_ go!"  
Florella opened her eyes. "Talen…"  
"No! You…you told me that I was going to marry you now matter what!" the smith said almost heatedly. "At first…at first I was horrified by it…I didn't want to get married, not at all…" Florella blinked at him. "But…but you grew on me and…" He fumbled in his pocket and brought out the ring he had made.  
The Great Fairy gazed at it, not quite understanding what it was.  
"Three years," Talen said. "Three years I spent making this. It was what they gave me in Seavale…a piece of Gorodite."  
The silver-coloured Gorodite ring was quite chunky and rough with only the beginnings of an elaborate pattern carved into it, but the inside of the band was smooth and as its centerpiece lay the fabled Frost Petal that formed only on the ultra-hard ore.  
"It…it's priceless," Talen mumbled, turning it over. "Even unfinished like this. There's no other ring like it in the whole world. When I heard about the Frost Petal…about the Gorodite ore…I had to have it so…so that I could make the only ring that could ever be worthy…"  
Florella stared at him, then the ring, then back at Talen. "W-worthy of what?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.  
Slowly and deliberately, Talen clasped Florella's tiny hand in his own and slid the ring onto her finger. "I…I know it's unfinished…and I was going to wait for a better time to give it to you, but…" He pursed his lips as a slow flush spread across his face. "I never really showed it, but I…do love you, Florella…a lot. I'm just a blacksmith, that's all. I'm nothing special and I don't really know what you see in me, but, if you'll have me, I'm all yours." He smiled an embarrassed little smile before leaning down and, ever so lightly, brushed his lips against hers.  
Florella's reaction was instantaneous. Her eyes wider than they ever had before, filling with tears of sheer joy. And then, like the sun rising and filling the horizon with orange light, Florella's cheeks blossomed into a rosy peach colour. She gasped, blinking as her faded eyes darkened. Her skin regained its creamy complexion, her withered, flaking wings unfurled like those of a butterfly fresh from its chrysalis, and her pale, tattered hair bloomed from root to tip like a flower, regaining its rich, violet hue. And then, like a punctuation to mark the final part of her recovery, her twin antennae sprang back up, quivering as if in readiness.  
Talen turned the gold ring Florella had placed on his finger all those years ago around before slipping it back into place. "Back where it belongs."  
Florella's bottom lip quivered, her eyes began to water, and her nose began to run. "Huuuuu-uuuuuh!" she wailed, throwing her arms around his neck. "Y-you really d-do love me!" She began to bawl clinging to the smith as he embraced her back.  
"Oh my…" Zelda gasped, covering her mouth with her hand. "That's…so beautiful!" And then she started crying…along with all the other females in the group. Even Zeel's eyes began to water.  
"But…how?" Fura demanded. "I mean, you were on the brink of death and now you're…" She paused, staring the Great Fairy up and down as she stood, hand in hand, with Talen. "…fine."  
"Talen did it," Florella said, sniffing loudly through her dribbling nose.  
Fura looked confused.  
"I think I understand," Impa murmured. "You said before that you need love to survive…when you killed that man, it took all of it out of you – almost like a plant that had no moisture. When Talen told you how he truly felt, his love for you kept you alive."  
Florella nodded, her nose still running from all of the crying she had done. Talen produced a handkerchief and dutifully wiped it for her. "What…what happened in here, though?" she asked, looking around at the massive pillar embedded into the floor.  
"I think," Link frowned. "That Talen, well, killed Akeron. He's under that column…in little pieces, probably."  
Florella blinked at the massive pillar and then looked at Talen.  
"He made me very upset," he murmured, tightening his grip on Florella's hand.  
"So…what happens now?" the Great Fairy asked.  
Link stepped forward, changing the Key into its alternate form as he did so. "Now…I lock this thing up for good," he said, his expression determined. "And then we can all go home."

Ark watched, silently, numbly, as Link approached the great door. He was aware of Zeel's presence very close by…Nyara's too. The thought that they were both near was of some comfort, but there was a part of Ark that questioned whether or not they should be there. He was, after all, a creation of their enemy and, therefore, technically their enemy as well. Truthfully, Ark wasn't sure of anything anymore. What would he do? What did the others think of him? What would become of him? Was he even real?  
The door loomed, almost seeming to grow larger, more imposing.  
He didn't particularly have any reason to, but Ark hated that door; what lay beyond it. He hated the Eternal Ark…he hated everything to do with it. The Ark and its power had torn apart his life, leaving him to question everything. If he could destroy it; tear it asunder, then he would do it, but…but he couldn't. He didn't feel like doing anything. He didn't even feel anything at all – he had even been completely oblivious to Florella's recent plight. He could only sit there, watching dismally, with Nyara and Zeel on wither side of him as Link approached the colossal door with the Key in hand.  
Aarden approached the blonde boy. "Take out the Locks," he said quietly. "Then you'll have to open the door before you can close it."  
Chaos and Order, Hate and Love, Discord and Tranquility…the six Locks lay bundled in Link's hands, ready to be rejoined. They glowed softly and began to resonate with each other. The opposing couples began to fuse – their glows merged and combined, bleeding into each other. Then, their physical forms vanishing, the glowing Locks ascended to the great door and drew together upon its surface, solidifying into a single, enormous, circular lock. It was shaped like a ring, coppery in colour and embedded close to the bottom of the great door. And, at its centre, lay a keyhole just big enough to allow the Key to fit.  
A small sigh escaped Ark's lips. This was it, then; the end of the long journey. The end of it all. Talen would return home to his smithy in Rockvale to continue his work as a blacksmith. Florella would go back to Windhill and resume her duties as the Great Fairy of Spring. Impa and Zelda would return to Hyrule Castle to continue Zelda's schooling. Link and Saria would go back to their forest to be under the watchful eye of the Great Deku Tree. Nyara, he supposed, would go back to her forest to be with the boy she had told him about – a thought that should have upset Ark, but in his current state he simply couldn't find it in him to care. And Zeel…who knew what Zeel would do – again, a thought that should have concerned Ark, but again, he just couldn't pull up enough effort to care.  
But he could feel it. He could feel the despair welling up inside him. Because he was different – so, so different to them all. He had been exposed; his pitiful creation, the truth behind his existence, and even his true name. Archay – half-formed…he was a mistake, pure and simple. He was never meant to exist; not in the way he did now, anyway. He was the result of a simple mispronunciation; that was all. There was no grand cataclysm that had led to his "birth", no intervention upon Akeron's twisted designs, and definitely not the work of some higher being desiring justice…no. With the wrong word spoken, he was formed as a physically weaker and inferior copy of his creator. He had no soul of his own, nor did he even have his own memories.  
Link stood before the Lock with the Key held at the ready. "Well…this is it." And then, slowly and carefully, he raised the means with which to close the Eternal Ark and pushed it slowly into the keyhole. Link gave the Key a sharp twist, creating a series of loud, mechanical-sounding clicks from within the great lock covering the door.  
"Thank the Goddesses," Saria breathed. "It's finally over. We've…we've done it! We can all go home!"  
"Talen and I can get married," Florella squealed, holding out the hand that carried the priceless ring. "I-I think I'm going to start crying again." She sniffed loudly as the smith put his arm around her shoulder. His expression was not unhappy, but it carried the look of somebody who couldn't quite believe that they had done something so important.  
"And I can start educating Sweet Cheeks," Fura crowed.  
"On what?" Link asked flatly.  
"Making love! You need to be _book-smart_ on it before you get down to the act itself. You gotta know what you're doing." She jabbed her thumb at her bust. "I'll even let you borrow these." Link flinched noticeably at her remark, not bothering to turn around as she blew him a kiss.  
"Your father will be most pleased to see you back home safe and sound," Impa told her charge. "He's probably worried sick."  
Zelda sighed and nodded. "Father will probably go overboard and forbid me from leaving my room for the next month or so." She winced. "Scare him into letting me off, Impa…please?"  
Zeel narrowed her eyes. "The door…it's opening," she hissed. "My God! Look at it…"  
As the great door ground apart, the thin line of pulsating light gradually grew thicker until in nearly swallowed Link entirely in its radiance. The chamber lit up, bathed in the light of the Eternal Ark's core.  
Nyara's nostrils suddenly flared and a wild, almost frenzied look crept into her eyes. "Heeh!" she hissed, sucking in through her teeth. "Smell…it everywhere!"  
"Huh?" Zeel hummed, frowning at her.  
Nyara continued to sniff at the air, raising her head and closing her eyes. "The smell of the world," the Meera girl murmured. "The smell of Ark…it the same." And then, a slight, almost unnoticeable movement from Ark caught her attention. Her head swiveled around and she peered at him, hoping he had snapped out of his listlessness. He was staring at the door with a look of utter hopelessness on his face as two tears carved twin trails of moisture down his cheeks.  
"So mortifying…" he whispered. "At the very end. What…what am I?"  
Nyara frowned and reaffirmed her hold on his shoulders. "Ark?" she asked softly. "What wrong?" But then she saw it. Ark – his body, underneath his skin – was pulsating with the same light from the core of the Eternal Ark. The creational energies inside him had come to the surface, shining through him like a candle inside a paper lantern. It made him look transparent…hollow even.  
"What's happening to him?" Saria squeaked. But the others, like her, had no answers.  
"The portion of the Ark's energy inside him is merely reacting to its source." The voice was smug and chillingly familiar.  
"Akeron!" Link snarled.  
Ark's creator appeared directly before the Hylian boy, his lips drawn back into a crazed smirk. "In the flesh, hero!" The air surrounding him rippled, projecting a violent wave of force outwards. It hit Link, who managed to stand against it for a moment, before hurling him back onto the floor near the others.  
"You!" Talen snarled. He thrust himself between Akeron and Florella.  
"Surprised, hmm?" Akeron grinned. "What better way to get into the Ark's core than to let you open it for me? Of course, you never would have done it if I was still around to be a threat; so all I had to do was pretend to be dead. The blacksmith there was perhaps the easiest to goad into attacking me, so who better to do it?" He turned towards the open door, his eyes aglow with triumph. "And now…and now the way is paved to a new world! One built by my own hands!"  
"Somebody!" Zelda cried as Akeron began to advance through the door. "Stop him!"  
Link was already moving. He ran at Akeron, his body slowly changing; the pitch-blackness on his arm and face spreading over the rest of his body like ink bleeding over parchment. "Stay where you are, lunatic!" His huge, wedge-like sword appeared in hand, rising above his head in preparation to strike.  
"Feh," Akeron snorted, half-turning. He extended his hand and another of his hexagonal barriers appeared. Link slammed into it with a shower of green and black particles, his sword grinding and skittering upon the unyielding surface.  
"Rrgh!" he grunted, pushing against the barrier as Akeron stood calmly within. "You won't…go any further!"  
Akeron raised an eyebrow. "And who's going to stop me? You? Hah!" He flicked his hand and again Link was hurled back to the floor. Akeron loomed menacingly in the doorway. "You cannot even _begin_ to comprehend the powers that I already command! I am but one step away from Godhood!"  
An amused, dry chuckle reverberated around the room. "Akeron, a man like you could never hope to be a God."  
Akeron's face held no humour in it. "What was that?"  
"A God is someone who watches the world – guards it…they never interfere. There are rules that even a God must obey, Akeron, and you seek to break each and ever one of them. Becoming a God would be your undoing. Stop this madness now, before you destroy yourself."  
Akeron surveyed Aarden with a look of contempt. "Duly noted, Aarden…and ignored!" And then he raised his hand and fired a single ball of green energy at him.  
Ark watched it happen in an almost trance-like state. He saw his adoptive father sail back in slow-motion, his eyes wide as if surprised by the sudden attack. And then, as time went back to normal speed, the old man hit the floor and lay there on his back, unmoving. All at once, the numbness that blanketed Ark's dulled senses was replaced once again with feeling. Sadness, sorrow, anger, and pain. "Aarden!" he cried. The grey-haired boy ran, pulling himself from Nyara and Zeel in order to get to his downed guardian's side. He put his hand on his chest, but lifted it quickly as he felt the sticky warmth of spilled blood. He turned, desperately. "La-lady Florella! He's hurt!"  
The fairy girl came scuttling over, her hand still clinging to Talen's. "Oh no," she squeaked, seeing the old man's blood seep from the wound beneath his clothing. "It's bad…help me remove his cloak and-" A feeble hand clasped Florella's as she tried to pull the offending garments away.  
"No, my girl," Aarden wheezed. "Let it be."  
Florella looked appalled. "Wh-what!?"  
Ark looked down at the old man's face. "Bu-but Aarden…you'll die!"  
Aarden nodded weakly. "The price I pay for my terrible trespass upon the world," he sighed. His body suddenly shook with a harsh, wracking cough, and then he reached out, wrapping his fingers around Ark's wrist. "Forgive me, my boy…I couldn't keep you away from all of this." He took a breath. "I leave you now to Elousin and Tannis…they will be able to give you what I could not."  
Ark's skin continued to dance with light as he stared down at the old man. "But you have to stay," he protested in a small voice. "You…you raised me; taught me everything I know." His expression grew desperate. "Please, you can't go, father."  
Aarden smiled and loosened his grip. "I'm sorry, Ark, but it's my time…the honor of guiding you further as you grow up shall be for Elousin and Tannis to experience. You be a good boy for them."  
Ark nodded bitterly. "I will."  
Impa gripped Zelda's shoulder softly as the Princess turned her head, biting back a sob. "Don't look away," she whispered. "The end of a man who died righting his wrongs." The Sheikah nodded her head in respect as Zelda turned back and drew the woman's arm around her. "A good man."  
Aarden turned his attention to the two figured hovering over Ark's shoulders. "Nyara…Zeel…look after my only son. Make him happy, hmm?"  
"We will," Zeel murmured. There was a definite note of sadness in her voice and she squeezed Ark's shoulder gently.  
"Bearer?" Link stepped forward into Aarden's field of vision. "You must not let him get the Origin…"  
Link looked confused. "O-Origin? What's the Origin? Aarden?"  
Aarden nodded and then his eyes suddenly went cloudy. Inhaling a small breath, he lifted his arms above himself, reaching for the face that the others could not see. "Ama-ra…" he wheezed…and then he was still. His arms pattered down by his sides and he stared ever upwards, his still-warm blood soaking his clothing.  
Ark stared at Aarden for the longest of moments before gazing at his bloodstained hand. The red liquid glittered beautifully as the dancing lights from his skin shone through.  
"Nyara sorry, Ark," the Meera girl mewed softly. "Sorry-sorry."  
Ark bit his lip and brushed his hand over Aarden's face, closing his eyes for him. "Goodbye," he murmured sadly. He stood slowly and turned to face Akeron, who stood, still, in the doorway of the Ark's core. "I have decided."  
Akeron raised an eyebrow. "Decided what?"  
The grey-haired boy picked up his staff and then straightened himself. "That I cannot allow you to exist any longer. You've taken too much from me, Akeron; it's made me realize that, if you're not stopped now, then you're going to take even more."  
Akeron's right eye twitched. "You cannot _allow_ me to exist any longer? I made you, Archay. Who are you to speak of allowing me, _me_ to exist or not!?"  
Ark shook his head. "Wrong, Akeron!" Ark told his creator defiantly. He jabbed his thumb at his chest. "I am Ark! Not Archay or any other name. I'll wear the name my father gave me proudly…and I shall rid myself of the one you gave me by destroying you!" The tip of his staff began to hum with electricity. "I won't let you hurt anyone else!"  
The dark form of Link appeared near his grey-haired friend, his enormous sword in hand. "Me neither." Fura and Zelda flanked him.  
"If Akeron win, then there be no place for Nyara to teach Ark to swim," the Meera girl growled, positioning herself at Ark's side.  
"What she said," Zeel murmured, brandishing her scythe on Ark's opposite side.  
"I don't easily forgive someone who very nearly got my fiancée killed," Talen asked, cracking his knuckles loudly.  
Akeron snorted. "Then come!" He stepped backwards into the pulsating light of the Ark's core. "Here and now…it shall be decided!" His voice echoed eerily from beyond the door, beckoning them on.  
"Impa…look after Florella and Saria," Link told the Sheikah woman over his shoulder. "We'll be back soon."  
Impa was about to protest Zelda's involvement, but stopped herself at the last second. "I'll do my best," she said, nodding. "Help Link all that you can, Zelda…and you make sure Zelda is safe, Link. I'll gut you myself, otherwise."  
Link gave her a brief salute before leading the others through the open door. Ark, however, lingered briefly at the opening to look back at Aarden's still form before scuttling through.  
"So…what do we do now?" Saria asked in a small voice  
"We can admire my ring," Florella offered in a rather unhelpful manner. "Isn't it _big?_"  
The sound of footfalls suddenly echoed throughout the vast chamber, followed closely by a voice. "So…it's been opened," it said in a heavy tone. "And they've entered the very core of the Ark."  
Saria and Florella whirled around in surprise as Impa unsheathed her long dagger.  
"What the…?" the tall woman uttered. _"You!?"  
_"We've come to help, and don't worry…the rules are still in our favour."

"The power to reshape the world…"  
_All was void.  
_"The power greater than that of divinity…"  
_There was no light.  
_"The power that is rightfully mine…"  
_There was no sound…  
_"The power of creation…"  
_Except for Akeron's voice.  
_"Origin."  
Link cursed silently and peered about, trying to define something, anything apart from the inky blackness that shrouded everything. He could feel solid ground beneath his feet – at least it _felt_ like solid ground, but there was no way of telling.  
"L-Link?" It was Zelda's voice.  
"Here," the blonde boy murmured.  
"It's freakin' dark in here…you know, you could cop a feel here in the dark and you wouldn't have to be embarrassed about it, Sweetums."  
"Fura!" Link hissed, immediately feeling his face heat up. "Not now!" He cleared his throat. "Are we all here? Talen? Nyara? Zeel? Ark?"  
"I'm here," said a voice easily identifiable as Talen's.  
"Nyah! Here!" Nyara, easily.  
"Here." The slightly scratchy voice was obviously Zeel's.  
There was silence for a while.  
"Ark?" Link said in a slightly raised voice.  
There was a sudden flare of light, like the sun coming out from an eclipse, and Ark was there. He was still radiating that otherworldly glow from within, illuminating his features and his friends. Link, however, was still barely visible on account of his current colour. "Sorry," he said quietly. "I…wanted to see him for a little longer…you know, in case I don't get to see it to the end of things."  
Link was almost about to tell Ark not to think like that, but he decided to let it be. It could happen, after all, and Link did not want to take the importance out of it for Ark. "Well then," he said, tightening his grip on his enormous sword. "Time to do what we came to do. Remember…try to maim Akeron at best. Keep him alive just enough for Nyara and Zeel to finish him off. He's theirs."  
There was a low yowl from Nyara. "Nyara eat Akeron like Aira woman," she growled, looking positively feral in the light given off by Ark.  
"And I'll cut him into little pieces for easy devouring," Zeel snarled, fingering her scythe.  
"The bones'll be easier to cut through if they're shattered first," Talen said grimly, cracking his knuckles.  
Link nodded and turned to the darkness. "You hear that, Akeron!?" he shouted. "There's no getting out of this! You have nowhere to run!"  
There was a soft chuckle, seemingly from all around them. "A-heh…run?"  
The darkness was cut through in an instant by billions of tiny specks of coloured light – much the same as those which pulsed and flurried endlessly within Ark's body. A green field stretched out as far as the eye could see, covered from above by a great, starry night sky. The wind blew gently, gusting into existence just as suddenly as the landscape itself had appeared.  
And Akeron was there, standing confidently in the centre of the swirling lights. "Not what you expected, correct?" he asked smugly, gesturing widely. He got no response. "I thought that we should have a nice, big, unobstructed plain upon which to battle." He lazily drew his hand through the air, leading several of the glowing particles along behind it. "You see, it's so easy for me now…creating a place like this. I have already gained insurmountable power from the core…and this…" He laid his palm out flat and drew upon it a pulsating bundle of lights. "…is creation itself – Origin…the key to my power. I shall take it into myself and become greater than even the Goddesses combined."  
Link narrowed his eyes. "Origin…" he repeated. Aarden had mentioned it just before passing away…it was familiar, somehow.  
"Yes," Akeron smiled. "Origin. It is the beginning of everything…the single power responsible for the birth of all of the worlds that make up our universe. I will become it…I will be the origin of all things!"  
Link bared his teeth. "Then fight for it!" he snarled. The blonde boy ran swiftly, dragging the tip of his blade across the soft earth. He neared Akeron and swung the great blade upwards, flinging sod into the air as he aimed to cut the self-proclaimed God right up the middle. There was a loud _clang_, and Link's blade crashed against an equally impressive metallic weapon held in the hands of his enemy.  
"Come on!" Akeron shouted tauntingly. "Fight like you _mean_ to kill me!" He surged forward, pushing Link back and then beginning an onslaught of his own.  
Blades clashed, flashing with sparks amidst the eddying lights of the Ark's core. Link fought to keep up with Akeron's attacks, raising his sword to block a swipe nearly every second. An opening in his defense meant certain death – a fact that rang true for both opponents.  
"You can't hope to win with these pathetic love-taps alone, can you?" Akeron taunted again. "Harder!" He smashed his blade into Link's, forcing the boy back. "I said_ harder!_"  
Link roared furiously and swung his sword with immense ferocity, crashing it against Akeron's with a blow so powerful that it very nearly shook the ground itself. Akeron skidded back several feet and then twisted to the side as Link thrust the tip of his blade in a skewering motion. Link, noticing his own opening, quickly pushed off from the ground, spinning away from his enemy and landing in a crouched position a short distance away.  
"Good…good!" Akeron laughed, coming at him with a vertical strike. "This is how it should be! Now I see how my creations were all downed before you!" His blow was blocked, barely, by the hilt of Link's black sword. "The new God, the new light that shall shine down upon his new world, fighting against the black shadow of the world of old – a warrior of the superseded Goddesses!" They both sprang apart from each other. Akeron swept his blade out behind himself and brought his arm up before his face. "The grandest of all battles!"  
"You talk too much, Akeron!" Link roared, spinning his sword above his head as he leapt at his foe. "And I'm getting sick of listening to you prattle on…" Akeron swung his blade up diagonally to meet the oncoming Link. "…like a lunatic!" They met again in a magnificent, ringing clash. Blade to blade, face to face.  
"Jeez," Zeel hissed between clenched teeth. "They seem almost evenly matched, but I'm sure that Akeron has some kind of dirty trick up his sleeve…"  
"He…he does," Ark murmured. The lights inside him seemed to burn with more ferocity than before. "I can…feel it." The others looked at him. "The core…I can feel him drawing from the core…"  
Nyara's hand wrapped around Ark's and squeezed. "Is Ark okay?" she asked.  
The boy nodded. "I'm okay…it's just a funny pulling sensation." He held out his other hand and gazed at the lights under its skin. "This inside of me…it's still part of the Ark's core." He shifted his gaze to the lights swirling around the battlefield. "Akeron's drawing the rest of it in as he fights…he's already too strong for Link." His eyes went wide. "He's playing with him! Link needs help!"  
Fura swore and her heart began to race. She watched as Link narrowly avoided being skewered on the end of Akeron's sword. "Well that tears it," she grunted. "Zelda…I think it's time for us to lend a hand."  
The Princess looked a little apprehensive. "Do you think we can do it again? It seemed like such a fluke before…"  
"Then we'll fluke it again," Fura said, clapping the blonde girl over the shoulder. "Now let's concentrate…Link needs us."  
And so they stood there, hands held together, as the sounds of the battle between Link and Akeron raged in the background. Nothing seemed to happen at first, but all of a sudden, Link was struck upside his head by the flat of Akeron's blade. He sailed up into the air, almost in slow motion, as Akeron readied himself to slice him in half on his descent. It was at that point, however, that the combined wills of Fura and Zelda, so wanting to help Link, peaked. The two girls disintegrated into a blizzard of red and white particles that swarmed and swirled out across the battlefield like a cloud of angry bees.  
"Holy Hell!" Zeel hissed, startled by their sudden change.  
Fura and Zelda's essences blitzed past Akeron, temporarily confusing him, before changing course and zipping straight up into the air. Fura's fiery essence melded with Link's dark body, burning from within a series of runic lines and symbols over his skin. Zelda's essence, on the other hand, coalesced around the boy's hand and formed the gigantic, glass-like sword he had used against Gaul.  
He twisted in midair and brought the grand blade up above his head. "Thanks, girls," he murmured quietly. "Here I come, Akeron!"  
"Bearer!" the grey-haired young man snarled, raising his blade.  
The two of them met with a terrific clang. Link hung in the air, his blade pressed against Akeron's as the young man held it flat above his head. The swords quivered as the opponents exerted a terrible force upon each other, each trying to force the other to yield. And then, quite suddenly, Akeron's weapon fractured and then shattered.  
"What!?" he snarled, leaping back. "What is this?"  
Link assumed an offensive stance with the glass-like sword thrust out behind him. "Two women who aren't very happy with you, Akeron," Link murmured. "And as you may not know, women can be _very_ unforgiving." He spun the translucent blade and ran at his enemy.  
"Ergh!" Akeron grunted, summoning up another sword. "I'm _still_ more than a match for you, bearer!" Their swords met, clanging like bells to herald their renewed struggle. "I always have been and I always will!"  
"Big words," Link growled, parrying a strike and lashing out with one of his own. "From a very small man." He twisted to the side, narrowly missing a thrust from Akeron, and brought the sword that Zelda had become down in a sharp, vicious chop. Akeron's weapon was sheared through in a clean cut, leaving it in two pieces, one of which dropped to the ground.  
Akeron's eyes bulged. "Enough!" he roared. "This game is beginning to get tiresome…let's see how you deal with true power!" In about the same time as it took to blink, Akeron raised his hand and emitted a pulse of energy from his outstretched palm. The blast hit Link square in the chest and threw him back like a rag doll amidst a cloud of magic residue, whereupon he hit the ground some distance away in a great plume of dirt and smoke.  
"No!" Zeel cried, her wings flaring reflexively.  
Akeron stood with his palm still open and a great smirk spread over his face. He turned slowly and eyed the others. "Well, well," he drawled smugly. "It looks like the Bearer wasn't quite up to the task." He raised his hand at the four remaining party members. "It's a pity you won't get to see the ascension of the new God." And then the ground next to Akeron erupted in a great sheet of fire. Akeron swore and flinched away from it, but on his opposite side detonated a brilliant flash of white light. "Wha-!? _Bearer!_"  
Link, black wings billowing, soared up above the deranged young man and launched his third strike – a great flare of shadow magic. Akeron was swallowed up in the resulting detonation as Link, arcing overhead, landed before his companions defensively.  
"You got him," Talen grinned.  
Link narrowed his eyes. "Get back, all of you," he growled. "As far as you can. I'm going to make sure."  
They needed no second warning and retreated to a safe distance.  
As Link began to march forward, the runes burning through his skin and the great, glass-like sword in his hand began to crackle and glow brightly. "I end it now, Akeron," he murmured as the form of his enemy emerged from the deep hole in the ground. "I would leave you for Nyara and Zeel…but I cannot take the chance. Goodbye."  
Akeron spat upon the ground. "Come, then!" he challenged with a shout. "And watch as I tear victory from your hands!"  
Link tossed his sword into the air. "Shadow…" He leapt up and caught the handle of the spinning weapon. "...horde…" And then he drove it straight down, plunging a good half of the enormous blade deep into the earth. _"SLASH!"_ Almost immediately, the great, runic pattern of the powerful spell emerged upon the ground. The air itself began to seethe and burn as intolerable amounts of dark energy radiated upwards with a deafening roar, taking with it clods of dirt and pebbles from the rupturing earth. The particles of light from Origin, the Ark's core, burned even brighter and began to pulsate and blizzard with renewed ferocity.  
And amidst it all, Akeron stood with his hands clasped to the sides of his head. _"Behold!"_ he bellowed above the roar of shadow. _"The supreme power of Origin! The supreme power of the new God!"_

And then, amidst the shaking of the ground, the deafening roar of Link's powerful spell, and the near-blinding light of the Ark's core…Akeron began to grow. Link stared in disbelief as every last particle of light gravitated towards Akeron before being absorbed by his rapidly enlarging body. As the very last part of the core was consumed, his growth immediately accelerated. Clothing became nonexistent, flesh and bone became boiling, churning energy, and those eyes, burning with desire and madness, became pools of darkness set into a vaguely-recognizable face.  
"A G-God…" Link gaped.  
"_THE_ GOD!" Akeron's voice boomed. "THE NEW ORIGIN. THE SOURCE OF EVERYTHING!"  
Link opened his mouth to speak, but was suddenly seized by a searing pain the likes of which he had never experienced before. He was suddenly hit with what felt like an enormous sledgehammer and was launched into the air as if he were no more than an insect. With a sharp crackle of energy, he felt Fura and Zelda separate from him with identical screams of fright. Without thinking, he encircled both of them with his arms, holding himself between them and the ground. They hit solidly and with the audible sound of breaking bone and then slid back through the grass, coming to a grinding halt several yards away from Talen and the others.  
"Link!" Zelda shrieked. "Are you okay!?"  
He winced and cried out in pain as the two girls rolled off him.  
"His arm and shoulder have been shattered," Fura hissed sharply, feeling the boy's limb with gentle hands. "He's not going to be doing anymore fighting."  
"I don't think any of us are," Talen said despairingly as he, Zeel, Nyara, and Ark came running. "Akeron's done it, hasn't he…he's become a God."  
"He-" Link broke off into a pained yelp as Fura and Zelda sat him up. "He's absorbed the core of the Eternal Ark. Nothing short of the Goddesses and the Fierce Deity can stand up to him now…no power we possess can harm a God."  
"THE ORIGIN!" Akeron suddenly boomed. "I LACK THE TRUE ORIGIN! THE FINAL PIECE! WHERE IS IT!?"  
And then, as if one of the final pieces of an enormous puzzle fitting into place, all eyes fell upon Ark.  
"Ark!" Zelda gasped. "It's not just some of the Ark's energy he contains…he has part of the Origin!"  
"MY CREATION…I SHALL CLAIM WHAT IS MINE!" Akeron declared in his vast, mind-breaking voice.  
At once, Ark's hair and clothing began to whip upwards as if caught in a personal updraft. He blinked and looked at his companions with an expression of helplessness before he was suddenly swept up off the ground with a great howl of wind.  
"_NO!"_ Nyara and Zeel shrieked in unison. The two girls made a mad dash launched themselves at him. Nyara managed to wrap her arms around his torso while Zeel grabbed Nyara around her waist.  
"Ahh!" Link shot the twin Key straps after his three friends and managed to snare Zeel's ankles. As soon as the twin straps grew tort, the blonde boy was jerked forward onto his stomach and began sliding along the ground, dragging after them.  
"Stop them!" Fura yelled, diving at Link as Zelda tried and missed. Fura herself failed to gain purchase, but Talen managed to vault over the two of them and land a near-unbreakable hold around Link's middle. He dug his heels into the ground and jerked the string of people to a standstill.  
"Nyow!" Nyara squawked, jolting horrendously in Zeel's grip. Her hold on Ark was nearly broken, and so, as a last resort, she unsheathed her claws for a better purchase.  
"Hnngh-Ahh!" he cried as her sharp nails pierced his skin. "Miss Nyara…Miss Zeel! What are you doing?"  
"Are you stupid!?" Zeel shouted. "What do you think we're doing!?"  
"GIVE ME THE ORIGIN!" Akeron bellowed again, stepping towards them. "IT BELONGS TO ME AND ME ALONE!"  
"No!" Nyara wailed. "Ark no go!"  
"But he'll kill you!" Ark cried, horrified. He began to squirm in Nyara's grip. "Let me go! You can't die because of me!"  
The wind continued to howl, tearing at Ark like a hungry wolf as the chain of his friends fought to keep him away from the approaching God.  
"Do you realize how long I've been longing for someone like you?" Zeel growled, fighting to keep her hold on Nyara. "I won't let him have you…you're mine, _mine!_"  
"But I'm not real!" Ark cried desperately. "I'm just one of Akeron's creations…I'm a shell! I don't even have my own soul!"  
Nyara, tears streaming into the wind, buried her head into Ark's back. "Ark real to me!" she sobbed. "And…and real to Zeel, too. Nyara didn't know at first…how she felt about Ark, but now that…that she so close to losing him, she realize what life without Ark would be like. So Nyara knows now that she love Ark....and that she want Ark to love her and stay with her to grow up and become mates." Ark's eyes went wide with shock as Nyara spoke. "And Zeel…Zeel want Ark to stay with her because she feel the same…" Her voice was thick.  
"I WILL HAVE IT!" Akeron rumbled, reaching with a hand of pure, Godly energy.  
Ark panicked. They were going to die. _"Nyara! Zeel! Get away!"  
_A deafening rush of sound, a blinding flash…and they were all lying together on the ground. Akeron was reeling back as if struck by some tremendous force.  
Ark's head hurt…but he could also feel a pain within his chest. He opened his eyes and stared up at Nyara as she got to her knees and huddled over him. "But...but what about the boy at your village? Don't you…I mean…with him-"  
"Stupid Ark!" Nyara shouted suddenly, salty tears burning her eyes. "_You_ that boy! Nyara love _you!_ Nyara and Zeel _both_ love _you!_" She whimpered pathetically and buried her face in her hands. Zeel sat up at his side and closed her hand over his own, a small, sad smile playing about her lips.  
Ark could hardly breathe. He didn't know what to do – say, even; he was in a state of shock. Love? Him? Both of them – Nyara and Zeel? It seemed too unreal, too much for him to handle. He was a failed creation – a copy and a fake…did someone as lowly as he deserve such a thing?  
The grey-haired boy raised his hand and gazed at it against the starry sky. The lights within it glittered and flickered, illuminating the surrounding area in a soft glow. "Me?" he asked quietly. "Love…me?"  
Zeel frowned. "Why not?" she asked. Her cheeks had a rather red tint to them. "You're you, Ark. I don't care where you came from or how you were born." She helped him into a sitting position. "You called us by our proper names…"  
Ark stared at her, then Nyara. "I'm sorr-"  
"No," Zeel interjected, squeezing his hand. "It's all right. No more apologies…and no more "Miss", okay? Just "Nyara" and "Zeel" from now on."  
"Ark!" The call came from Fura as she rushed over to the group of three. "Nyara! Zeel! Are you all okay?"  
Nyara rubbed her eyes and nodded. "We okay," she said, sniffing slightly. "What happen?"  
Fura looked shocked. "You…don't know? But…we thought it was you guys who hit Akeron!"  
"Us?" Ark asked in a slightly dazed voice. "Akeron's a God…how could we-"  
"You four!" Link's voice suddenly echoed from across the field. "You're not going to believe this!"  
Fura, Nyara, and Ark's jaws nearly hit the ground as they looked back over to where Link, Zelda, and Talen were grouped.  
Florella, Impa, and Saria had arrived, but standing with them were Deia, Neju, and Fiera along with Erran, Fien, and Zen.  
"It's the performing ladies!" Florella squeaked. "They're here! They…they stopped Akeron!"  
"We're sorry for the delay, dears," Fiera said, kneeling down at Link's side. "But we had to wait." She grasped the boy's shoulder.  
"Ow!" Link squawked. "Careful! It's broken!" But as her touch persisted, he felt the bone beneath his skin miraculously knit together in mere moments – much faster than Florella would have been able to manage. He blinked and stared at her. "Why…how did you get here?"  
"WHO DARES DEFY THE ORIGIN!?" Akeron demanded suddenly, his monstrous form rising from where he had fallen. "NOTHING IN THE UNIVERSE CAN STAND AGAINST MY MIGHT!"  
"Over here, dears," Neju called to Ark, Nyara, and Zeel. "Quickly!"  
Nyara and Zeel each grabbed Ark by his arms and ran with him back to the others.  
"What's going on?" Ark asked in a small voice. "Have…we met?"  
Deia ran her fingers through the young boy's unruly grey hair. "We've been watching you for a long time, dear Ark," she said. "From the beginning we knew that you would be pivotal in the struggle over the Eternal Ark."  
Talen frowned. "But…if you knew about all of this from the beginning, why didn't you do anything about it?"  
"The rules forbade us from interfering too greatly in destiny's plan," Fiera explained. "But now that Akeron has so blatantly trampled the restrictions…we have been given permission to step in with whatever force we deem necessary to stop him."  
Impa narrowed her eyes. "But…Akeron is a God. How is it that you are able to stand against him?" And then her eyes went as wide as saucers. "Don't tell me…i-impossible! You-you're…!"  
"WHAT FOLLY IS THIS?" Akeron snorted contemptuously. "DO THESE FOOLISH WOMEN HOLD THE ABSURD NOTION THAT THEY CAN CONTEND WITH THE MOST POWERFUL DIVINITY OF ALL?"  
Deia raised an eyebrow. "Foolish women?" she parroted mockingly. "Learn some respect for your seniors, Akeron. We're beginning to grow tired with you – especially with your babyish shouting. A God should speak at a more acceptable volume."  
Another puzzle piece suddenly fell into position as the others suddenly saw what Impa had.  
"Oh my _God!_ It's you!" Zelda squeaked in an impossibly-high voice. "You're them! You're the three Goddesses!"  
The words had barely left the Princess' lips before the vast pasture was bathed in the searing light of an enormous, incandescent image of the Triforce. Emblazoned upon the ground, it began to emit a terribly bright golden light that swept up into the heavens and beyond. It swallowed everything and everyone, even Akeron, until it gradually decreased in intensity, leaving an indelible burn of the Golden Triangles upon the ground. And in the middle of it all stood Din, Nayru, and Farore.  
Despite staying at the same size as their performing counterparts, the Goddesses were truly impressive sights to behold. Unspeakably beautiful, they radiated power, wisdom, and strength in near-tangible waves. Farore's green-tinted form was veiled in an eternal wind that swirled and eddied around her body, carrying with it green leaves and blossoms. A blue mist surrounded the cerulean Nayru, crystallizing into tiny jewels in places and then dissolving again to form anew elsewhere. The sunset-red Din burned endlessly, her body wreathed in a living, wraithlike flame that seemed almost to lick upwards to join with her fiery hair that showered crackling sparks and embers with each movement. Though each was different, the three Goddesses all wore a set of wing-like headdresses above their pointed, Hylian-like ears, and clothed themselves in long, flowing robes of their respective colours.  
"GODDESSES!" Akeron rumbled, his voice shaking the earth.  
"Enough!" Farore commanded. Her voice was like the roaring wind. "Fool of a God! Know your place!"  
"The world you seek to remake as your own belongs to we three." Nayru's voice was level and wise. "It is not yours to take."  
"But if you insist upon parading your arrogance so," Din warned, her words carrying with them the very fury of a volcano. "Then our wrath you shall face!"  
"It-it's the Goddesses," Florella gaped, practically cowering behind Talen. "It's really them…it really is…"  
"Over here." It was Erran. He gestured towards himself, Zen, and Fien. "We'll keep you safe from harm. Hurry now."  
They all stood stock-still, rooted to the spot in awe. Impa, however, snapped out of her openmouthed stare and began herding the children over to the three males.  
Talen peered at Fien, his hand locked around Florella's. "You're not normal either…are you."  
Fien tapped the side of his nose and winked knowingly at the stares he was getting.  
"Fierce Deity," Link murmured, shaking his head. "It's you, isn't it…all three of you."  
Fien, Erran, and Zen actually looked quite surprised, but none of them made any attempt at denying it.  
Saria's eyes darted about. "F-five Gods?" she squeaked. "W-we're in the presence of _five_ Gods!?"  
Erran smiled. "We're really not that different to you, really," he said in a reasonable tone.  
"Except you _made_ this world! That's the only difference!" Zeel exclaimed.  
"Well, technically _I_ didn't really take part in the making part," Zen frowned. "The three ladies took care of that…." He trailed off. "But this isn't the time to be talking about it. Brace yourselves."  
"FOOLISH, ANTIQUATED GODS! YOUR TIME IS OVER!" Akeron rumbled, his body seething with crackling energy. "IT IS NOW MY TIME TO RULE! BEGONE!"  
The three Goddesses made no move other than to hold hands in a triangular formation and close their eyes as Akeron's immense form closed in on them.  
"Now, sisters," Farore murmured.  
Their eyes snapped open. "Hold," they murmured simultaneously.  
Akeron suddenly shuddered to a halt, as if held back by invisible tethers. "WHAT IS THIS!?" he demanded, struggling against his unseen bonds. The air around him rippled and then seemed to solidify.  
"Din," Nayru whispered. "It goes to you now."  
Din nodded and released her hold on her sisters' hands. In a slow, graceful movement, she raised her slender, ethereal arm and flattened her palm towards the towering Akeron. Then, as if to completely contrast that grace, a beam as bright as the sun and as loud as an erupting volcano burst from her hand. It struck Akeron in the chest and tore from his lungs a deafening roar of agony.  
"Ahh! Nyah!" Nyara yowled, flattening her ears against her head. "Loud! Loud! Loud!" She clutched Ark's shoulder with a vice-like grip that threatened to snap his collarbone.  
Akeron writhed and wrenched away at his invisible prison as the searing beam from Din tore at his body, sending what looked like molten lava spraying out from the point of impact.  
But Fien suddenly narrowed his eyes. "Something isn't right," he growled.  
And it wasn't. With an almighty _crack_, Akeron tore his right arm free of the hold placed upon it by the three Goddesses. He laughed a deep, rumbling laugh. "IS THIS ALL THAT THE THREE GODDESSES CAN THROW AGAINST ME?" Impossibly, his hand closed around the beam projected by Din and he grabbed hold if it.  
Din's face registered shock before she was wrenched into the air by her very own power.  
"Sister!" Farore called.  
It was at that point that terror's grip strengthened. Hearing Farore, a Goddess, cry out in such a manner was the equivalent of seeing hope itself die.  
By this time, Akeron had managed to completely free himself. He stood over Nayru and Farore with Din clenched within his fist like a helpless doll. "FOOLISH BEINGS," he snarled. "THE GODS OF OLD ARE NOTHING COMPARED TO THE SHEER MIGHT OF THE SOURCE OF ALL POWER!" His dark, malevolent eyes narrowed at the Goddess in his hand. "BUT PERHAPS THERE IS YET TO BE A USE FOR YOU…YOU POWER SHALL BE ADDED TO MINE. LET THE OLD GIVE THEIR STRENGTH TO THE NEW!"  
Din began to grow pale. The fire surrounding her body flickered and vanished as all of her strength leeched out to become a part of Akeron's. Her energy completely spent, Din became pale and grey.  
"_Beloved!"_ Zen, Erran, and Fien roared, running towards the helpless Goddess. In a split-second, their bodies merged into the familiar white-tunic clad, silver-haired figure without so much as breaking stride. Helix Sword in hand, he launched himself into the air with a ferocious battle-cry. He never managed to reach her, however. Akeron's dark face leered before him and a great wall of energy slammed into the fourth God and knocked him, senseless, to the ground where he lay groaning. Akeron's power was growing by the second.  
"No!" Farore screamed. She ran for the dark God as he smashed into the ground, but before she made it even three steps, she was flattened against the grass with her blue sister by Akeron's other hand. Like the dye fading from a garment, Farore and Nayru's ethereal glow sputtered and vanished, and they, like their sister, became grey and drawn.  
"H-he's too powerful!" Florella screamed, clinging to Talen. "He's beaten them! He's beaten the three Goddesses! What are we going to do!?"  
"What _can_ we do," Zelda whispered. "If the Goddesses were powerless against him…what hope do we have?" She sank to her knees.  
Akeron pulled away from the two exhausted Goddesses that lay upon the ground. "NOW, ARCHAY, MY CREATION…GIVE TO ME WHAT IS RIGHTFULLY MINE!" In a careless movement, he tossed the weakened Din aside like a used handkerchief.  
Talen swore and ran for her as she fell, thrusting Florella at Link. He stretched his arms out and caught her with a grunt before pivoting on his heel and running back to the others. "Are you okay…ah…Lady Goddess Din?"  
"Talen!" Florella shrieked. "Get back here! He's coming!"  
Talen snapped his head up as a massive foot came crashing down from above. He pivoted on his heel and ran, stumbling as Akeron's foot crashed into the ground. In the monstrous entity's next movement, he swept his arm down and snatched up Ark within his enormous fist to the sound of Nyara and Zeel's combined screams.  
"Let Ark go!" Nyara shouted, her body distorting and enlarging as she became a Bloodcat yet again. "Don't take him!"  
Ark looked back helplessly. "Nyara!" he called. "Zeel! I'm sorr-" And then he was gone, disappearing into his creator's gaping maw.  
Zeel threw her head back and roared out her fury at the top of her lungs. _"I'll kill you!"_ she snarled, her sharp incisors giving her a downright feral appearance. She lunged towards the monstrous God, but was stopped by, of all people, Nyaragon.  
"Zeel will die," she said bitterly, her eyes tearful. "Ark still inside Akeron somewhere…he no want Zeel dead. Zeel can't get him out of she gone."  
"YES!" Akeron laughed, his body flaring with the same light that had resided within Ark. "THIS IS IT! THE ORIGIN! THE-" He stopped suddenly, his dark eyes narrowing. "THIS CANNOT BE SO! _STILL_ I AM INCOMPLETE! A FINAL PIECE YET REMAINS…WHERE IS IT!?"  
"Wh-what?" Din stammered in Talen's arms. "One more piece?"  
Akeron swept his arms up towards the sky. "I COMMAND YOU, ORIGIN! REVEAL!" The light seething within his body reached a new peak of brightness, bathing the whole plain in the glow of the power taken from Ark and the three Goddesses. "SHOW ME!" The luminosity inside his body condensed into a single point before emitting a thin, strand-like beam of light. It seared past Nyaragon, Zeel, the Goddesses, Fura, Zelda, and hit the ground right at Florella's feet.  
"Eek!" the fairy squeaked. "Muh-me?"  
"No…" Link murmured. He placed his hand on her shoulder and gently moved her to the side. The beam stayed focused in the same spot. "It's me." He held up his black arm.  
The Fierce Deity staggered to his feet. "I-it's not a demon at all," he groaned. "It's a sentient component…it's a living part of the Ark's core!"

Silence. The grass bowed to the faint wailing of the wind in that brief moment of peace and quiet.  
Akeron stood above the hopeless group, his black, beady eyes burning at Link. And then a thin, malicious smirk cut across his abominable face. "BEARER." His voice was still vast, but quiet this time. "FOR DELIVERING THE FINAL PIECE OF THE ORIGIN UNTO ME, YOU SHALL BE BOTH REWARDED…AND PUNISHED."  
Link was caught off-guard. "What are you talking about?"  
"YOUR TWO WOMEN – THE HYLIAN PRINCESS AND THE GERUDO WITCH…YOUR QUANDARY OVER THEM IS KNOWN EVEN TO ME."  
Link glanced uneasily at Fura and Zelda. "And?"  
"I HOLD THEIR HEARTS WITHIN MY HANDS," Akeron murmured. "AT ANY MOMENT I CAN DECIDE TO CRUSH THEM, ENDING THEIR LIVES IN AN INSTANT."  
Link's eyes widened in panic. "Wh-what!?" He stared at the two girls and they stared back, their mouths hanging open. And then, assaulted by some invisible force, they sank to their knees with cries of pain, clutching at their chests. Link whirled back to Akeron. "Stop it! Stop it now!"  
Akeron ceased, and the two girls let out twin whimpers of relief. "AND SO, BEARER…YOU SHALL CHOOSE. YOU SHALL CHOOSE WHICH OF THESE WOMEN WILL DIE SO THAT YOU CAN BE WITH THE OTHER." He swept his arms out grandiosely. "AND HERE YOU SHALL REMAIN, IN THE ARK, SO THAT YOU CAN SUFFER IN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT YOU WERE THE ONE WHO CHOSE TO LET ONE LIVE AND LET ONE DIE EVERY MINUTE OF EVERY DAY…FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE."  
"No...y-you can't do that!" Link protested. "You _can't_ ask me to do that!"  
"CHOOSE!" Akeron rumbled. Fura and Zelda shrieked in pain as if to emphasize his command.  
"L-Link…" Zelda pleaded, her voice straining. "Please do it…y-you'll be spared if you do."  
Link stared at her, horrified. "B-but…I can't just decide to kill one of you!"  
"It's all right," Fura murmured, bracing herself on her hands and knees. "Don't worry…I-I am not afraid of death."  
Link shook his head. "But-"  
"You gave up your life once already, Link," Zelda said. Her voice was beginning to crack. "It should not have to happen again. If it has to be one of us to go instead of you, then gladly do we accept such a fate."  
Link fell to his knees, his head clasped in his hands. "But I can't…" he whispered. "I can't do it…"  
"Monster!" the Fierce Deity roared, flinging himself at Akeron. But again he was hurled away like a rag doll by no more than an irritated glance from Akeron.  
"Link," Zelda crooned softly. "We knew that this would come one day, didn't we. Fura, myself…it's always been a fact that has been with us since the beginning. Only one of us can have you…but it does not matter." She turned to the Gerudo.  
"Each of us would rather die than live to see you grow up all alone. That's why we never resented one-another for loving you…because we knew that if one of us didn't get you, then the other would, and you would be happy. Myself and Zelda…we will be happy whether you choose one or the other."  
The cruel God gazed down at Link's crumpled form. "IS IT SO HARD TO MAKE A SIMPLE CHOICE BETWEEN THE TWO?" he asked incredulously. He made it sound so simple, and the very thought of it being so mocked Link without mercy. "SURELY IT IS LOVE YOU FEEL FOR ONE OF THEM, IS IT NOT?"  
Link stayed there, huddled in a tight ball as all eyes and ears focused upon him. "I…" He began to sob quietly, his body shaking. He looked so small and so helpless; like everything – his resourcefulness, strength, and will – that made Link Link had been sucked out of him. "I don't."  
One could say that at that very moment, the very _instant_ those words left Link's mouth, the sounds of Fura and Zelda's hearts breaking echoed across the plain. Zelda let out a tiny whimper and buried her face in her hands while Fura, down on her knees, rocked forward and pressed her forehead against the soft earth, clutching at it as if for comfort with her calloused fingers.  
"But…how?" Florella said in a tiny, quavering voice. "How can he say that?" Talen gripped her shoulder.  
"YOU FEEL NAUGHT FOR EITHER?" Akeron asked tauntingly. "THEN IT SHALL BE NEITHER WHO LIVES!"  
Link raised his head and then shook it. "I didn't say that, Akeron," he said, sniffing as he wiped his eyes. "You don't know…just how hard it is, do you. There is nothing, absolutely _nothing_ in this world or any other that fills me with as much fear as those two girls do."  
Fura raised her head. "Wh-what…?"  
"For nearly four years, _four years_ I have looked at them and everything that they are with dread…" He wiped his eyes for a final time and turned his head to gaze at the redhead and the blonde, mournfully. "Because I'm terrified that what I have to offer them won't be enough…since I'm not so good with feelings and things…" His voice was shaky and his whole body seemed to quiver. It was as if the words he was pushing from his mouth were so heavy that it took all of his strength just to get them past his throat. He was also white – white as snow itself as he gazed at the two girls, his soul laid utterly bare to them. "And so no…I do not love one of them at all. No more than one, no less than the other, but greater than all else…I love them both."  
And that point then, those four words, marked the very first time that Fura and Zelda had ever heard Link say that he loved them. They stared at him, not quite sure if they should believe it. Had they heard wrong? Did he mispronounce something? No…he had said it. Link loved them, Link was _in_ love with them; just as they were with him.  
"Both?" Zelda gasped.  
"Both!?" Fura parroted.  
"FOOLISHNESS," Akeron snorted. "THEN I SHALL TAKE YOU FIRST, BEARER…SO THAT YOU MAY DIE KNOWING THAT THEY WILL FOLLOW."  
"Fura, Zelda…I'm sorry!" Link called. He whirled around and ran towards Nyaragon. "Nyara! Let's give him what he wants!"  
"No!" Zelda screamed. "Not now!"  
"What!?" Fura exclaimed. "Are you freakin' crazy!? With that last part he can annihilate the whole world!" Link vaulted into the air and curled himself into a black sphere. "Don't do it!"  
Nyaragon whirled around at Link's command and opened her mouth wide, catching the black sphere and swallowing it in a single bite. "Akeron!" she shouted, her forearms blackening as a strong wind began to coalesce around her. "Present from Nyaragon to you!" She took aim at the colossal being's chest, closed one eye…and fired.  
Like the sound-barrier itself shattering, the black sphere that was Link cannoned from Nyaragon's hands with a terrific _boom_. The displacement of air was truly phenomenal, too. Any and all grass around the Bloodcat was instantaneously torn up, roots and all. Zeel was hurled back like a leaf in the breeze, slamming into Fura, who in turn was knocked back into Zelda. The Goddesses slid back, but their movement was stopped by the Fierce Deity, who moved in to protect them. Talen, having placed Din in the Fierce Deity's care, had grabbed hold of Florella to stop her from blowing away, while Impa wrapped her arm around Saria and grouched low against the ground. All of them watched as the black sphere rocketed towards Akeron, almost in slow motion.  
"MINE AT LAST!" Akeron roared triumphantly, making a mad grab for the projectile. However, it was not into his hand that Link went, but through his fingers and straight into his chest. The God staggered back with a sharp bellow of surprise. The spot at which the Link-sphere had entered his body crackled with energy as if bleeding, but it soon faded, leaving nary a mark. "YES…YES, I CAN FEEL IT!" The light burned brighter than the sun.  
"Oh Link…" Saria sobbed. "What have you done?"  
"This is it…" Zeel murmured numbly. "The end of the world. It's all over."  
Akeron arched his back and thrust his arms out. "THE ORIGIN IS COMPLETE AT LAST! SUPREME POWER IS MINE!"  
And then he froze.

The light within him began to flicker and then draw in upon itself like it had when pointing out the part of the Origin within Link.  
"What…what's happening?" Farore breathed.  
From the very centre of the disc of light upon Akeron's chest came a pitch-black hand. It reached around and grasped the edge of the disc before a second arm – light instead of dark – emerged. Slowly but surely, a figure began to pull itself out of Akeron's body. The head, followed by the shoulders and chest appeared, until the torso was free. It twisted itself around and peered at the shocked spectators on the ground below.  
"It's…it's…!" Zelda squeaked.  
The figure tore itself free from Akeron's chest with an almighty heave. The evil God snapped back, leaving the figure hovering in the air while Akeron crashed into the ground with a terrific crash.  
"It's Link…did he do it?" Florella breathed, gazing up with her eyes as wide as saucers.  
Indeed it was Link. He had grown no larger, nor had he grown any extra appendages of any sort. Instead, half of his body had become the burning light that had once occupied Ark and Akeron, while the other half was pitch-black shadow. His eyes, however, remained as tiny specks of blue.  
The Fierce Deity shook his head in disbelief. "He absorbed the powers of the Ark's core…Origin!"  
Akeron's eyes blazed with fury. "BEARER…YOU CANNOT DO THAT! THAT POWER BELONGS TO ME AND NO-ONE ELSE!" He rose to his feet and lunged at the glowing boy floating above him. Link, however, suddenly shot towards the monstrosity and slammed directly into his face. A thunderous detonation complete with a blinding flash rang out across the plain. Akeron was sent reeling back like a giant piñata, his arms flailing hopelessly.  
"Go Link!" Fura cheered at the top of her lungs. "Beat the snot out of him and smash his freakin' face in for me!"  
Again and again Link smashed into Akeron, beating him around as if it were absolutely no effort at all. There were no weapons this time, no enormous swords of any description; merely his own fists.  
"This is…unbelievable," Din breathed. "The boy…the piece of the Origin within him must have been the most dominant. He's used it to take all of that power for himself…"  
"BEARER!" Akeron grunted as he was sent staggering back by yet another unstoppable blow. "IT IS MINE! MY POWER! RETURN IT TO ME!"  
Link, his eyes blazing blue, whirled around as the infuriated God swung his massive hand. He caught it effortlessly and then grinned as Akeron's snarl or anger became an expression of shock. And then he swatted the huge arm away and dove right at the God's chest.  
It was almost like somebody letting the stopper out of a bottle. Link drove his hand into the very centre of Akeron's pulsating body and then tore it out again. Instantly, the energy of the Ark still left within the new God began to spill out, spraying into the air like a great blizzard.  
"NO! THIS CANNOT BE POSSIBLE!" Akeron wailed despairingly. He began to shrink as more and more of the energy within him spilled out and swirled around Link, who began to absorb it at a fantastic rate.  
Boiling energy became flesh, bone, and clothing once more, and those dark, maddening eyes became wide, green, and terrified.

There was still a new God…only it was not Akeron anymore. It was now Link. More powerful than the three Goddesses, more powerful than the Fierce Deity; he was the source of everything. He was the Origin.  
"Give it back!" Akeron, now a mortal once more, demanded shrilly. "It's mine! It belongs to me-" He was cut off as Link casually backhanded him. Though a gentle blow, it sent him flying…straight into the arms of Zeel.  
The demoness locked her hand around his neck and drew her lips back in a threatening snarl. "Got you," she growled.  
Zelda carefully approached Link as the boy examined his body. "Ah…Link?" she ventured tentatively. He abruptly stopped his self-examination and turned to her, the blue discs of his eyes blinking. "It…is _you_…right?" He nodded and then grinned at her. Zelda's eyes filled with tears. "Oh Link! You did it!" She threw her arms around his neck and began bawling.  
"So…" Fura began, approaching them. "You're the Origin now." She looked him up and down. She was about to speak when a soft mew from Nyaragon cut her off.  
"Link?" she asked quietly. "Where is Ark?"  
Link silently observed the huge Bloodcat and Zeel as they waited hopefully for an answer. He shifted his gaze to the Fierce Deity as he knelt over the weakened Goddesses…well, they were Goddesses no longer. Their immortality, power; everything had been taken from them. As gently as he could, he unhooked Zelda's arms from around his neck and wandered over to the three prone forms.  
"Thank goodness," Farore sighed, pushing herself into a sitting position along with her two sisters. "I was worried for a few moments…something that I am quite unaccustomed to."  
Din curled her fingers in front of her face. "Grey," she murmured coldly at the colour of her skin. "I'm all grey…"  
"What becomes of us now?" Nayru asked quietly. "With our divinity gone…will it be possible to live as we did with our beloved?"  
Link frowned. They were smiling, but only on the outside. The Fierce Deity, too, was giving off the unmistakable aura of sadness. His beloveds were no longer like him…they were now different, oh so different. The boy turned to look at Nyaragon and Zeel who were still waiting hopefully for an answer, the unconscious body of Akeron slung between them.  
"So, Link…the power to create anything you desire is yours. The Eternal Ark bows to your command…what shall you do first with it?" the Fierce Deity asked.  
Link frowned thoughtfully, turned his head, and smiled.  
He would give it up. He sucked in a deep breath and then arched his back as a great plume of shadow and fragments of light discharged from the centre of his chest. It swirled up from his body, filling the sky with a strange kind of radiance of light and dark. As the Origin left his body, four orbs of colour emerged from the same point. Three of them, red, green, and blue, spiraled around one-another before drifting over to the three former-Goddesses and sinking into them.  
The three of them gasped lightly as their colour returned. Din's veil of fire burst to life, Nayru's crystalline mist sparkled back into radiance, and Farore's shawl of wind, leaves, and blossoms began to blow once more.  
And then the fourth orb of colour, a soft mix of grey and green, settled upon the ground and gradually changed until it was the vague shape of a person. The colour melted away until the still form of Ark – no longer glowing like a firefly – was left lying on the ground. He groaned in exhaustion and twitched, rolling onto his back with obvious effort.  
"Ark!" The boy blinked and looked up in time to see nearly twenty feet of Bloodcat bearing down on him.  
"Euh!" he squawked moments before he was crushed beneath a red mass of muscle and sinew. Only his head was visible, poking out from Nyaragon's shoulder. "Wh-what happened?" He craned his neck and saw Link standing on his tiptoes, the colossal plume of energy from the Origin still billowing out and into the sky. "L-Link! Akeron…what happened? Did we win?" His expression grew troubled and his voice fearful. "Did we lose?"  
"The day is won, dear Ark," a soft, gentle voice assured him.  
Ark tilted his head all the way back to see three luminous figures standing over him. His eyes nearly popped out of his head and his mouth opened and closed uselessly. "G-Godde…Ho-holy…haaah!" he squeaked.  
Nayru smiled at him and tapped Nyaragon's shoulder, reverting her instantly to her Meera body. "Allow Zeel to show her relief as well, dear Nyara," she said softly.  
Nyara blinked and smiled awkwardly at Ark. The discomfort was quickly abandoned, however, as the Meera girl pulled Ark to his feet and promptly gave his cheek a long, affectionate lick while Zeel locked her arms around his neck and brushed her lips against his other cheek.  
"M-Miss-" Ark cut himself off abruptly as Nyara's tongue stopped in mid-lick and Zeel's eyes snapped open. He smiled as his cheeks reddened. "I am glad to see you both safe…Zeel, Nyara."  
In the meantime, things had gotten just a little bit too much for the emotional Florella and she had burst into tears as soon as she had realized that Akeron had been stopped. She clung to Talen's chest and bawled into his neck, soaking his tunic through as the smith tried his best to calm her down.  
"Come on, Florella," Talen sighed, rubbing her back. "It's okay…you don't have to cry. Everyone's okay." He patted her back several times, causing her blubbering to strain.  
She lifted her teary, red face from his clothing and sniffed loudly. "Buh-but I'm s-so happy!" she whined in that high-pitched crying fashion. "W-we're alive…I thought th-that Akeron had won!" She sniffed again and lifted the hand that bore the huge ring that Talen had given her. "We c-can get married!"  
"By age twenty," Talen murmured, scratching the back of his head as he recalled Fura's warning.  
"Nearly six years."  
"I must thank you, good blacksmith," a rich voice sounded, cutting into Talen's thoughts of marriage. Din stood there, the corners of her mouth tweaked upwards in a small smile. "For catching me before."  
He blinked, confused. "O-oh…" he uttered, a little flustered. The fiery Goddess was more than just a little intimidating. "Y-you're welcome." A near-intolerable silence followed, during which Din merely smiled at him as if finding amusement in his discomfort. Talen flicked his eyes over to where Link was still ridding himself of the power of the Origin.  
Din nodded in understanding. "There is no need to worry. He will be all right."  
Coincidentally, Zelda – Fura as well – was thinking the exact same thing as Talen. There was an awful lot of power radiating from Link – so much that it may have been too much for his body to handle. She took a step towards him.  
With a hurricane of sound, the maelstrom of power swirling from Link ceased. Green tunic, blonde hair, blue eyes, and slightly weathered skin – none of it black. With all parts of the Origin purged from his being, Link was back to normal again. Unfortunately, he was standing at too odd an angle to stay on his feet. "Ah!" he gasped, toppling over backwards while flailing his arms rather helplessly. Zelda arrived just in time, though, and caught him underneath his arms.  
"Easy, easy," she murmured, her knees nearly buckling under Link's dead weight. Fura relieved the struggling Princess and hefted Link onto her back with little to no effort at all.  
Link's head lolled on her shoulder. "Are you both okay?" he asked weakly, his jaw resting in the crook of her neck.  
Fura looked at him strangely, but then she smiled warmly at him and brought her hand up to gently press his head against her cheek. "We're fine, now."  
Zelda smiled coquettishly and pushed her fingers into Link's fringe. "So…both of us, hmm?"  
The boy's face flashed red with embarrassment. He hadn't forgotten his painful and extremely difficult confession, but Zelda had brought it all rushing back afresh. He dropped his gaze and did his best at hiding his face. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have said it," he groaned. "I must seem so…_greedy_." He made a tired little sound and closed his eyes, his voice dropping to a whisper. "It was so hard to say…so hard. I couldn't breathe…"  
Fura laughed heartily, her rich voice reverberating in Link's ear. "Ahah! You're such a sweetie-pie, Honey-Bunny."  
"Huh?"  
"I don't think you realize just how happy you've made us both just by saying what you said," Zelda told him with a small smile. "_Love_, Linkie-do…you've never said it to us before, _ever_." She ran her finger down the ridge of his nose in a sharp, quick motion. "You were shaking like a leaf."  
Link stared at her as a small voice at the back of his mind screamed at him that he could never ever take it back. He shuddered and clung even harder to Fura's back. "I feel sick," he croaked. He wasn't sure if it was his fatigue that brought it on or the terrible amount of willpower it took to tell the two girls that he loved them. Either way, he felt as if his insides were suddenly going to high-tail it out of his mouth.  
"Descending from a state of such unrestrained power has no doubt left you with very little energy of your own." Nayru stood a short distance away. "Rest is all you need."  
"Nuh-uh," Link mumbled, lifting his head and shaking it from side to side. He tugged at the Key with his hand. "Have to do what I came here to do."  
"You're right," Fura agreed with a small sigh. She felt him shift. "Can you walk?"  
Link gingerly touched his feet to the ground and slid off Fura's back. He very nearly crumpled, but grasped Fura's shoulder before he did. "I don't think so," he murmured, holding his other hand out to Zelda. "I need help." The Princess took it without delay, holding his arm over her shoulder as Fura did the same.  
"Let's go, everyone," Fura called.  
They trickled in. Talen walked slowly while his wife-to-be clung to his arm, an adoring gaze locked upon the smith's dependable face. He returned it, equally so. Ark walked between Nyara – who dragged the unconscious Akeron along with her tail coiled around his neck – and Zeel like a dignitary being escorted by two bodyguards…except these two bodyguards were holding the dignitary's hands…and the dignitary himself wore a small and tired, yet entirely happy smile set beneath a pair of deep green eyes that were still filled with astonishment and a whole lot of disbelief. And at the rear came Saria and Impa. The two eternal-worriers could now worry no more; danger had been averted.  
"Link?" The boy lifted his head and turned his attention to Impa. She frowned speculatively at him. "How is it that you knew you would be able to succeed in gaining control of the Origin with the piece that you possessed?"  
"I didn't," Link said simply.  
Fura and Zelda nearly dropped him.  
"You _what!?_" Zelda nearly screamed. She shook his arm. "You'd better be joking!"  
Link whimpered feebly. "Stop manhandling me!" he protested. She did, and Link took a few seconds to formulate a response. "Well…when the Fierce Deity said that it was a sentient piece of the Ark's core…I thought it may have been able to exert some control over the rest. So I gambled."  
"You saved the world with dumb luck?" Impa asked incredulously.  
Link cringed. In hindsight, it looked like he should have just lied. "It got the job done, didn't it?"  
"Find no fault in the boy." Din and her sisters were chuckling quietly to themselves. "But if you like, for being so reckless, a fitting punishment we have decided upon."  
Link blanched. "Punishment? You can't do that!" he cried indignantly. The Goddesses watched him coolly. "You're ungrateful!"  
Farore shook her head. "The exact opposite, dear boy." The three of them shared a laugh. "But just for that, we shall allow you to stew over it for awhile." She turned around and motioned for everyone to follow. "Come along, now. There is still one final thing that is yet to be done."

"Is Ark okay?"  
Ark was used to hearing that question, so his response bordered on automatic. "I'm fine, Nyara," he murmured. He didn't quite feel like it, though. He felt run down, thin…exhausted in not only in a physical way, but in spirit as well. Something was amiss, but he had a strange feeling that he best not tell Nyara and Zeel about it.  
Nyara and Zeel.  
He repeated their names over in his head. It felt almost alien to refer to them without the "Miss" tacked onto the beginning of their names. But…it was different now, wasn't it? Yes, it was. They loved him, both of them did, and…so did he love them. It was a thought that filled him with both jubilation and fear. Glancing at Link, Ark could see that his blonde friend was in very much the same boat as he.  
"So…here we are," Talen murmured.  
Here they were indeed. The Goddesses had taken everyone out of the Ark's core by means known only to them. And so, by the immense pillar Talen had broken only a short while ago, they all stood; Goddesses, friends, and Akeron – the latter only just beginning to come around – about fifty metres from the door to the Ark's core.  
"Waking up, huh?" Zeel growled, slapping his face none too carefully.  
Akeron groaned and his eyelids snapped open. "Demon," he spat.  
"What of it?" Zeel snorted. She moved with the speed of a cracking whip and snared Akeron's head in her hand, digging her claws into his skin. "At least _I'll_ still be alive at the end of this." She showed her fangs. "I'm going to _eat_ you, Akeron."  
He showed no reaction, instead he swiveled his eyes so that they were fixed upon Link. "Bearer," he growled. "All of that power…why give it up? Think of what you could have done with it."  
Link scrunched his face up as if Akeron's voice was somehow carrying an offensive odour. "Didn't want it," Link said, shrugging. "And I could have done anything I wanted without any effort? Where's the sense of accomplishment in that?" He turned around slowly, unaided by Fura or Zelda. "If I get hungry, I want to be able to steal food from a kitchen somewhere. Half the fun is knowing that you could get yelled at by Saria…or having hot butter soak into your skin so that somebody with no self-control tries to take a chunk out of your shoulder. If I stayed the way I was, then I couldn't do any of that anymore." He shook his head. "The Goddesses can the Fierce Deity can have the world, I don't want it. Me? All I want _or_ need is my little treehouse in the forest and this bunch of misfits…even scary old Impa."  
The Sheikah's right eye twitched. "Old?"  
"Pointless sentiment," Akeron scoffed. "I don't understand you."  
"That's probably because you've just finished reading your big book of dumb," Link told him, frowning. "Now if you'll excuse me…" He grabbed the twin rings of the Key, crafting it into its sword-like form. "…there's something that I must attend to." The blonde boy turned and began to walk slowly between Fura and Zelda towards the great door that stood open before him as if silently pleading to be closed.  
"Bearer," Akeron called suddenly. Link half-turned, but then snapped his head back around as if stung right on the forehead. Something forced itself into his mind. It was an image…something he could see with his mind's eye, but at the same time it was something else; more like a sudden realization.  
"Link? Are you okay?" Zelda asked. Link blinked to clear his head.  
"A gift from me to you," Akeron chuckled darkly. "I believe something along the lines of, "he who laughs last," comes to mind.  
Link gasped and switched his horrified gaze to Ark. The grey-haired boy was staring at him with that same, wide-eyed look of horror…but then, slowly, his expression calmed.  
"Wait here, Zeel, Nyara," he said quietly. The two girls made no move to stop him as he walked over to Link. "Lady Fura, Lady Zelda…if you don't mind, I'd like to help Link to the door."  
Fura nodded as she and Zelda stepped back and allowed Ark to pull Link's arm over his shoulder.  
"Ark!" Link hissed. "What are you-"  
"Please," Ark said quietly, cutting him off. "Let's go."  
So they walked to the final point of their journey as the other looked on. The last fifty-metre stretch. It was relatively slow-going, seeing as how both boys were at the point of exhaustion, but they managed to keep each other moving.  
"Ark…" Link began, his voice conveying some urgency, but Ark shushed him. The grey-haired boy's eyes were fixed exclusively upon the door. Link could feel him shaking faintly, more so with every step they took towards their goal. Ark was terrified. Link could feel it coming off him in waves, and he didn't blame him, either.  
And then they stopped…they were there. The end of the journey.  
"You'd better do it soon," Ark said neutrally. "They'll suspect something if we just stand here."  
Link's eyes darted from Ark to the others and then back to Ark again. "But…you saw it," Link hissed. "You saw what will happen!" Ark nodded. "Then you _know_ I can't close that door!"  
Ark shook his head. "But it can't stay open," he murmured.  
Link's mind raced. "Then…then I'll stay here!" he declared. "I'll guard the Eternal Ark…I won't have to…close it…" The blonde boy trailed off. His expression was of utter hopelessness. "What about them…Nyara and Zeel?"  
Ark sighed bitterly. "If it's not closed, then someone else could come along and put them in danger again…I don't want that to happen."  
Link's tone was pleading. "But-"  
Ark placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm tired, Link…very tired." Link fingered the Key gripped tightly in his hand. He closed his eyes and took in a shuddering breath. "I was told that this would happen…that I would choose how the Ark would be closed."  
Link opened his eyes and stared at him. "And…how do you choose?" he asked sadly. But Link already knew the answer.  
"Close the Ark, Link," Ark said. "And do it quickly…before I change my mind." He turned around and looked back across the fifty-metre gap between himself and his precious Meera and his precious demoness. "Because, truthfully…I don't want to go."  
"Arky-Ark!" Nyara crowed. She started skipping towards him as Zeel and the others followed closely behind her.  
"Hurry…please." Ark's voice was strained.  
As if sensing the impending end, the Ark's Master Lock came together in the open doorway.  
Link shut his eyes tight as tears began to pour down his cheeks. "Forgive me!" And so, with an agonized cry, Link raised the Key and drove it into the Lock, turning it with an audible _click_ of terrible finality. The door began to grind shut at an agonizingly-slow pace. The light beyond it burned bright, swirling in the darkness that had once been within Link's body.  
"And it's done," Ark breathed, staring as the swirling light became but a thin line between the door's two panels.

All at once, the enormous chamber began to change. The gigantic pillars dissolved away into tiny flecks of light, as did the floor, walls, and Akeron's throne. The vast pile of treasure surrounding it also began to disappear, spiriting away into those tiny particles of light. The room was aglow with it. Everything that Akeron had made was become undone, returning the Ark to its original state. There was a plain stone floor, roughly-carved walls, and crooked pillars supporting a now-visible ceiling.  
"It's all changing," Talen murmured. "All of Akeron's meddling is being undone."  
"Ark!" Nyara crowed. She leapt for him, her arms spread wide.  
And then time slowed down once more.  
Ark watched her, Zeel, too, as they neared him. The Meera girl sailed towards him, slowly, gracefully. Zeel ran, her arms thrown out wide and the most dazzling smile he had ever seen gracing her face. The door behind him was but a fraction away from closing. Ark reached out as Nyara and Zeel came closer, closer…closer…  
_Boom_. The door closed, and the Eternal Ark, finally, was locked.  
"Eee!" Nyara squealed. She grabbed at Ark…but caught nothing but air. She hit the ground with a dull thud.  
Zeel screeched to a halt right in front of Ark. "Wh-what?"  
And Ark himself, the grey-haired, green-eyed, short, skinny, and sad-faced boy stood there, staring at his hands as they began to flicker between translucent and solid. "O-oh…" he murmured.  
Zeel reached out to touch his face with a shaking hand, but like Nyara, she passed right through him. "Wh-what's happening?" She kept trying to lay some kind of hold on him, her hands swishing through his insubstantial body as a panicked, harrowing wail began to grow in her throat.  
"Ark?" The boy turned around to look at Nyara. She stood behind him, her ears drooped and her tail hanging limp.  
"I can't be with you anymore," he said apologetically.  
"But why!?" Zeel demanded.  
Ark sighed and allowed his arms to drop to his sides. "Like Talen said…all of Akeron's meddling is being undone." He bowed his head. "Including me."  
Nyara's yellow eyes searched his face. "Ark knew…didn't he," she said. "Ark knew! Why!? Why didn't Ark say anything!?"  
"Because you'd try to stop me if I did," Ark told her quietly. "And the Ark had to be closed."  
A sudden burst of hope appeared in Nyara's face. "N-Nyara and Zeel can share!" she said. "Nyara and Zeel share Ark! He no have to choose one over other…Ark can have both! It happen all the time with Meera; one can have two mates!" Zeel nodded emphatically.  
Ark smiled. "Believe me when I say this, Nyara…but if I could, I would accept such a thing in a heartbeat."  
Desperation getting the better of her, Zeel whirled around and faced the three Goddesses. "You!" she said. "You can do something…save Ark! Don't let him go!"  
The three of them looked down at her sadly with tears standing in their eyes.  
"More than anything would we desire to make your wish come true," Nayru told her softly. "But even we cannot make real what is not real-"  
"_Don't!"_ Zeel snarled furiously. "Don't you dare say that about him! Ark _is_ real!"  
Farore closed her eyes. "We can only create things of our own, dear Zeel," she murmured. "There is nothing that we can do."  
Zeel drew herself up, but was stopped by a soft call from behind. "Don't be angry with them, Zeel," Ark pleaded. "It's not their fault and…I would like you to be here with me…" He grew paler as those tiny flecks of light began to drift from his body. Zeel rushed over and stood next to Nyara, facing Ark. The grey-haired boy smiled and then looked past the two girls to his other companions.  
The girls were doing their best to stop themselves from crying, but they weren't having much success. Florella's face had gone red and mottled as she clung to Talen with those tiny fingers of hers, her tears soaking the smith's shirt through. Fura and Zelda, wet-faced, stood with their arms around each other, both of them holding hands as if to keep the other steady. Saria was gone, her face completely hidden against Impa's stomach as the stony-faced Sheikah held the Kokiri in an iron-like grip. Her own face had cracked and small, salty rivulets ran unhindered down to her chin where they dripped down into Saria's head. Even Talen, the steady, unmoving rock of the group, was unsuccessful in stopping his sorrow from escaping. His arms were encircled around Florella's small shoulders, hugging her to him as they both cried.  
And Link, the one who had locked the Eternal Ark, hung against the Key still in the Lock, beating the door with his free hand until his knuckles had gone raw and bloodied. "Forgive me…" he sobbed between clenched teeth. "Nyara, Zeel…Ark…forgive me for what I've done." Navi jingled at his bloodied hand in a vain attempt at getting him to stop beating the unyielding door.  
But it was not Navi who stopped him, but a soft voice. "Enough, now, Link." A green-tinted hand curled around his own and an arm around his waist, pulling him from the door. He didn't have the strength to fight against it, so he hung there; limp, as he was carried away.  
"Your task is now complete," The Fierce Deity murmured as he pulled the Key from the Master Lock "And it shall now fall to us once again to keep safe this Key."  
Farore deposited Link with Fura and Zelda, and then returned to her place with her sisters with the Fierce Deity.  
"Talen and Lady Florella…" Ark began. "I wish you both a long and happy marriage."  
Florella's response was nearly inaudible. "Thank you," she whimpered. Talen merely nodded.  
"Link, Lady Fura, and Lady Zelda…I hope the three of you are able to work things out between yourselves. I hope for your happiness." Fura and Zelda smiled and nodded, but Link couldn't bring himself to look at his friend. Shame was written all over his face. "Miss Saria, please look after Link, okay? We boys aren't too good at managing some things on our own." Saria turned to face him, a small, sad smile playing about her lips as she nodded. "And Miss Impa? Thank you for being a good guardian…and please tell Tannis and Lady Elousin that I am sorry for not being able to live with them."  
She nodded. "I will…and thank you, too, Ark."  
The boy nodded and then turned to Nyara and Zeel. He was growing paler and paler by the second. "Look after one another, okay?"  
Nyara nodded with a loud sniff. "Z-Zeel stay with Nyara," she said in the most stable voice she could manage. "Like sisters." She gripped the demoness' hand.  
Ark was crying as he held his hands out with fingers spread. Nyara and Zeel in turn held out their own, holding Ark's hands as if they were able to touch them, threading their fingers together.  
"Goodbye," Din murmured sadly. "Our dear…our sweet…our Ark."  
Zeel bit her lip. "Ark…I'm gonna miss you."  
"Don't forget me," he whispered. "Because with you both…I felt so real." And in a flurry of tiny lights, he was gone; fading into memory.  
And slowly, like feathers falling from a bird, three tufts of tawny, silver, and black hair drifted to the floor where they lay by a small, glowing ball.  
A long, despairing, and uncontrollable wail left Nyara's throat as the fingers between her own vanished. Zeel hugged her, drawing her in tight with her head on her shoulder as the Meera girl shook.  
And then she turned, her mismatched eyes fixing themselves upon the smirking Akeron. "Come on," she whispered hoarsely. "Akeron is waiting for us."  
They stalked towards him, side by side, and then picked him up. Nyara went first, sinking her teeth into his neck and biting down hard. Akeron let out a gurgle that should have been a shout of pain had his windpipe not been crushed. And then Zeel took her turn, biting his flesh on the opposite side and draining him completely. At the end of it, all that was left was a heap of crumpled clothes and a small pile of ash.  
"For you, Ark," Zeel murmured, wiping her mouth with her arm. She sighed and swallowed heavily, her hand finding its way into the sobbing Nyara's.  
And so, with heavy hearts, the companions, led by the Goddesses and the Fierce Deity, turned from the great door, the Origin, and the Eternal Ark itself, and walked away, taking only Aarden's body and their precious memories.  
"Come on," Zelda sighed. "Let's go home."


	91. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

"It's about time you came along," Saria murmured. She gazed down over the railing at her reflection, stained orange by the rising sun and fractured by the wake of the ship.  
"Hmm," he hummed back noncommittally. He looked past the horizon with a haunted stare, his eyes circled darkly with tiredness.  
Saria sighed. "They've sent lots of letters asking you to come. It should have been proof enough." He hummed another flat response and continued to stare. His fingers were tapping endlessly on the rail, drumming out his nervousness out over the ocean. "Link…"  
The blonde boy turned then, fixing those tired eyes on his childhood friend and smiling. "I'm sorry," he said. "It has been a long time, hasn't it?" He leaned on the rail with his elbows, standing next to the smaller girl.  
"Two years," Saria snorted. "The only way you've kept in touch has been through letters, and even then they were short." She looked at her taller friend, her eyes traveling to the huge circles under his eyes that had been present for almost twenty-four months. "Another one last night?"  
Link yawned tiredly. "As always," he sighed. "Elousin…again."  
Saria patted his arm comfortingly. "Maybe you'll be able to sleep a little better once you talk to them, hmm?"  
It had almost been two whole years since the painful end of that long journey. Everyone had done their best not to forget Ark, but at the same time put it all behind them.  
Link, however, could not. He had not slept properly a single night ever since he had turned that Key. Nightmares frequented him, waking him at all hours to leave him lying in his bed with images of Nyara, Zeel, and Elousin burned into his mind. He relived that moment; when he had condemned his friend to vanish from the world, leaving not even a soul behind. He could hear Nyara's horrible wail of unbearable, heart-wrenching loss, and Zeel's hopeless cries. Not one night; no period of rest went by when he didn't hear those cries of agonizing loss.  
And then there was Elousin.  
Saria sighed as she remembered it. They returned from the Ark that day, appearing back in Arbouren from the very point at which they had left. The Goddesses were no longer with then, nor was the Fierce Deity; the steady downpour of rain told of them returning to the heavens to grieve. Elousin had come running to meet them all with Yula and Tannis, to mother them senseless with relief. But it was then she saw the still form of Aarden…and then she saw that Ark was no longer with them. Impa told her everything with the steadiest voice she could manage and then watched as Elousin fell apart. She cried and cried and cried, clinging to her husband and daughter.  
And Link had watched, stunned and distraught, at the woman from whom he had stolen a son. He had tried to run away that night. Unable to cope with Nyara, Zeel, and Elousin's sorrow, he had fled into the night to wherever chance would take him. Luckily, he didn't get very far; Fura had caught him trying to flee and had chased him down through the forest before catching and dragging him back to the city. The Gerudo girl was then charged with keeping an eye on him after that; she was strong enough to physically prevent him from running off, but she was also very close to him emotionally. She kissed him senseless as he cried, crooning softly into his ear until he fell asleep in her iron-like grip.  
And then the next day, everyone went home. Tannis and Elousin hired a ship with which to make the journey a shorter one. Nyara and Zeel went back to the Meera village and, soon after, Zeel was made an official member of the tribe for her part in helping Nyara. They took Aarden's body with them and buried it in the village graveyard next to a memorial they made for Ark.  
Florella and Talen went to Windhill to tell Morgan, Isabella, and Shera everything that had happened…and to also announce their official engagement. Talen, however, took back Florella's ring so he could finish it. Then they left Windhill together and traveled to Rockvale to tell Talen's father all about their journey and their engagement. Talen's father had apparently cried upon hearing the news of his son's impeding union with the Great Fairy of Spring.  
So that left just Fura, Zelda, Link, Saria, and Impa as they headed for Kokiri Forest. They had all stayed there for a few days until Link seemed to fall somewhat back in sorts and then they had parted ways. Zelda went back to her castle with Impa and Fura departed for the desert, both leaving with a declaration that one day Link would be married…or branded, depending on whoever he chose in the end. They refused to accept his question of, "What if I can't choose?" answering him simply with: "Then we'll choose for you."  
Saria sighed and looped her arm around her friend's. "You should forgive yourself," she murmured. "If you do, then maybe the nightmares will stop."  
"Easier said than done," Link yawned. He ran his fingers through his hair. "Maybe I should at least try to get a little more sleep. At least then I don't have to worry about-haah!" The boy went rigid as something that felt not unlike an insect or a spider crawled slowly up his back and to his neck. It changed course and crept over his face, which was then the point that Link realized that it was not some creepy-crawly, but a set of fingers…tan fingers…calloused fingers…  
"Good-morning, Sweetums," somebody whispered into his ear in a husky voice.  
A pair of powerful arms ensnared him around his chest and he could feel the unmistakable sensation of soft flesh pressing against his back. "F-Fura! G-good morning," he squeaked. "What are you doing up this early?"  
"I could ask you the same thing," she chuckled. "You know I don't like you getting out of bed so early in the morning; you hardly sleep anymore. Those rings under your eyes could be used as life-preservers." There was a kind of smug amusement in her voice as she effortlessly held him there while he struggled futilely against her. Her grip had become unbreakable, now that she had another two years of working up upper-body strength under her belt. She puffed a hot snuffle of air from her nose against his neck. "Hmm?"  
Link worked at trying to pry her fingers loose, but they were locked together even tighter than a vault.  
She was eighteen now, Zelda was seventeen, and he was sixteen. Nearly all traces of childishness had disappeared from the appearances of both girls, leaving Zelda as a breathtakingly beautiful young woman and Fura as a smouldering and sensual beauty. Their dress-sense hadn't changed much over the past two years, either; Zelda liked her regal dresses and gowns that showed off the arms she loved so much, whereas Fura still loved wearing clothes that either showed off as much skin as possible or were as tight as could possibly be.  
The Gerudo girl rested her chin on Link's shoulder. "You're not uncomfortable, are you, my Linkie-do?" she cooed into his ear.  
Link shivered and winced. Ever since that fateful day when he had told Fura and Zelda that he loved them, a Pandora's Box of sorts had been opened. Whether it be in the garden with Zelda or out in the valleys with Fura, if either of them felt particularly amorous, they'd simply spring the, "But you said you loved me, right?" on him, essentially forcing him to freely surrender at least _one_ kiss. Still, Link visited them as often as he could, despite his poor energy levels from lack of sleep.  
His journeys to the desert were worse, seeing as how it was much farther to travel – so much so that Fura had made him send a letter in advance to let her know when he was coming; that way she could meet him at the entrance to the valley and, as was often the case, drag him to her home and put him to bed. When he woke up, Fura's mother would march in, give him the cursory once-over, and then mix up an odd concoction that gave off fumes strong enough to make his eyes water. He never ever drank it, though; he'd tip it out in a pot plant near the bed. It always puzzled him as to why Fura's mother would keep an eye on him for the remainder of the day…until Nabooru had, with a great deal of amusement, told him that the mix of spices and herbs was, in fact, something to heat up his blood. When he asked her what _that_ meant, she told him that it would essentially make him be quite glad to accept some of Fura's wilder advances. He was suddenly _very_ glad he never drank any of it.  
But right now he was on a ship in the middle of the ocean…with Fura doing her best at breaking his ribs. "F-Fura? It's getting hard to breathe," Link wheezed.  
Fura chuckled amusedly. "Ooh I love it when you're helpless," she said, digging her chin into his back to make him let out a squawk of discomfort. "Makes me want to eat you _all_ up!"  
Link knew where this was heading. "Oh please don't," he groaned. "Let's just go in for breakfast, okay?" He looked imploringly at his young Kokiri friend. "Saria, help me."  
"But it's funny," Saria said with a shrug. Even Navi refused to render any assistance…she was still sleepy.  
"I think _this_ will do quite nicely for _my_ breakfast," Fura grinned devilishly. And then, moving slowly as if to savour it, she clamped her teeth down on his neck.  
"Ack! Stop, Fur-_rrrahhhh_…" Link squirmed and then seemed to turn to jelly. His arms flapped about and his knees buckled as the Gerudo munched away quite happily.  
Link really hated his neck…it was really quite sensitive in certain places, and Fura, being one who knew about all sorts of things like pressure points and the like, had discovered a particular little spot soon after the Key had been permanently removed from around his neck. He missed the Key somewhat; it had given him at least a bit of protection.  
In any case, Fura was still biting away, searing his skin with scorching breath. Saria watched on, quietly amused, as did Chat as she orbited above her partner's head.  
"F-Fura!" Link squeaked hopelessly. "Tha-that…hey! Ow! Oogh…" He squirmed and wriggled until; finally, Fura released his skin from the vice of her teeth. She didn't let go of him, though.  
"Heh," the redhead chuckled, admiring the sizeable red mark she had created by bursting as many blood vessels as she could. "I gotta tell Ruto about that…maybe her hapless victim has a little weak spot like you." And then she blew in his ear.  
Ruto. That name used to chill Link's blood when he heard it…well, almost. The most amazing thing had happened, however. Upon returning from the Eternal Ark, he had gone to visit her to explain his absence for the past several months. When he arrived at Zora's domain, however, she came rushing out to meet him and then launched into a tearful jumble of words. "Forgive me, dear Link!" she had wailed. "But…but…my heart no longer lies with you!"  
Apparently, a budding young soldier in the Zora ranks had saved her from an attack by a wayward Octorok. Ruto was instantaneously smitten with him from then on, hanging from his arm whenever he was off-duty and doing naughty things whenever they were in private. Link really didn't want to know; he was just happy that he had less to worry about. Well…less or more; it was hard to tell. The three of them were getting older; Fura and Zelda wouldn't wait forever. The whole, "we'll choose for you," thing raised its ugly head in his mind again.  
"It's actually quite…nice," Talen had told him not so long ago. "Girls aren't nearly as bad as I used to think they were."  
Link was finding that a little hard to believe, seeing as how Fura was trying her very best to break his ribs and tear his jugular open.  
"Nyara and Zeel will be happy to see you," Fura said, releasing him somewhat and bringing him back to the present. She kept one of her arms strung loosely around his neck so that she could poke at the red welt she had bitten and sucked into existence. "Zeel's looking _very_ pretty in a sort of skirt-cress thing; the Meera like her stripes, so she shows a fair bit of skin. I might have to get one of those outfits…" She trailed off momentarily and then continued. "Nyara's actually grown taller than you and Talen. She's still not as big as she should be for a Meera girl her age, but she's still pretty big, so are her breasts. Makes me jealous every time I see 'em…Zeel's are comparable to mine, though."  
"I don't want to hear about it," Link sighed.  
Fura clapped him heartily on the shoulder. "You can experience it firsthand in only a few short years…or long years if you're seeing it from my point of view," she chuckled before pinching his cheek roughly.  
Link cringed. "Fura…why?" he sighed mournfully. "Why do you always say things like that?"  
Fura shrugged and bunched the muscles in her arm, nearly choking poor Link. "Probably because I really want the two of us to get naked and go at it like rabbits." Fura's frankness was sometimes disturbing.  
"_Fura!_ You're doing it again!" Link gasped, his face going incredibly red. "Nobody else does it but you! Florella, Zeel, Zelda-"  
"Zelda wants to get naked with you and go at it like rabbits, too," Fura scoffed. "In unusual places like in a hallway linen closet…" She paused. "…in the gardens, in the long grass of Hyrule Field, in the bath, in the ocean, on the beach, in the snow, in the forest, on the castle's throne, in the desert, on horseback, in her room, in your room, on the floor, in a sauna, in a lake, in a river, on a bed of kelp, on top of Morgan's palace, on tope of Hyrule Castle, on top of the Gerudo Fortress, under the waterfall in Zora's Domain, on top of Death Mountain, in the Meera village mud-bath, in a hallway…" She paused again. "…covered in whipped cream, covered in honey, covered in jam, covered in treacle, covered in golden syrup, covered in maple syrup, covered in chocolate, covered in peanut sauce, covered in body oil, covered in pelopp juice, covered in sugar, covered in mud, covered in fruit, covered in milk, covered in yoghurt, covered in sweets, covered in that herb mix my mother makes for you all the time…" She stopped, finally. "I think that's it- _oh!_ Peanut sauce _and_ honey!"  
Link stared at her. "You're lying."  
"Now _that's_ funny," Saria stated.  
"I think it's wonderful that somebody who used to be quite prudish has developed a nice, healthy attitude towards the physical side of love," the Gerudo said with a thoughtful nod. "You know, anyone who has a problem with a person simply wanting to be as close as possible to somebody they love dearly needs a good beating." She thumped Link quite hard, making his arm go numb. "Oh, and I wrote all of Zelda's ideas down in my little book so I could add them to my own…you know, so I can try it all someday. She came up with some great stuff…in the _snow!_ Think about it!"  
Link stared at her. "No."  
A blessing in the form of Florella appeared at the door leading to the cabins. "Saria! Fura! Link! Breakfast time, come inside!"  
Fura waved back and looped her arm around Link's. "Come on, Prudence," she smiled amusedly. "You could do with a good breakfast. You look like death brought you home in his suitcase."

And so into the galley the three of them went. They were all there at a long table; Zelda, Talen, Florella, Impa, and even Ruto – though the Zora Princess' "dear sweetheart" had been unable to accompany them on account of his duties as a soldier. Saria plonked herself down first while Link automatically placed himself next to Zelda before shuffling over to let Fura down on his other side. He glanced about the table at his companions.  
Florella and Talen sat side-by-side. The burly smith was as practical as ever and hadn't changed at all over the past two years; only the way he displayed affection towards his wife-to-be, Florella, was different. They were almost always touching in some way; holding hands, sitting close together, or fiddling with one-another's hair.  
Florella herself was still rather small by most standards, though, to her delight, she had passed Saria's height and now stood to about the same height as Talen's chest. On the cusp of womanhood, the Great Fairy's curves were just beginning to make themselves apparent; her antennae seemed to wiggle excitedly of their own accord whenever she passed by a mirror.  
Link was glad for his two friends.  
Ruto hadn't changed _too_ much; she was still something of a tomboy, but she had somewhat grown out of her hot-cold temperament that tended to frequent her in the past. It had seemed quite unusual at first, to everyone, to see Ruto _not_ throw herself at Link. Surprisingly – not to Link, having already seen her older self – the Zora girl had grown into quite the elegant young lady. Long, gown-like fins, a rather pretty face, and a decidedly generously-proportioned body were what the Goddesses had seen fit to bless her with. Ruto also got along very well with Nyara, which was rather surprising; seeing as how Nyara had entertained thoughts of eating the Zora Princess when they had first met. Fura had said that they probably got along well because of their shared nakedness. Ruto merely pointed out that Fura was simply jealous that she couldn't walk around without any clothes on, shutting the Gerudo up…because it was true.  
"I see Fura's said hello to you already," Zelda noted with an edge of amusement in her voice.  
Link slapped his hand over the red mark on his neck. "Eeh…"  
Impa pushed a plate in front of the blonde boy and dropped several slices of bread onto it. "Eat up," she said. "And maybe try for a nap later on. You don't have any energy, my boy. You're getting slower and slower…there was once a day where you could have easily fled on those legs of yours, but now you're like a snail."  
"Thank-you," the boy mumbled. He suddenly found a jar filled with golden liquid thrust under his nose.  
"Honey," Zelda told him, jiggling the jar. "Lots of sugar in it, for energy. I try to have some every day…love it."  
"Ah…" Link's mind flashed back to what Fura had been telling him earlier. _"…covered in honey…"_ He felt his cheeks heat up as he took it and he noticed Fura grinning inanely at him out of the corner of his eye. "Thanks." He took the honey and began to spread it carefully.  
"We should visit Arbouren, too," Florella piped up suddenly. Her voice was a little smoother, more mature, but still easily recognizable. "As long as we're in this part of the world. They'll all be happy to see us."  
The "all" Florella had referred to was Tannis, Elousin, and their family, which had since expanded beyond just Yula. Surprisingly enough – after hearing about her from Link, Zelda, and Fura – the children-loving Elousin had managed to hunt down Robin, of all people, and had promptly taken the archer back to Arbouren as her second daughter. It had taken some persuasion, but Robin had finally relented and agreed to come along, but only when her house was taken apart, piece by piece, and reassembled in the gardens of Tannis and Elousin's manor.  
It had taken Robin some time to adjust to live in the city – or life with a family, for that matter. She pottered about in her vegetable patch with Yula on most days, taking simple enjoyment out of working the earth with the extraordinarily pale girl who was now her sister.  
Link's eyebrows knit together. "A-Arbouren?" He hadn't been there in over two years, either. Elousin had cried so hard and for so long. He received letters from her nearly every month. All of them begged him to come and visit…or let her adopt him.  
"You can't stay away from them forever," Talen murmured sagely. "Robin said she'd shoot you dead if you didn't come see them soon."  
Link winced. He wouldn't put it past her. "I…suppose it would be good to see Beanstalk again," he sighed.  
"First things first, however," Impa said, waving her finger. "Breakfast and a nap. Try to get _some_ sleep. We'll arrive at the point on the coast that's closest to the Meera village in a few days' time."

_The warm wind brushed through the trees and the leaves whispered to each other, spreading their gossip throughout the forest. The birds joined in as well, twittering and chirping above the leaves so as not to be left out of the conversation. Insects hummed and buzzed about, their tiny bodies aglow in an ethereal haze cast by the sun shining from high above. Water lapped gently, caressing its grassy bank almost tenderly like a mother would her baby.  
__And then there were the fairies; a swarm of them fluttering around and skimming the surface of the water to drink. They shone like the insects around them, their gossamer wings flaring brilliantly as they caught the shafts of light streaming down from the canopy above. They played their song magnificently; a ballad of bells and harp strings on a perfect, peaceful day.  
__And on that perfect, peaceful day, on the bank of the small lake, in the sun, gazing up at the trees and sky beyond lay a solitary figure. Memories of the lake – that special spot – and those two times spent there with a special person ran afresh. It seemed so long ago, but it was unfading. The lake, this place, it was…important.  
__An arm and hand rose with fingers spread and a deep breath made sweet, woody air rush through nose and into lung. The light filtered through the spread fingers, dancing on cheek and nose and eye, hair, too. "Ark…" it sighed.  
__Rushing footsteps through the undergrowth, the crack of twigs, and the swish of grass.  
_"_Hello…" it murmured. "I'm here…"_

"I…should go back to the ship," Link said warily. The Meera village stood before him, surrounded and one with the lush jungle, and within bustled the cat-folk. "I shouldn't have come…"  
"Ship's gone," Fura told him blithely. "Off to the next port to wait for us. You can't go back now." She patted him on the back and smiled reassuringly. "They _want_ to see you again, remember. Nyara's probably already caught your scent, anyway."  
"Eeyaa!" The cry came, confirming Fura's previous statement. A blur of tawny colour raced down one of the house-trees Meera families occupied and then hit the ground, changing direction in the wink of an eye.  
Link's face blanched and he suddenly felt a chill run through him. "Nyara," he croaked, almost panic-stricken. She ran on all-fours, but then migrated to two legs with her arms spread wide. She hit him solidly, slamming bodily against his chest and wrapping her arms around him in a tight bear hug.  
"Link finally come visit!" she crowed happily. An ominous cracking sound emanated from the general vicinity of Link's back.  
"Hu-_uhhh…_" the blonde boy gasped.  
Nyara scraped her wet sandpaper tongue over his cheek. "Nyara not seen you for so long!" she babbled, releasing him. Link slumped somewhat before he took a proper look at her. She _was_ taller than he was now and those pom-poms on her wrists, shoulders, ankles, and tail had shrunk somewhat. Still Nyara, though. Unmistakably so.  
"Hello, Nyara." His voice betraying his sense of awkwardness. "It's good to see you again." He looked her up and down. "You've grown even taller."  
Nyara nodded energetically. "Mm-hmm! Link, too…just a little!" But then she frowned and peered at his face. She traced the dark circles under his eyes with the tips of her fingers and then stretched the skin of his face back. "Link look tired; he really not sleeping well."  
"I'm okay," he said, bringing her hands away from his face. She smiled, a hint of understanding passing through her pretty face before she hugged him again and then went on to crush the others in powerful embraces, nearly killing Florella and Saria.  
"Where's Zeel?" Talen asked once his turn at being suffocated had come and gone.  
"_Freakin' cat!"_ There she was. "What's the big idea with leaving me to hold all that junk up by myself!? See if I ever help you rearrange your room again!" And along stormed Zeel. She was visibly annoyed; her cheeks flushed a rather pretty pink, contrasting sharply with her green stripes. Her hair, tied up in those three feathery plumes her darker half had once worn, made her look all the more furious.  
"Hey, hey!" Nyara called, waving the irate demoness over. "Look who visit!"  
"Visit?" Zeel grunted, her anger momentarily forgotten. She looked past the Meera girl and saw her old friends. "Ah! I forgot you were coming!" She broke into a run and went straight for Fura, who was closest to her, but then she noticed Link. As if jerked in that direction by an invisible string, Zeel changed course and skidded to a halt in front of the blonde boy. She smiled and gave him a quick embrace. "You look tired."  
Link brought his arms up and hugged her back, a task made a little difficult because of her wings. "I feel it," he said, laughing despite himself. "But I'm okay. I just nap a bit more than usual."  
She bit her lip and stepped back. "It's not fair," she sighed.  
Link smiled again and shrugged. "It's the price I pay for what I did, I guess," he said. It sounded almost logical. Both Zeel and Nyara opened their mouths to protest, but Link spoke before they could get a word out. "In any case, we have lots to catch up on, right? We'll go dump all of our stuff and then we can sit down and talk."

And so, after Zeel had properly greeted everyone else, the visiting party was shown to the tree in which they would be staying. Link and Talen, naturally, raced each other to see who would get the topmost room. Link won, thanks to his years spent climbing trees in the forest back home, but the race tired him out and he drifted off to sleep while he was setting his room up.  
"He won't be up there for long," Ruto sighed, downing a mug of water. "He's still not sleeping well at all."  
"Poor Link," Oora frowned. Her guests had arrived but a few minutes earlier, filing into Nyara's family's home to be greeted exuberantly by her rather large family. Gurr, Nyara's biggest brother, was especially pleased to see Talen. The big Meera had become an apprentice to his father, Garr, who was the village carpenter, so he and the blacksmith rambled on for some time about smithing and building. It all seemed quite boring to everybody else.  
"I've tried almost every herb in the forest that's been known to put people to sleep, but he still wakes up at all hours," Saria said, tracing out the rings on the wooden table they sat around.  
"Spells don't work," Zelda chimed in. "Neither mine nor Florella's."  
"I ran him ragged all day long, once," Fura murmured, scratching her chin. "Didn't work."  
"It's a pickle," Florella harrumphed. "It's not insomnia – he wouldn't be able to sleep at all if it was. It's almost as if he's been cursed with those nightmares. He can sleep, but only long enough to have one and then wake up again."  
"I don't know how he's managed to stay sane for all this time," Zeel said, tapping her forehead.  
Impa drummed her fingers on her arm. "I suppose it would drive most people out of their minds," she mused quietly. "But I suppose that, in a way, Link feels that he deserves it. He never complains about it and he's never actively pursued any means of ridding himself of them." She abruptly halted her drumming. "If Link can bring himself to accept his own forgiveness then I am certain the dreams will stop."  
Fura gave a heavy sigh. "How many more years will that take, though? It's been two already." Frustrated, she grabbed two handfuls of her red hair and tugged at it. "Oh…why does he have to be like this? I thought that by now he'd be moving on and growing up…you know? But it's just like before, almost; he hasn't come to a decision about Zelda and I at all, and he won't, either." The Gerudo sighed again as Oora gave her head a sympathetic pat. "I just want him to be happy…but he refuses. Makes me want to beat the snot out of him."  
"It's hard to change the way a person thinks," Zelda said quietly. "I don't think there's a lot we can do. Even your letters, Nyara, Zeel…they didn't sway him at all."  
A poignant pause filled the room; even Talen and Gurr stopped talking about dovetail joints…or whatever they were.  
Ruto suddenly clapped her hands. "Enough of this," she said firmly. "We came here to catch up and have a good time; not to dwell on gloomy things. Why don't we all go for a mud bath, hmm? I've been itching to feel that goo between my toes ever since we set sail."  
"Then scrape it from your arm and step in it," Fura yawned. "You exude goo."  
"It's moisture, you cretin. I'll dry out if my skin doesn't release it," Ruto snapped irritably. "Too bad _you_ didn't evolve to do it, too. Your fingers look like they could file away steel."  
Fura's right eye twitched. "Fish."  
Ruto snorted. "_Man!_" And then the squabbling began.  
"Ugh," Saria grunted, heading for the door along with everyone else. "Just like old times."

The world of sleep and waking seemed to blend together for a second, bending the edges of reality into a thick, buzzing molasses that made Link's skin buzz. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling as Nyara and Zeel's anguished cries echoed almost within his own ears.  
The air was warm and muggy; full of moisture and the sweet scent of the Pelopp fruits that were in season. Laughter and music echoed through the moonlit village – the Meera usually always had something to celebrate; any excuse to have a good time. Flickering firelight licked through the door ad windows of the small room, casting dancing shadows on the wall like phantasms from a dream.  
Link shuddered. "Dream," he croaked. His through was dry from sleeping with his mouth open. He swallowed several times and swung his legs out of bed. "An hour at best…" He rubbed at his eyes and looked out of the window at the gathering of people around a large bonfire. They were dancing, singing, and playing music. Food was everywhere. Link almost considered heading down there to get something to eat, but he suspected that Nyara and Zeel would be present at the festivity. After his dream he didn't really feel like seeing or talking to either one of them. So, after clambering out of the tree, he headed back aways from the hubbub around the bonfire and pulled himself up onto the shoulder of a headless statue at the fringe of the village. He sighed, absently swinging his legs back and forth so that his heels bounced off the statue's arm. However, no sooner than he started, he felt a gust of wind blow over him and heard the sound of something alighting upon the raised neck stump of the ruined statue.  
"So you're finally up and about, then."  
Link twisted his head and saw Zeel silhouetted against the moon, a hand on her hip and her wings thrust down and slightly out from the sides of her body. "H-hello." He wasn't quite prepared to see her and it was difficult to hide the trepidation in his voice.  
"What are you doing all the way over here?" she asked curiously, peering down at him. "Come join in with everyone."  
Link looked over at towards the fire. "No…I don't really feel like it. I'm a little too tired for lots of noise and excitement."  
Zeel frowned and hopped down onto the statue's shoulder. Folding her wings against her back, she took a seat next to the blonde boy and looked at him. Link, however, gazed down at the ground. "Are you okay?" she asked.  
Link sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "Yeah, I'm all right; just a little tired."  
Zeel frowned disbelievingly. "More than a little…and you've barely spoken two words to me or Nyara since you got here." Link looked at her, but not in the face. "Everyone's worried about you – Nyara and I especially." Quite suddenly, one of the demoness' wings fanned out and flexed itself around Link, sweeping him right up to her side. And then, like a house of cards, Link collapsed. His shoulders slumped, his eyelids went heavy, and his head dropped onto her shoulder.  
"I'm so tired," he sighed, though it sounded more like a whimper. "I just want to sleep, but I can't. The dreams won't let me; they come whenever I close my eyes and wake me up again." His clasped his hands together and let them rest in his lap. "But…it's what I deserve – less than what I deserve for such an unforgivable thing."  
Zeel blinked. "Unforgivable…? Oh, come here." She hugged him close and curled her wings to huddle them both in a kind of cocoon. "Nobody in this world could ever lay blame on you for what you did; not even Nyara and I."  
"He asked me to do it," Link said numbly. "Before…before he changed his mind. He didn't want to go; he wanted to stay…with you and Nyara." Zeel gripped him tighter. "And he was scared…so scared of what would happen to him. I took everything away from him and you and Nyara…and I left nothing behind, _nothing_. No body to lay to rest, not even a soul that could pass on. It was so unfair…for you, for Nyara, and for Ark. The three of you deserved to be happy."  
Zeel's fingers glided through his hair as she drew his head against her collarbone. "I am happy...and so is Nyara," she said softly. "We'll never stop missing Ark; his departure left a huge hole in both of us…but the time we spent together is what was important." She smiled. "And he left a big imprint on all of us, so not all of him is gone. And in you it's easy to see him: you were very much alike."  
Link looked at her properly for the first time that evening. "In me?"  
She nodded. "Which is why it's so difficult to see you like this." Zeel sighed and pulled her wings in tighter. "This isn't the way he would have wanted to leave you." Link was quiet. "And I'm absolutely positive that he didn't want Fura and Zelda to suffer because of him, either."  
"Fura and Zelda?" he asked incredulously. Zeel gave him a meaningful look. "O-oh. I don't know…I don't think I have it in me anymore. I'm too tired to even think sometimes, so how can I do something as momentous as choosing between them?" He buried his face in his hands and made a feeble little noise. "What good am I to them now? Muuh…I must sound rather pathetic."  
Zeel sighed, smiling. "Just a little." She withdrew her wings and stood, pulling Link up alongside her. "Come and get something to eat and drink…and spend a little time with Nyara. She missed you a lot." She patted him on the back. "So have her little sisters. They keep calling you "Ow" for some reason."  
"Little sisters?" he asked meekly. Visions of Miamm, Mii, and Nanu biting, scratching, and generally beating him up filled his head…but they'd be much bigger now; the wounds wouldn't heal as quickly. "I'll need to get my strength up, then. Lead the way to the food."

_The warm wind brushed through the trees and the leaves whispered to each other, spreading their gossip throughout the forest. The birds joined in as well, twittering and chirping above the leaves so as not to be left out of the conversation. Insects hummed and buzzed about, their tiny bodies aglow in an ethereal haze cast by the sun shining from high above. Water lapped gently, caressing its grassy bank almost tenderly like a mother would her baby.  
__And then there were the fairies; a swarm of them fluttering around and skimming the surface of the water to drink. They shone like the insects around them, their gossamer wings flaring brilliantly as they caught the shafts of light streaming down from the canopy above. They played their song magnificently; a ballad of bells and harp strings on a perfect, peaceful day.  
__And on that perfect, peaceful day, on the bank of the small lake, in the sun, gazing up at the trees and sky beyond lay a solitary figure. Memories of the lake – that special spot – and those two times spent there with a special person ran afresh. It seemed so long ago, but it was unfading. The lake, this place, it was…important.  
__An arm and hand rose with fingers spread and a deep breath made sweet, woody air rush through nose and into lung. The light filtered through the spread fingers, dancing on cheek and nose and eye, hair, too. "Ark…" it sighed.  
__And they were running…rushing through the undergrowth towards that spot. Up ahead…on the bank…the figure lay there.  
_"_Hello…" it murmured. "I'm here…"_

She opened her eyes and her nostrils flared, taking in her first breath of the morning. She could smell the sweet forest; its trees, grasses, flowers, and many streams, ponds, and rivers. It was all there in the air…all of it.  
The dream had been a strange one: it had been so vivid and real, but so unreal at the same time. She had heard the voice…only not heard it, and that lake and the fairies. It was her secret place – not so secret anymore, though. Zeel knew about it; she had taken her there a while back to share it with her. Zeel needed somewhere special in her new home, too.  
But strange dreams, however, in the opinion of people such as Link and Zelda, were generally not to be ignored. So, clambering down the tree that was her family home, Nyara swiftly crossed the village to the guesthouse that her friends occupied and climbed it to Link's room. He was awake when she arrived: lying on his back with his eyes fixed on the roof, glazed and not particularly focused.  
He sat up when he noticed her approach. "Nyara?" He seemed a little uncomfortable at her presence. "Do you need something?"  
"Not really." She frowned then and peered at him through the dimness of the room. "Link's eyes look little less pouchy…how did you sleep?"  
Link lay back down and stared at the ceiling. "Last night I dreamt about Ark," he said quietly. Nyara gazed at him, waiting. "He was gone…but it was all right."  
Nyara nodded. "Nyara had a dream, too," she said. "Running-"  
"Through trees, grass…flowers," Link murmured, cutting her off. She stared. "Fairy song…and a voice…"Hello…I'm here…" it said, but…it ended before it finished talking. I had it after the one about Ark…that's the second time I've had it in the past few days."  
Nyara was kneeling over him in a second, her knees digging painfully into his legs. "Link dream it, too!?" she demanded.  
"Ow, ow!" Link yelped, fully awakened by the pain. Nyara shifted. "Too? You saw it as well?"  
And then she caught the scent. It was the forest, but there was also the mountains, oceans, deserts, the rocks, the snow…it was the smell of the world. Unmistakable…unforgettable. "Go now!" Nyara squawked suddenly, leaping up. She tore Link out of bed by his arm and he staggered onto the floor. His tunic was creased and rumpled from being slept in.  
"What? Where?" he asked. His bare feet padding against the wooden floor as he was dragged rather roughly towards the door.  
The dream…the scent. "Secret place!" she said. Bunching her legs, Nyara vaulted out the door with Link falling close behind. She landed perfectly and caught him a second later and then set him on the ground before taking off at a full run, her hand firmly encasing the boy's wrist.  
"Hey!" a voice shouted from behind them. Link turned his head to see Fura waving at them. "Where are you going!? Link!" Then she was lost from sight as they ploughed into the forest. Fura frowned in annoyance. "Now where were they off to in such a hurry?" Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of hoofbeats and creaking wood. She turned and saw a small, decorated wagon trundling into the village.

Branches whipped at his face. "I d-don't understand…" Link stammered, his voice choppy due to being dragged at a run behind the Meera girl. "Wh-what secret p-place?"  
"Nyara's secret place." Zeel was gliding alongside them having spotted their leap from the top of the tree. "The dream…that's where it was."  
"_You_ h-had it t-too?"  
Zeel frowned. "The voice," she said. "And its owner. I can hear it now…feel it. Can't you?"  
Link shook his head. "N-no…hear what?"  
"Keep going," Nyara hissed. "There soon."  
And they ran. Through the forest: through the trees and leaves, through the rocks and stone, through the sun and breeze, through the sound of animal and insect, and through the grass and flowers. The silent call had brought them, beckoning them on with inaudible urgency and soundless whispers.  
The birds were singing, trying to make themselves heard above the leaves' and insects' banter. It was warm and sunny and the breeze danced about, stirring the plants teasingly with its gentle touch. Water lapped soothingly in the distance, now; but it was getting closer…closer. Fairies…the music of the fairies now entered the air. A familiar song heard on many a day spent there in that special place: the place where twice time had been spent with a precious person. It was a perfect, peaceful day.  
Rushing footsteps through the undergrowth, the crack of twigs, and the swish of grass. The three of them halted on the bank of the small lake, their eyes scanning the area.  
And then they saw a figure: bathed in the sun on the opposite side of the crystal clear water. Its hand was raised. "Ark…" it sighed. It turned to look at them. "Hello…" it said. "I'm here…Nyara, Zeel…"  
They ran. Link fell onto his backside, shaking his head in disbelief. "Can't be…"  
Feather-like grey, deep green, a cloak just a little too big.  
Shakily, like someone who had been sleeping for quite some time, he got to his feet. But then he lost his balance, staggered, and tumbled into the lake. The water closed in around him, bubbles swirled, and the blue-filtered world rippled and warped as he sank down, down, down.  
But then came the streak from above – a silver arrow shot from some kind of celestial bow. She was swimming towards him like before, coated with millions of silver bubbles, but this time there were two – two of them spearing towards him. He marveled at them. They were beautiful. And then his lungs were filled with fresh air and his wet skin felt warm sun. He felt something else, too: hands…firm hands holding him up.  
"A-Ark!? You're alive! It really _is_ you!" The voice sounded excited and disbelieving at the same time.  
Ark turned his head and blinked, his expression rather dazed like stunned fish, and a mouthful of water splashed down his front as he coughed. Nyara and Zeel were holding him above the surface, their legs kicking in unison to keep the three of them afloat. "Miss Nyara…Miss Zeel…" came his murmur. "No…Zeel and Nyara…" He took in his surroundings. "Am I dead? Is this…some kind of afterlife? A dream? If it is…then it's very nice."  
"This not afterlife," Nyara told him in a quavering voice. "It real." She reached out with one hand and pressed it against his face, feeling every contour with her fingertips. This time, she did not pass through; he was solid…real. "And…so are you."  
It was Zeel's turn to speak. "But how? How are you here?" she asked in a voice equally as fragile as Nyara's. "You disappeared…you ceased to exist. How is it that I'm able to hold you now?"  
Ark stared at her, then at Nyara, and then he gazed off into space. "Disappeared? I…" Memories came rushing back to him. Meeting Nyara, meeting Zeel, the journey, Gaul, Akeron, Aarden, the Eternal Ark…and the moment he vanished from the world. He gasped and suddenly clung to them. "It…it _did_ happen!" His voice was shaking. "I-I vanished. It was horrible…fading away…"  
Together, the three of them paddled to shore – though Nyara and Zeel did most of the swimming; seeing as how Ark barely knew how to dogpaddle. The three of them sat there on the bank, resting in the sun. Nyara and Zeel still held him firm, though; as if he would suddenly fade from their hands again.  
Ark looked at the two girls in confusion. "You're both…you look a little different," he said, licking the water from his lips. He blinked and then shuffled back. "W-water!" He looked down at himself. "I-I'm…I've grown! How…how long have I been gone?"  
"Two years," Zeel said, shaking slightly. "It's been two years since you d-disappeared…oh Ark!" She started bawling then, crying out her relief into his shoulder. Nyara did, too, and so Ark held them both, not knowing what else to do. He heard a tentative footstep off to one side and turned his head.  
"Ark…" It was Link. He stood a little awkwardly, his head hung shamefully. "Forgive me…"  
"For what?"  
Link looked anguished. "For…making you go."  
Ark blinked. He still felt a little dazed. "The decision was mine," he said. "I made the choice to go…so there's nothing to forgive." He sighed and closed his eyes as Link sank to his knees.  
"Ark?" the blonde boy asked. "How did you get here?"  
Ark's brow furrowed. "I don't know," he said slowly. "It feels like…like I've just woken up from a very long sleep. The last thing I saw was Nyara and Zeel…and the Ark." He paused. "And then I was here, waking up on the ground…strange." He winced suddenly and squirmed. "Ah…Nyara? Zeel? You're heavy…" They reluctantly loosened their grip on him and stood up, helping him to his feet as they did so.  
"Are you okay?" Zeel asked. Her voice was still shaking and tinged with excitement, shock, and a hint of disbelief.  
Ark, a little shaky on his feet, nodded. "I'm okay," he assured her. "But I could do with a little food…if that's not too much trouble."

They returned to the village soon after. Nyara and Zeel were simply bursting with joy and Link was beside himself, too…but the question of exactly _how_ Ark, the boy who wasn't real, was with them now, solid as ever. The Goddesses themselves had even said that not even they could make real what was not…so who or what had done it?  
"Nyah!" Nyara crowed suddenly. "Everyone! Everyone!" Her excited cries succeeded in garnering the attention of almost the entire village. Ark shrank back a little under the curious stares.  
"Hey, Nyara." It was Fura. She came jogging over. "Where'd you three run off to in such a hurry?"  
"We-" Zeel started, but Fura cut her off.  
"Doesn't matter, 'cause you'll never guess who's here! They're over this wa-" And she froze.  
Ark stepped forward as the redhead's eyes focused on him and widened. "Hello, Lady Fura. It's good to see you again." She kept on staring at him, her expression frozen. "Ah…you're probably a little surprised to see me…I don't even understand it myse-EEHH!" Fura had suddenly snapped out of her daze and had lunged at him, scooping him up in a bone-breaking embrace.  
"I-I can't believe it!" Ark tried to speak, but all he could to was open and close his mouth as Fura's strong arms constricted around his chest. "It's you! You're really real!" Several vertebrae popped loudly.  
Ark's face had gone a nice shade of purple. "L-lady…F-uhh…Fura…put…d-down!"  
"What? Oh, sorry." She let go and he dropped onto his feet. The Gerudo caught hold of his collar to stop him slumping to the ground.  
"Be gentle, Fura," Link cautioned the redhead. "He's weak at the moment. He needs food to get some strength back."  
"Food can wait," Fura snorted. "You gotta see who's here."  
"Who is it?" Zeel asked, repossessing Ark from the Gerudo. Fura jerked her thumb over her shoulder at a colourful parked off in the middle of the village.  
It took Link several seconds to recognize it. "Them!?" he squawked. "What are _they_ doing here?"  
Link got his answer soon enough.  
"Ah! So you're finally back." Fiera…or Farore answered them at the wagon's door and ushered them inside to where Impa, Talen, and the rest were seated around a large, round table. Apart from the presence of said table, it was the same as the last time they had seen it nearly two years ago. Bigger inside than out, the wagon was home to two other rooms, a small kitchen area, and a section of floor covered in scattered cushions. Din and Nayru, in their performer disguises, sat patiently in their seats while the Fierce Deity, split into his three personas, sat next to them. Naturally, shock, disbelief, and, on Florella's part, tears followed as Ark entered the wagon and timidly greeted them all. The obvious questions were thrown at him, but he was unable to answer them.  
"I see you found our gift, Nyara, Zeel," Nayru noted, giving a slight nod.  
"It _was_ you," Link said suddenly, pointing at the three Goddesses. "It had to be you…you brought him back." They smiled and he shook his head. "But you said you couldn't save him…you said you couldn't make him real."  
Din laughed and motioned for the newcomers to sit down. Once they did, she began. "It is true," she said. "We cannot make real what is not. Ark had no soul, the very essence of who a person is. We could not create one for him."  
"But we didn't have to," Farore continued. "Like you said to Akeron: Ark grew beyond what he was made and defined himself by his own actions, not Akeron's. We do not know when it happened, but the instant he stopped being the scared little boy that was created in the Ark, the seed of his very own soul sprouted."  
Nayru took the floor. "His interactions with the rest of you aided in its growth. Companionship, joy, sorrow, fear, bravery, excitement…" She cast a rather direct gaze at Nyara and Zeel. "…love." Ark squeaked and banged his knee against one of the table's legs. "But…it was only very recently that we discovered that this had happened. Ark's body disappeared because that part of him was created by the Ark…but his soul was created on its own and through all of you. So, because he did not die, his soul remained in the Eternal Ark instead of passing on to the afterlife."  
Erran, the Fierce Deity, took his turn to explain things. "But it was only several months ago that we discovered this had happened. We spent over a year grieving over our loss and it was only when we resumed our duties as Gods did we hear the faint call of a wandering soul…Ark's. And so, after finding Ark's lost soul, we worked with all of our will to craft it a vessel in which to reside: the body you see now." He paused and rested his hands on the table. "This is really is Ark, down to the very last detail…only grown a little more. He is here for good this time; he won't disappear again."  
Silence.  
Nyara buried her nose in his hair and breathed deep the scent of the world. "You got scent right," she mewed. She licked his cheek for the first time in two years.  
Ark shivered. It felt…nice.  
Zeel bowed her head. "Thank you…" she sobbed. "Thank you so much."  
The Goddesses smiled at her. "Look after him," Din told her. "He's yours and Nyara's now."  
Ark jerked his head around so fast that his neck actually popped. "Wh-what!?"  
"Like Nyara said: it's not uncommon for a Meera to have more than one mate," Din continued, the corners of her mouth upturned in a little smile. "They agreed to it quite readily at the Eternal Ark, remember?"  
Fura clapped her hands together. "Oh _score!_"  
Ark was shaking his head in disbelief. "B-buh-but…that's…that's…we can't…all three…" He took a deep breath to get his wits about him. "Isn't that inappropriate?"  
The Goddesses stared at him and then burst out laughing. "Oh dear," Nayru chuckled. "Inappropriate? Perhaps only to those with narrow minds. Nyara?" The Meera girl's ears flicked up. "Do you love Ark?"  
"Nyah!" She clung to his arm and gave a rather enthusiastic nod.  
"And Zeel? You too?"  
The demoness nodded and took hold of his other arm. "I do."  
Din shrugged. "Then who are we to deny either of them their happiness?"  
Ark began to protest. "But-"  
"You _do_ want them to be happy…don't you, Ark?" the red Goddess asked. Ark's mouth snapped shut and he nodded. "Then done! In a few years' time, when you become of age, the three of you will become mates."  
Ark was still staring. In the half hour since he had been found by Nyara's lake, his life had already been, rather effectively, signed away. But, to Ark, it didn't seem like such a bad thing. No…in fact it made him happy – stunned – but happy.  
Farore smiled. "Then that's one. Florella and Talen, you two are already taken care of…though it was somewhat unexpected. None of us expected Talen to put things in motion…especially Din. She's been watching you for a long time now."  
Talen blinked. "A long time? You've been watching me?"  
"I was there when you were born," Din said, looking at the smith. "Disguised…I was your mother's midwife and the one who delivered you. It was then that I gave you your gift." She sighed. "But we were a little worried for a while…for all three of you boys. You're all a little slow. Do you remember when you passed through here on your journey and Zen tried to sneak a peek at the ladies in the bath?"  
Link glared at Talen as the memory of being hurled like a javelin came to the front of his mind. "How could I forget?" Talen whistled innocently.  
Farore smirked. "Who do you think told Zen to go down there?"  
Zelda's mouth hung open and she jabbed an accusing finger. "Ah!"  
"That's right," she chuckled. "We were curious…of just what lengths the boys would go to over something so fickle. I must say that you passed with flying colours."  
Link frowned. "That was pretty conniving. I didn't know that divine intervention meant trying to steal underwear and peek at girls." He quirked an eyebrow. "And what was all that talk about the rules saying you can't interfere with things? All you've _ever_ done is interfere."  
A hush fell over the wagon.  
"Oh just not smart," Fien said, shaking his head. "Even for you."  
Nayru's voice was a little crisp when she answered. "True, we Goddesses are not allowed to directly interfere with the world…however…" She gestured to herself. "By confining ourselves to the restraints of mortals, albeit powerful mortals, there are certain things we can go around. Putting your soul back in your body is one such example."  
That answer seemed enough for Link. "Makes sense, I guess."  
"And now," Din began, her voice taking on a darker tone. "For number three…" She paused. "Link!"  
He flinched. "What?" He sounded like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar.  
"Do you remember the punishment we mentioned two years ago? _Your_ punishment?"  
He had almost forgotten about it. "Vaguely…" The way they were looking at him…he was beginning to feel just a little uneasy.  
"Your punishment is to forever guard the greatest treasure in all of this world. A treasure more valuable than the Triforce, the Eternal Ark…_everything._ Do you know what it is?"  
Link shook his head. "No," he squeaked.  
Din, by this time, had circled the table and now stood right over him. She poked him in the chest with her finger. "This."  
"Pardon?" Fura asked, staring.  
"Link's blood," Farore answered.  
"My _blood?_ What's so valuable about that?"  
"Because it's your bloodline that will forever guard this world. Whenever evil rises, someone in your line will rise to fight against it. _That_ is the most valuable treasure in this world. Your lineage is unique…no other family can possibly do what yours can. The Master Sword, the Key…they work for those carrying your blood and them only."  
Link shook his head. "How do I protect it?" he asked, fearing the answer.  
"You make sure you have children…simple as that," Din told him, drawing her finger up his chest and flicking his chin. "But that's not the only role you play. Do you know _why_ you have the name that you do?"  
Again, Link shook his head. "N-no." His friends were staring at him with interest.  
"It's because you will form an important tie between the Gerudo and Hyrule…an oath between the royal family and the thieves of the desert…a _link_."  
Link's brain was beginning to fizz. "Wait…how and why do I do that? I'm no diplomat!"  
"At some point in the future, the Gerudo may need the assistance of Hyrule or vice-versa. It is clouded to us, but the possibility is there. _That_ is why you need to do it," Fien murmured, folding his arms across his chest.  
"And the how is quite simple," Farore smiled. Link decided then that her smile looked decidedly terrifying.  
"Please don't…" he pleaded pathetically.  
"You," she said, pointing at Link. "Are going to marry her." She pointed to Zelda and the Princess squeaked.  
The copper sheen of Fura's skin seemed to drain out of her like water from a canteen. Her mouth opened and closed. "H-h-uuh…" She had never disillusioned herself with the idea that Link and herself were _definitely_ going to end up together; his choice could be Zelda, after all. But to have somebody else more or less make that decision for him…it was almost too much to bear.  
But Farore wasn't finished. Her finger arced around and stopped in front of Fura. "And _her_."  
Link blinked stupidly and stared at Zelda, then at Fura, and then at the Goddesses. "I'm going to what now?"  
"A double marriage," Nayru elaborated. "Fura, as the Witch of Fire, wields a considerable amount of power amongst the Gerudo. Likewise, Zelda is the Princess of Hyrule. You are the fulcrum upon which an oath will be made…an oath between the royal family and the Gerudo."  
Link looked horrified. "You're telling me that I'm getting married to _two_ people for some alliance between Hyrule and the Gerudo because some time in the future it may or may not be necessary? What kind of reasoning is that!? _Two!?_ It seems so…so _wrong._" He shook his head. "Fura and Zelda will never agree to it…Zelda's father will never agree to it. Even _Impa_ will never agree to it!"  
"I won't argue with the will of the Goddesses," Impa murmured, shaking her head. "And you'll make a fine husband…once you've been trained a little. And if an alliance is for the good of Hyrule, even if there's a chance that it is not needed, then I find no reason to disagree."  
Link stared at her. "Augh!" he shook his head. "The King! He wouldn't allow it. I doubt he even likes the idea of Zelda marrying someone not of noble blood at all, let alone to someone who's going to be married to somebody else as well!"  
"The King will not disagree," Nayru said quietly, shaking her head. "We will see to that."  
"And despite the fact that you do not carry the blood of noblemen within you, Link," Impa began. "It does not mean that you cannot marry Zelda. There is no law against it…you merely cannot be crowned King. You'll be her husband, but not a ruler. It has happened numerous times before in Hyrule's history…why do you think that I did not discourage Zelda's designs for you from the beginning?" She sat back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. "The King likes you, anyway. He says you're a good, sensible influence on his daughter."  
Fura, in the meantime, was looking at Zelda. Zelda looked right back. They both turned their attention on Link, who was still trying to protest the decision.  
"I refuse!" Link declared. "It isn't right…tell them, Fura, Zelda."  
Fura tapped her finger against her top lip, deep in thought. "Do the three of us share a bedroom? I don't mind if we do."  
Link whirled around so fast that his hat flew off his head. "_What!?_ Fura, what are you saying!?"  
She scratched her ribs. "What do you think? I'm up for it."  
"You're _up_ for it? _Up_ for it!? Wh-wh…you can't _say_ that!"  
The redhead shrugged. "I just did."  
Link turned to the blonde Princess. "Zelda! Surely you can't-"  
"Preparing for the safety of Hyrule's future _and_ getting the man I want? If you were me, would you turn it down?" She frowned thoughtfully. "You know, I would have thought that sharing you would bother me, but…I can tell you right now that it doesn't." She laughed then and clapped her hands to her blushing cheeks. "It seems so scandalous and exciting!"  
Link's mouth flapped open and closed. "Isn't it degrading?"  
Fura shook her head. "To us? No. Stop trying to fight it, Linkie-do. Think of it as security: if myself or Zelda dies in an accident or something, then at least we'll know that you won't be left alone." And then she grinned wolfishly and rubbed her hands together. "Things worked out better than I ever could have dreamed…neither of us have to feel guilty about taking you away from the other."  
Link's eyes darted around the table, searching for support. "But…but…" He clasped his hands to the sides of his head. "We'll be living in sin! This can't be happening…I'm going to wake up at any second and this'll all be one big dream."  
Fura calmly reached out and pinched his backside rather roughly. He screamed and jumped several feet in the air. "Nope," the redhead said, shaking her head. "Not a dream. Do you want it to be? Remember you said that you loved us both…you can keep on doing it until the end of our days this way."  
Link slumped over the table. "I'm beaten…aren't I?"  
Zelda patted his shoulder. "Yes, you are. Is it really that bad?"  
Link raised his head and looked at her, then at Fura. "No…" he sighed eventually. "No, it isn't."  
The three Goddesses nodded. "But you must know this," Farore warned. "Link's blood and Zelda's blood will not mix; there will be no child between them." Zelda's mouth opened to say something. "_But_…you will not be without child. We will bless you with a baby when the time is right, and together you will raise it." The three women bowed their heads. "We are sorry…but destiny has seen fit to grant Link's line with only _one_ offspring for every generation…and it will always be a boy. One and only one." Here was a pause. "Zelda…is this all right with you?"  
The Princess gazed at them for some time before nodding. "It will still be ours," she said. "That's…all right with me."  
The Goddesses nodded and raised their arms. "Then it is done. Ark, Nyara, and Zeel…" Nyara and Zeel smiled and wove their fingers into Ark's while the grey-haired boy continued to stare straight ahead, still in shock. "Talen and Florella…" Florella squealed in delight and hopped onto Talen's lap, kissing his cheek. The blacksmith smiled in embarrassment and put his arm around her shoulder. "And Fura, Zelda, and Link." Fura caught Link in a rough headlock while Zelda hooked her arm around his. Link was as white as a sheet and trembling. "Thus shall it be until the end of your days."  
Quiet descended over the wagon for a time. And then, hesitantly, Ark spoke. "Ah…what…what happens now?"  
"Now?" Farore asked, lowering her hands. "Now we perform to make up for our absence last year. Rest up, dears…it's going to be a long night tonight."  
Fura chuckled quietly to herself as everyone stood up from the table and headed for the door. "I can't believe it."  
"What, exactly?" Zelda asked curiously.  
"We got him…we finally got him. All we have to do now is wait for the big day," the Gerudo laughed. She thumped Link on his back and then drew a little circle on his shoulder. "You can have two brands now…_fssss!_"  
Suddenly overcome with all that had just happened, Link, white as a sheet and shaking like a leaf, stepped out of the wagon's door and promptly fainted. And for the first time in two years, he had a perfect, dreamless sleep.

Time passed very quickly after that. Ark left the Meera village and returned to Arbouren whereupon Elousin promptly had a fit and adopted him on the spot. It felt a little strange at first; having his own room and things, let alone a home and family. The tropics darkened his skin considerably, doing away with his once pale complexion…he never got very tall, though.  
Elousin fussed over him incessantly over the next few years, always fearing that he may somehow vanish again. She forced him to hang up the cloak that had always been too big for him and presented him with a pair of long green shorts and a grey shirt…he liked the two colours. She was a little confused at first over the idea that he was eventually going to become mates with both Nyara _and_ Zeel, but she was far too happy that her boy had fallen in love to really care about the details.  
Nyara and Zeel visited often, as did he visit them. Every morning they were together, Nyara and Zeel would take Ark off and teach him how to swim. He had been rather hopeless at first, reluctant to even let go of the girls as they took him into the water. He eventually got over his crippling fear of water and even learned to enjoy it as much as they did. After a few months he found himself actually looking forward to splashing about with them.  
Robin and Yula were also wonderful to be around. He often found himself pottering about in Robin's vegetable patch with his two sisters. Yula delighted herself for many an hour by trying to tame his gravity-defying fringe, but never with much success. Nyara and Zeel forbade her from cutting it off, stating that Ark wouldn't be the same without it. Robin, on the other hand, decided that it would do Ark well to learn some archery. Nearly every day she would take him out into the forest and teach him how to properly use a bow. She even made him one of his own for his very first birthday and he grew quite proficient with it, but nowhere near the same level as her.  
Ark, Zeel, and Nyara were very happy.

Talen and Florella were happy as well. Florella, eagerly awaiting the day of their wedding, spent nearly every day planning it…and something else as well. Talen often asked her what, but she would never give him a straight answer. "Somebody asked me to do something for them," was her evasive answer. Talen decided to let it drop. Florella loved surprising people, so he wouldn't take that away from her.  
Talen continued to work in his father's smithy in Rockvale, but Florella, through a whole lot of effort, managed to create a door of sorts that led directly from Windhill to the underground city. She used it to visit every day and would cook for Talen and his father every night. In his time off, Talen would in turn visit her, often with some little trinket that he had made – usually a carved animal. Florella worked up quite a collection of them in her temple at home and she never tired of getting new ones.  
Despite Talen's busy schedule, however, he always found time to work on Florella's rather splendid wedding ring. In the three years since he had first shown it to her, the ring had progressed extremely well, so much so that it was very nearly ready. It was about time, too; Talen was nineteen…only one more year until his time was up and the protection Fura had given him from the other Gerudo wore off.

And then there was Link, Fura, and Zelda. The trio were rarely seen apart…since there was absolutely nothing left to stand in their way. Fura's mother had accepted the off double-marriage readily; her daughter's happiness was all that really mattered to her…that and a healthy grandchild. Zelda's father had also, much to Zelda's surprise, accepted the marriage as well without _any_ protests whatsoever. "He'll make a fine, sensible husband," he had said. "And it does me proud to see my beloved daughter taking Hyrule's future so close to heart."  
The Goddesses' meddling became apparent again.  
After the agreements had been made, Nabooru visited Hyrule Castle to meet with Zelda's father and discuss the important binding of the royal family to the Gerudo. It wouldn't be made particularly public, but instead as an oath between the King and Nabooru. The very instant Zelda and Fura were joined with Link the oath would become sworn and upheld throughout the generations of Gerudo and Royal Family alike.  
Link felt just a little self-conscious with something so important basically resting upon his shoulders – it made him feel faint.  
Speaking of fainting, Link had been doing a fair amount of it during the two and a half years since the Goddesses had more or less sealed his fate with Zelda and Fura. He would sometimes sit and think about things: Fura, Zelda, him…the three of them…the link between the royal family and the Gerudo…getting married quite soon…the wedding night…the bedroom! He'd pass out after that. It was all a little too much for him.  
He had always thought that, maybe, settling down with perhaps one of the two girls would have been what fate had in store for him. He could handle that. However, fate had decided to instead beat the living snot out of him and sign him into marriage with _two_ girls while he was recovering from his beating. He could barely handle one of them…now he had to manage two! He loved them, of course, but…he couldn't help but feel that he was like a little field mouse running around between two large snakes, both poised to strike simultaneously. Fura always made sure to point out that, quote, "I got you, I got you, I got you, and you're not gettin' away. Ever. So you don't have anything to worry about." It didn't do much to calm his nerves, especially when she started talking about making him scream her name. He didn't want to know what _that_ meant.  
Link was a little scared about everything, though. He frequently told both Fura and Zelda of said feeling, often hoping that they would provide him with some means of putting it to rest. All it usually got him, however was a laugh and a shower of kisses from Zelda and some rather savage manhandling from Fura – so much so that his neck nearly always felt exceptionally tender…he could also swear that there would soon be a permanent handprint on his backside. They eventually told him that it was just their way of saying that they'd look after him from now on.  
It was a simple thing for them to say, but it put Link's mind at ease. He was getting married…but so were they, and to him. They'd look after him.  
He was happy…but he still had his fainting spells.

And so a full three years after the Goddesses had set the marriage wheels in motion, Link, Talen, and Ark stood together on the sandy beach of a small, remote island. It was warm there, almost tropical. The water was vivid blue, the sky was clear of clouds, and lush forest fringed the small piece of land out in the middle of the ocean. Golden-white sand stretched out in either direction to provide the gentle waves lapping against it a welcome place to rest. The three friends had escaped there for a moment of peace from the incredible amount of hustle and bustle back at the manor. It seemed that everyone wanted to speak with them. They had come to the conclusion that nobody else had ever set foot on the island before…apart from the three women and three male accomplices who had led them there. The three Goddesses and the Fierce Deity.  
The island was home to a respectably large manor of sorts made primarily of marble. It had a large garden filled with uncountable flowers, birds, and all manner of pretty butterflies, as well as a small lake and a number of fountains. Apart from that and a sizeable dock, there was little else on the island that spoke of civilization.  
Speaking of the dock, it had been filled to capacity with ships – big ships – from all over the world. They were there for one – or three – very important events: three simultaneous weddings.  
It had turned out that Florella's little secret had been a very thorough set of invitations that had been sent all over the world to select people. She refused to tell anyone how she had managed to get them all sent out in time, but it was easy to see that she had received quite a lot of help from some certain higher-ups.  
From Windhill came Morgan, Isabella, and Shera…the burly soldier Undrak accompanied them, too. They had been the first to arrive on the island, probably because Shera was so eager to see Florella's ring, which she had been described to her in great detail by the Great Fairy.  
Gargun, King of Rockvale, and his children, Torgun and Gardelia were in attendance as well. As it had turned out, Gardelia, previously mute, had turned into a notorious chatterbox as she had grown, driving her brother to the brink of insanity with the ability to punch out words at the same speed as a hummingbird flapped its wings. Talen's father had sailed with them and had apparently spent the entire voyage trying to find things to fix – he liked to keep busy.  
Nabooru and Fura's mother traveled with Zelda's father. Also along for the ride was practically _all_ of the Kokiri, Malon – Talon and Ingo came too – King Zora, Ruto and her sweetheart – Spar was his name – and even Darunia came along to wish his sworn brother the best…Link, not the King.  
Spar was reportedly terrified of Fura's mother by the time the voyage was over – she kept talking to Ruto, who in turn would discuss with him what the Gerudo woman had said. The Zora Princess seemed all too enthusiastic about the new things she had learned…after they were married, of course. She reminded him that it probably wouldn't be too far off. Spar had seriously considered jumping ship and swimming for it.  
Elousin, Tannis, Yula, and Robin were there as well, naturally. She was in tears even before the day of the weddings had arrived. Her husband and daughters did their best to keep her from crying, but the slightest mention of Ark would bring on the waterworks again. "I'm j-just s-so happy!" she had wailed. Robin nearly went spare because she had nothing to shoot at over the open ocean.  
The Regent's ship also bore Nyara's family to the island. Garr, Oora, Argor, and all of Nyara's brothers and sisters were there. Miamm, Mii, and Nanu flocked around Robin and never gave them a moment of peace, while Eyara, the sister closest in age to Nyara, struck up a bit of a friendship with Yula.  
The most surprising guests of all, however, came all the way from the frozen land of Aurora. Lond, Eda, Teran, Mia, Meia, and Maia had all received their invitations – exact location included – and had wasted no time in crossing ice and ocean to get to the little island. The warm weather, unfortunately, was something they had a hard time coming to terms with. The triplets hid in their cabins for most of the voyage, but Teran wisely decided to take the warm weather in short bursts in order to get used to the heat. By the time the island was in sight, the weather really didn't bother him that much.  
Finally, to top everything off, even Sirrus – now a happy farmer – was in attendance.  
"They really didn't forget anyone, did they," Link said with a disbelieving shake of his head. "How many people do we actually know? I didn't realize it was so many."  
"Lady Florella is very thorough," Ark murmured, scuffing his foot through the sand.  
"She certainly is," Talen agreed. His voice held a note of pride in it. "I can't believe we're all getting married…" He glanced at Ark. "…or the equivalent of it tomorrow." He laughed. "Who ever would have thought?"  
"Oh dear," Ark sighed suddenly. Link had fainted…again.  
Since arriving on the island the day before, the blonde Hylian had passed out a total of seven times. Merely the mention of the word "wedding" and Link would work himself into a veritable frenzy.  
Talen scooped up a handful of seawater and dumped it onto his friend's face, waking him with a great deal of coughing and spluttering. "You okay?"  
"Ugh," Link groaned as he was helped to his feet. "Please don't talk about tomorrow."  
Ark frowned. "You don't want it to happen?" he asked.  
Link rubbed his hands over his face. "Oh it's not that…I do, but…" He groped for the right words, but failed.  
"Don't worry," Talen smiled, offering him a hearty pat on the shoulder. "I know what you mean…I'm a little scared as well, but it's not so bad."  
"You're only getting married to _one_ person, Talen. Of _course_ it's not so bad," Link said flatly.  
Talen shrugged. "That may have something to do with it." He suddenly patted his pockets. "Oh, before I forget…here." He handed each of them two little boxes."  
Ark took his excitedly while Link held them in a shaking hand.  
"Ah! Thank you!" Ark exclaimed.  
Talen nodded. "They finished up very nicely. You two did a great job…you could be good blacksmiths one day."  
Ark shook his head. "I don't think so," he said. "The little tools were fine, but I doubt I could so much as lift those big hammers and such."  
Under Talen's tutelage, Link and Ark had spent a good deal of time at the blacksmith's home in Rockvale crafting the rings they would present to their partners the next day. They had done most of the work involved while Talen simply did a bit of touching up and the carving of a tiny relief on each ring. Ark and Link _did_ know that a ring was not part of the tradition of joining two people in Meera and Gerudo society – they simply thought it would make things nice and "neat".  
Link, of course, would not be receiving a ring from neither Fura nor Zelda…no; he had something a little more gruesome and painful to look forward to: a red-hot branding iron to each of his shoulders. He had protested it, of course, pleading for some other way to, "seal the deal", as it was…but Fura had not relented. In fact; she actually seemed rather gleeful when she had told him so…and then she had convinced Zelda to go through with it as well, stating that a mark burned into the flesh was _much_ more permanent than a ring. Link couldn't lose it, either.  
Ark really wasn't sure what was in store for him. He had asked Nyara and Zeel on several occasions, but they had rather neatly sidestepped his question. Anyone else would have taken that as an indication that they did not want to scare him off with the truth, but, being who he was, Ark didn't come to that conclusion.  
Link suddenly whimpered and sank to the sand. "Oh _no_…tomorrow night."  
"What about it?" Talen asked.  
Link fidgeted uncomfortably. "Florella's horrific little talk with me all those years ago about how babies are made keeps rearing its ugly head in my mind," he groaned, tugging at his hair. "What am I going to do? Is…is it really what's expected of me?"  
Talen shrugged. "I don't know."  
"Tomorrow night?" Ark asked curiously. Talen and Link looked at him.  
"It's nothing," Talen said with a wave of his hand. He turned his attention back to Link. "Just think about all the great food that'll be there."  
Link stood up. "Food?"  
Talen nodded. "Lots of it. Focus on the food and try not to get worked up over the other stuff."  
A small ball of light suddenly zipped out from under Link's long cap. Navi. "Shouldn't you all be getting back by now?" she asked. "They told you not to stay away for too long."  
Link grumbled under his breath. "I don't see why they're keeping such a tight rein on us," he sighed. "Talon keeps giving me "fatherly advice" and Fura's mother keeps trying to shove big chunks of ginger down my throat!" He paused. "What does "aff-ro-deesiac" mean, anyway?"  
Navi was nonplussed by his little outburst. She also ignored his question. "They don't want you to swim away," she said.  
Link's expression seemed almost hopeful for a second. "We can reach the mainland by swimming?" Navi's expression told him that he couldn't. "Oh…never mind."  
The fairy laughed and fluttered around their heads. "Come on, boys…back we go. Get plenty of rest tonight, too." She settled on Link's head. "Tomorrow's a big day."

The three couples – if that's what they could be called – all stood together in a small room that lay just before the hall where all the guests were seated. In but a few moments they would all emerge simultaneously from a set of double doors and the ceremony to bind the loved ones together would begin.  
"Try not to faint," Zelda said pleasantly as she straightened the slightly rumpled collar of Link's fine wedding garment. Dressy outfits didn't really suit Link, and he was quite eager to get out of it…Fura had also said that as well, though her voice had contained a rather predatory edge to it.  
"I'll try," he said, his voice failing him a little.  
"And try to stop shaking," Fura told him, smiling in amusement. "It will look strange if you're a quivering mess out there."  
"I can't," Link said quickly. He pursed his lips. "I think I'm going to throw up."  
Zelda patted his back. "Deep breaths, Link…deep breaths."  
The three of them stood side-by-side: Link in the middle, Fura on his left, and Zelda on his right. Zelda's white wedding dress, though simple, was elegant and suited her magnificently. Fura wore something similar to the horned, elaborate Fire Witch outfit of the Gerudo, only it did a slightly better job at covering up her bosom. They held hands – Fura and Zelda gripping Link's so hard that it almost looked like they believed he would flee at any second.  
An excited squeal pierced the hushed tone of the small room. "This is it! I-I'm getting married!" Florella squeaked. She would have danced had Talen not placed a calming hand atop her head.  
"Hard to believe," the smith murmured. "But I couldn't be happier with the way things turned out."  
Talen, like Link, wore a fine wedding garment for his special day. He wasn't entirely comfortable being dressed in finery, but at least _this_ outfit didn't have a cape. Florella, predictably, wore a dress with lots of white frills and bows: her dream wedding dress.  
"That's an understatement," Zeel chuckled. "If you had told me that I would be standing here in a wedding dress a few years ago, I would have laughed at you and then cut your head off."  
"One half of you would have laughed," Ark said in a quietly thoughtful voice. "And the other would have done the head-cutting."  
"Nyah!" Nyara mewed. "Ark happy-happy?"  
The grey haired boy nodded and gripped the hands of the two girls even tighter. "More than any word in my vocabulary can come close to describing."  
Ark also wore a rather fine outfit, and like his two friends he was also uncomfortable in it. He hadn't raised any objections to wearing it, though. Zeel wore a simple, yet pretty dress that was backless due to her leather wings. It looked a little out of place on her, but it was a day she had waited a long time for and she had been determined to at least look the part of the blushing bride…well, one of them. Nyara wore little, but that wasn't unusual. Instead of a dress – clothes hindered her movements – she had a rather large white bow tied around her middle and a bell the size of a coconut fastened around her neck. The bow pushed her bosom up somewhat, but nobody said anything – it was Nyara, after all.  
Fura smiled at Ark's response and nudged Link with her elbow. "What about you, Link?" she asked. "Are you happy?"  
Link seemed to flinch at his name being spoken. "I feel like I want to empty my insides onto the floor, I'm shaking, and I'm absolutely terrified," he said in a frail voice. "But I can tell you now that I wouldn't trade it for anything…not even all the nap-time in the world."  
Zelda smiled. "Good answer," she laughed smoothly.  
Music suddenly started playing out in the main hall: a traditional wedding march of Hyrule.  
"Well…this is it, everyone," Fura said. She felt Link's hand tightened around hers as he sucked in his breath. "Let's go." And the doors swung open.

The ceremony went like a blur to Link. He was so numb with fear that he barely noticed the throng of people watching them, nor did he notice Elousin as she wailed, "My little baby's getting married!" as Tannis held her.  
Link, Talen, and Ark gave their rings to Fura, Zelda, Florella, Nyara, and Zeel after Farore, Nayru, and Din – disguised, of course, and passing themselves off as holy women – recited an oath of binding decided upon in advance for each couple.  
And then it was done. They were married…or to the equivalent of. They kissed, though Fura was a little savage, the guests cheered and clapped, most of the women were in tears, Elousin in particular, and Link chose that particular moment to faint.  
When he finally awoke, celebrations were in full swing. People were talking, glasses clinked, children – most likely the Kokiri – laughed and giggled, and a rather pleasant scent filled the air. It took Link several seconds before he identified it as the perfume Zelda had been wearing. His eyelids fluttered open.  
"Ah! You're awake," a rather pleased-sounding voice said. Link stared up as he saw Fura and Zelda peering over him. They held out their fingers and showed him their rings.  
"We're _married!_" Zelda exclaimed.  
"We are?" Link murmured. It felt like a dream…married? Wait…the walk down the aisle; all the people, putting the rings on the girls' fingers…Fura eating his face off…they _were_ married! Link felt a jolt of panic surge through him, but it quickly subsided.  
He sat up and found himself sitting on a plush divan with his two brides. The guests milled all around; talking, drinking, eating, and generally having a good time. He could see Zelda's father, Gargun, Talon, Morgan, Tannis, Argor, Garr, Lond, Darunia, and Zora all standing – or sitting, as was Zora's case – in a circle off in one corner of the room. The leaders seemed to be concentrating on something rather serious…until Gargun turned around after draining an entire pitcher of ale in a single gulp. The men cheered loudly and slapped the big man heartily on the back before Darunia rumbled something about an ore trade being set up between the Goron nation and Aurora if Lond could drink _two_ pitchers worth of alcohol within two minutes. There was another cheer and two more pitchers were brought over.  
Elousin, Isabella, Oora, and Eda, in the meantime, were chattering away next to an immense table overloaded with food. Undrak, his red beard uncharacteristically trimmed and neat, was trapped between them and the wall, his eyes wandering longingly over to where the various male leaders were trying to drink themselves into a stupor. Link could half-hear what they were saying on account of Eda's accent being remarkably easy to pick out from the other voices in the room. Their own weddings seemed to be the topic of conversation.  
Ruto stood with Eyara and Yula. They didn't seem to be talking all that much, but that was most likely because they were busy watching the fascinating spectacle of Miamm, Mii, and Nanu beat Spar to a pulp. One of the little monsters had latched onto the tip of the elongated pike at the back of his head refused to let go while the other two chewed at his ankles.  
Teran and Torgun were being thoroughly trounced by Robin and Nabooru in an arm wrestling match…but then Gurr and his brothers entered the fray and beat the two women hands down. Gurr emerged the eventual victor.  
Fura's mother had managed to catch herself an audience in Gardelia, Malon, and the triplets from Aurora, Mia, Meia, and Maia. They stared at her, wide-eyed, as the Gerudo woman pointed to various parts of their bodies and made some rather odd gestures. Link was quite pleased that he couldn't hear her.  
He could also see Shera talking with Florella and Talen. The burly smith had his arm looped around Florella's as he stood there, his eyes glazing over as Morgan and Isabella's daughter babbled rapidly at them. Florella seemed interested, though, and babbled back at her at an equally fast pace.  
Ark, Nyara, and Zeel sat upon another divan in another part of the room. While it was generally the norm for the girl to sit on the boy's lap, Ark, Nyara, and Zeel were hardly normal. Instead, Ark sat on _their_ laps with a rather content look on his face while turning every now and then at some hidden request from either girl to share quick little kisses with them. He always turned back around with his face extremely flushed, but his look of contentment stayed firmly in place, as it did on the faces of his two beloveds.  
And surprisingly, in the corner, stood Sirrus and Impa with tall glasses in hand. It was difficult to see what they were talking about, but they appeared to be having a good time.  
"Everyone's here," Link murmured, hesitantly taking hold of Fura and Zelda's hands. "Nearly everyone we've met over both of our journeys."  
"Sure is a lot of people," Fura whistled. "From all over the place, too. I suppose we should be thanking our enemies; we never would have met them all if it hadn't been for them." She grinned then. "And _we_ never would have met you…and now we're together forever."  
"It's a good thing," Link said quietly.  
Zelda smiled and nuzzled against his neck. "I'm glad you think so." She gazed out the window. "It's such a nice night outside. We should go out to the balcony."  
And so they did. The three of them stood out there for some time, and eventually nearly every guest made their way out briefly to congratulate them privately. Link almost hid when Fura's mother appeared, but she didn't say anything too embarrassing.  
"Link married, huh," Malon had said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Seems I owe you some rupees, Fura."  
Link wasn't quite sure if he should have been insulted or not.  
"Hah!" Shera had laughed, jabbing her finger at Link's face. "I _knew_ this would happen! I knew it! I've been saving this for so long…_I TOLD YOU SO!_"  
Finally, the celebrations began to wind down and the guests began tottering off to bed. The three "couples" were all out on the balcony by that point, enjoying the warm night air.  
And then, quite suddenly, Fura cleared her throat and put her hands on her hips. "Well tonight's been quite a night," she said. "But I think I would like to go to bed."  
"Oh," Link said, thinking nothing of it. "Sleep well, ah…Dear." The word felt quite strange on his tongue.  
Fura raised an eyebrow and then took hold of his hand quite firmly. "I said _bed_, not _sleep_, Sweetums. Let's go." Link stared at her, his face turning quite white very quickly. "Understand now? Good."  
"Goodnight, everyone," Zelda smiled, waving as she tottered off with her hand in Link's. "We will see you in the morning…is there any of that chocolate pudding left on the table?" Fura laughed at that.  
"Nyah," Nyara mewed. "Ark and Zeel and Nyara go too."  
Ark blinked, unassuming. "Where to?" he asked. "A walk?"  
Zeel held back a grin. "Never mind. Come along," she said, leading him away with Nyara.  
That left just Talen and Florella out under the stars. They stood close in the warm air.  
Finally, Florella spoke. "Well…shall we go?" she asked.  
Talen nodded silently and took Florella's hand. "Let's."  
And so, their long journeys and trials behind them, all ends tied off, and with everything as it should be, the three happy "couples" began the first night of the rest of their lives.


End file.
